I remember when I was younger, my mom told me that she had a dream about me.  In that dream I had become a debater.  I don’t know if I had been arguing with her that day or had convinced my sister to do something for me but there I was in her dream, involved in some kind of debate.  As I’ve been focused on spiritual growth under the direction of my mentor, I’ve begun to realize that not everyone sees truth from the same perspective.  It is these different perspectives that often cause debate to erupt.  Sometimes these debates end in stalemate and agreeing to disagree.  In some instances this agreement in stalemate is fine, but other times there is a real need for resolution because there are eternal consequences at stake.

Perspectives and Debate

Three people can read the same words of The Bible and finish with three different ideas about it.  One will come away with the understanding that it is the infallible Word of God and applicable to every aspect of life, not only as a book rules but also of living words of encouragement in their faith.  Another will see it as a good book of morals including the history and works of Christ as The Savior of the world, but they don’t see every part of it as applicable to life in our current age.  This person finds fault in parts of the Bible and so rejects those parts, but still uses it as a way to find revelation and encouragement.  A third person still sees The Bible as a book of Christian myth and folklore.  They might find some good morals in it, but as a whole, they reject it as having authority in any sense of the word.  From the basis these three perspectives, heated debate arises.

Debate Within The Church

Debate is a common occurrence in The Church as a whole.  This can be seen by the fact that there are so many different denominations and para-church communities.  There is debate within the church on everything from predestination to the ordination of women, from if it’s possible to lose your salvation to if it’s ok to dance, and from the role of The Church in government to gay marriage.  Just like any debate, the issues that often cause division in The Church start with differing perspectives on truth.  Differing perspectives on the same truth does not mean that everyone is right in their view.  If you are looking at something red with a pair of blue glasses on, it does not mean that that red object is purple.  Your perspective makes it seem purple, but the truth is that the object is red.

The problem with many debates within The Church is the rarity of either side realizing that their perspective is wrong.  Most issues are based on specific rules and many of those rules do not affect the truth of salvation through the blood of Christ.  Some of the debates however can become the beginning of an attempt to tear The Church apart from the foundation up.  There are absolute truths that sometimes come under debate.  To be able to debate an absolute truth, one party must be seeing the absolute truth through a lens that makes it seem relative to time when it was written and not applicable to our current times.  If The Church as a whole were to agree that the truth in the Bible is relative, then a “church” that only looks to The Bible as a moral guide and rejects Christ as Savior is only a small step away.  With no absolute truths, the argument would arise that we only exist to fulfill the goals of the world and that we should focus on living our lives in the today.  The danger of embracing truth as relative becomes evident when you look at what happens when one focus only on living in today.  The hope for eternity is diminished until it becomes non-existent and the need for a savior becomes lost.

Basic Problem With Debate

Although my mother had a dream about me being a great debater, I do not like or look forward to being involved in any debate.  I know the truths that I believe and I have some knowledge to back them up, but there is a fear in the back of my mind that I will face a rebuttal that I am not ready for or worse, I will offend and/or alienate the person I am debating to the point that they are entirely turned away from ever being persuaded that their perspective is incorrect.  I am not trying to say that my knowledge of truth is without fault.  One of the reasons I pray for wisdom is so that The Holy Spirit will shed clear light on areas where I’ve been looking at truth from the wrong perspective.

The fear of a lack of knowledge that I mentioned above is fed by a feeling of immaturity in myself.  Through some study in college and my recent dive into spiritual growth with my mentor, I feel that I have slightly more than a basic knowledge that backs up my view of truth (or beliefs).  I’ve recently come across and old friend from my past that has differing beliefs from me that he backs up with an immense amount of knowledge in the form of historical information mixed with personal experience and ‘revelation’.  I had thought about starting a conversation on our differing beliefs about the infallible nature of Scripture.  That was until I read through his blog and realized that I have not done nearly the amount of research that he has on the subject.  The point is, I would have been easily outsmarted in a debate that would have surely come out of a simple start to conversation.  I don’t like the feeling of being outsmarted in anything (my record of 17-2 in Words With Friends proves that), and so I avoid debates and even simple conversations where I feel that the other person has an informational upper hand.

The fear that I will offend and/or alienate someone is more difficult for me.  I know that I can’t make someone’s decision for them to turn completely away from God, but I don’t want the burden of feeling like it’s my fault that they chose to respond to God in that way.  There are other (less significant) issues that I want to avoid the feeling of causing their hearts to harden, but that’s the big one.  A specific example would be the debate within the Presbyterian Church (USA) on the ordination of practicing gays.  My stance in the matter is that a practicing gay should not be put into any position of leadership within the church.  Keeping in mind the fact that I am a sinful person [redeemed by the blood of Christ] in a position of leadership in the church, how would I ask someone who has been serving in ministry to step down without alienating them from the church altogether?  I honestly hope that I am never faced with that and it is another situation that I pray God guides me through with His wisdom if I ever am faced with it.

God’s Sovereignty

When it’s all boiled down, God is sovereign over any conversation or debate.  He is able to overcome the fears that I mentioned above.  He is able to melt a hardened heart and grant vision see the truth from His perfect perspective.  Long before we enter into a state of stalemate, before we even enter conversation, be should be praying for wisdom.  This wisdom is not only to know what to say, but also for the to understand when we are wrong.  We should be praying for His sovereignty to reign throughout the conversation/debate.  We should be basing our conversation in Biblical truths and always testing our perspective through the lens of Scripture and gearing our conversation through a heart and mindset of love.  When we are stuck in stalemate, all we can do is pray and remember that God is sovereign.

Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
Matthew 22:37-39

Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.
1 Corinthians 8:1b

For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
Proverbs 2:6

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
James 1:5

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.
1 Peter 2:1-3