In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss one of the concerning trends for 2024 mentioned by Dr. White in a recent episode, something that was echoed by a listener-submitted question. Both had to do with the continued fracturing of the Church and Christians within it. Christians seem to have an underdeveloped skill of disagreeing agreeably. We've also lost sight of what's worth disagreeing over.
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The biggest test when it comes to when it's appropriate to disagree is to ask: is it a matter or orthodoxy (right thinking) or orthopraxy (right living)? Second, is it a primary or tertiary issue related to the Christian faith?
The problem is that many Christians have taken political and ideological divides and elevated them to the level of primary, theological issues - and that's heresy. There are certain values that are being embraced that are distorting the Christian faith. Dr. White has touched on this in past episodes of the podcast. We'd encourage you to go back and listen to the following for more perspective:
CCP63: On Why Christians Are So Mean
CCP46: On the Clash Over Religious Freedom
CCP37: On Christian Nationalism
Dr. White referred to an article by David Aikman titled “Attack Dogs of Christendom” where the author wrote how Christians seem to love to go after people who disagree with them, particularly other Christians. All this does is to hurt the witness of the church.
He also mentioned how Francis Schaeffer was taken with the community of the church and his concerns with Christians who seem to love finding mistakes in other believers. He wrote about this in a book titled The Mark of the Christian. Another great book on the divides in Christendom that have erupted over recent years is The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism written by Tim Alberta. Because sadly, a lot of Christians believe they are engaging in a battle by promoting a political platform, and treating it as though the Kingdom of God is at stake.
One easy place to identify when it comes to where to disagree is again on the foundational beliefs of the Christian faith, such as the belief that there is only one way to God. Understanding the differences between Christianity and other belief systems is important. We suggest that you go back and listen to the following episodes if you've missed them:
CCP86: On Islam
CCP84: On Hinduism and Buddhism
CCP35: On Scientology
CCP18: On Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses
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