Unmasking Our Division

Be careful if you feel the need to always challenge those with differing opinions.

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Fearful people will often use shaming to silence those who offer an opposing point of view. This is done by making questioning statements like “How is that choice an expression of Christ’s love?” or “Are you more informed than the experts?” This questioning saw cuts both ways – for those who are for something and those who are against it.

God does not engage in the shaming business and neither should those who follow Him. It becomes especially unseemly when we mask our questioning with self-righteous virtue-signaling in an attempt to convey an image of our supposed spiritual maturity and moral high ground on a contentious issue.

Be careful if you feel the need to always challenge those with differing opinions. Each of us will arrive at our conclusions at our own pace and in our own time. Without offering those allowances relationships are destroyed and division is created. At some point, our desire to convince others to change their opinion and align with ours must come to an end. When we arrive at that place, we are left with only one healthy option – we can choose to mind our own business and no longer allow the fearmongers on either side of an issue to inform our thinking, direct our steps, and divide us from each other.

The world knows the Church has many within her ranks who are on opposite sides of a multitude of important issues. How we navigate the challenges relating to those issues will be our testimony to the world that Jesus Christ is Lord of all, even over our most strongly held opinions.

 

 

This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Garris Elkins

Featured Image by Cam Morin on Unsplash

 

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About the Author

Garris Elkins is a Kingdom Winds Contributor. He and his wife, Jan, serve the global Church through writing, speaking, and mentoring. They live in southern Oregon, tucked away in the foothills of the Rogue Valley. Their shared desire is to have each person learn how to hear the heart of God and become a transforming voice in their culture.