In his first letter to the church at
Corinth, the Apostle Paul says (in Eugene Peterson's translation The Message):
"I have a serious concern to bring up with you, my friends, using the
authority of Jesus, our Master. I'll put it as urgently as I can: You must get
along with each other. You must learn to be considerate of one another,
cultivating a life in common." (I Corinthians 1:10)…
We live in a time when there are too
many conflicts, too little cooperation, and too few people who are willing to
get along. Simple courtesy, the ability to compromise, and the willingness to
think of the larger good -- those things seem to be in short supply. We are
reaching the point where the very social fabric is coming unraveled…
I suggest the following steps for each
of us and all of us to take:
1. Start by saying "I could be
wrong" when expressing your opinions. That simple caveat allows room for
the other person to have a different opinion. And it is also the truth – we may
well be wrong, even when we have a strong opinion.
2. Practice stating opposing opinions
without labeling or cynicism. The ability to explain positions with which we
disagree means that we have truly listened and learned. It also makes it more
likely that we will convince others to consider our opinion.
3. Agree to disagree without becoming
disagreeable. There is nothing which says we must always agree, but our
disagreeing can be civil and polite.
4. Don't go thermo-nuclear on every
issue. Most issues are not ultimate, so don't ramp up the rhetoric on every
little thing.
5. Allow God to speak for Himself and
don't presume God agrees with you on every one of your opinions.
Will these five steps eliminate all of
the divisions and violence in our society and all the divisions in our
churches? Of course not. But we must start somewhere. As the Apostle Paul says,
"We must get along with each other." We must.
-- U.M. Bishop Mike Coyner, from the Indiana Conference website
#3908
Your Soundbites for today is WONDERFUL!
ReplyDeleteIf only all of us Christians would follow these 5 points, life would be far more enjoyable. Of course, it would also be able to cool down the tragic hatefulness, killing, terrorism, and war, that is concerning the rest of the world as well. If only.....
Thanks again for your fine ministry!
R. Retherford