{"id":77069,"date":"2023-02-28T09:38:19","date_gmt":"2023-02-28T15:38:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mesonaz.org\/?p=77069"},"modified":"2023-02-28T09:38:19","modified_gmt":"2023-02-28T15:38:19","slug":"a-christians-guide-to-handling-controversy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mesonaz.org\/en\/a-christians-guide-to-handling-controversy\/","title":{"rendered":"A Christian\u2019s Guide to Handling Controversy"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Christian\u2019s Guide to Handling Controversy<\/strong><\/h2>\n

By Brett Clemmer, President & CEO<\/strong><\/p>\n

Man in the Mirror Blog<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

In a culture that thrives on controversy, we\u2019re eager to argue our points. But with what goal? And at what cost? Paul gives a counter-cultural approach to conflict that helps us fight the right battles in the right way with the right definition of victory.<\/p>\n

Recently, I was listening to a\u00a0podcast<\/a>\u00a0by a Christian leader who was interviewing a social psychology professor named Jonathan Haidt. Haidt himself is a Jewish atheist, not a Christian, but something he shared about his perspective on the changes wrought by social media really struck me.<\/p>\n

When we have a disagreement, Haidt suggested, we have two choices. We can discuss our disagreement face to face, perhaps over coffee, and try to understand each other\u2019s viewpoints. Or we can set up an appointment at the Roman Colosseum and invite a horde of strangers to come watch us fight it out.<\/p>\n

This, in essence, is social media. Too often, people are trying to solve arguments in a way that carries the potential for a public blood bath. And in fact, that\u2019s what everyone witnessing it\u00a0wants<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Christians are not immune to this shift. For example, I\u2019ve seen Christians on social media post vitriolic comments on other people\u2019s posts over the finest theological minutia\u2014points that the most brilliant theologians have been debating for centuries. Suddenly, someone has completely figured out the theological significance of some Greek word and decides to argue his case with name calling and condescension, despite the fact that he\u2019s never actually studied Greek and only opens his Bible on occasion.<\/p>\n

When we engage in these public battles, it obscures the message of the gospel. And when it comes to building relationships and discipling others, it\u2019s a death blow.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s At Risk?<\/strong>
\nOf course, there was no such thing as Facebook or Twitter when Paul wrote this letter to Timothy, but the principles regarding handling controversies are relevant today.<\/p>\n

In\u00a02 Timothy 2:23-26<\/a>, Paul writes:
\nHave nothing to do with foolish, ignorant\u00a0controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.\u00a0And\u00a0the Lord\u2019s servant must not be quarrelsome but\u00a0kind to everyone,\u00a0able to teach, patiently enduring evil,\u00a0correcting his opponents\u00a0with gentleness. God\u00a0may perhaps grant them repentance\u00a0leading to a knowledge of the truth,\u00a0and they may come to their senses and escape from\u00a0the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.<\/em><\/p>\n

If Paul were writing to the church today, \u201cHave nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels,\u201d what all might that encompass?<\/p>\n

Think about the controversies that you\u2019ve been preoccupied with this week, for example. Have they been a distraction from your most important priorities or pulled you or others away from the gospel? I believe Paul would classify anything that hinders the cause of the gospel as a foolish, ignorant controversy.<\/p>\n

Why is it so tempting to engage then? The reality is that in addition to the Colosseum approach to conflict, the internet has also contributed to the widespread attitude that we can be experts in everything\u2014from virology to macroeconomics to climate change to mental health.<\/p>\n

If we aren\u2019t careful, we can apply biblical principles out of context to non-essential issues to justify arguing our personal positions at all costs,\u00a0often in a manner that undermines our witness.<\/em><\/p>\n

Jesus Himself encountered this with the religious leaders of His day over the non-essential issue of taxes. Watch how they butter him up at the start, and then try to set a trap for him:
\nThen the Pharisees went and plotted how\u00a0to entangle him in his words. And they sent\u00a0their disciples to him, along with\u00a0the Herodians, saying, \u201cTeacher,\u00a0we know that you are true and teach\u00a0the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone\u2019s opinion, for\u00a0you are not swayed by appearances.\u00a0Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay\u00a0taxes to\u00a0Caesar, or not?\u201d<\/em>
\nBut Jesus, aware of their malice, said,\u00a0\u201cWhy\u00a0put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax.\u201d\u00a0And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them,\u00a0\u201cWhose likeness and inscription is this?\u201d They said, \u201cCaesar\u2019s.\u201d Then he said to them,\u00a0\u201cTherefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar\u2019s, and to God the things that are God\u2019s.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0(Matthew 22:15-21<\/a>)<\/p>\n

The Pharisees went to Jesus about taxes with the goal of undermining His ministry. Either he\u2019d say no to taxes and become an insurrectionist against the government, or he\u2019d say yes and become a collaborator of those persecuting the Jews.\u00a0Instead, Jesus rejects their premise.<\/em>\u00a0Instead of engaging in the controversy and choosing one of their options, He shifts the focus to a deeper truth, centered around one\u2019s devotion to God.<\/p>\n

There are two other things to notice about this passage as well: first of all, when they take out a denarius with an image of Caesar on it, they are\u00a0literally<\/em>\u00a0bringing a graven image into the temple courts. The Pharisees should have been scandalized by this, though it may have been a Herodian that brought in the coin. Either way, it shows their hypocrisy.<\/p>\n

Secondly, the Pharisees and Herodians were often opposed to each other. The Pharisees saw the Romans as occupiers and yearned for religious purity. The Herodians relied on the Romans for their own power. One sign of a foolish controversy is when people who fundamentally disagree band together to make an argument. Beware when you see enemies suddenly acting like allies!<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s not get caught up in foolish arguments that undermine Jesus\u2019 ministry. The desire to jump into the trap for the sake of being right or to prove our point is dangerous. Whether it\u2019s a public display of self-righteousness<\/em>\u00a0(\u201cI\u2019m good and you\u2019re evil\u201d) or self-rightness<\/em>\u00a0(\u201cI\u2019m right and you\u2019re stupid\u201d), it\u2019s a cancer that splinters God\u2019s people and our witness.<\/p>\n

A Counter-Cultural Approach to Controversy<\/strong>
\nDo you know someone who is quarrelsome\u2014often seizing on petty issues or differences to entangle others in a dispute? Or perhaps, what about you? Are you eager to argue? When we think about today\u2019s platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Reddit, we can easily recognize the culture\u2019s embrace of this quality.<\/p>\n

But instead of taking the bait and engaging in foolish controversies, Paul gives Timothy much different instructions:
\nAnd\u00a0the Lord\u2019s servant must not be quarrelsome but\u00a0kind to everyone,\u00a0able to teach, patiently enduring evil,\u00a0correcting his opponents\u00a0with gentleness.<\/em> (2 Timothy 2:24-25a<\/a>)<\/p>\n

When we face conflict, Paul wants us to be kind, prepared, patient, gentle, and willing to endure evil. This is not the standard embraced by modern culture! It won\u2019t result in a Colosseum victory for you. But you\u00a0will<\/em>\u00a0stand out in a negative, argumentative, narcissistic world as a beacon for goodness, a light in the darkness.<\/p>\n

Solomon\u2019s Wisdom<\/strong>
\nPaul\u2019s advice to Timothy reminds me of some of the individual proverbs that Solomon lists out for his sons in Proverbs 15.<\/p>\n

As you read through Solomon\u2019s wise counsel for how his sons should engage with others in the face of conflict, think about it in the context of\u00a0spiritual<\/em>\u00a0parenting as well, as you guide those who are behind you in their spiritual journeys.<\/p>\n