Come, Let Us Reason Together

In our digital world, we see very few examples of how people can disagree with each other and be respectful and courteous. Every time I watch a news program segment they call an “interview,” I’m embarrassed for our culture. “Interview” implies the asking of questions and the courteous silence that allows a person to answer. We don’t do that in our digital world. We try to shout louder than the other, refusing to listen.

But that’s not how our church family operates.  We hosted a Q&A opportunity a week ago, asking people to ask good questions so that we could have a healthy and thorough discussion.  We’re finishing up the proofing on a report for that and will be sending it to our membership later this week.  But afterward, I asked a young man in his 20’s about his experience in that discussion.  “That was a reasonable, courteous discussion, even when people were on opposite sides of the issue.  My generation never gets to see something like that.”

Oh friends, we are walking through some emotionally charged conversations, but in our first conversation, people had heartfelt opinions, but we left that 20-something intact.  He didn’t walk away disillusioned by how we discussed something important.  He wished his peers could experience it.  I’m so grateful.

I looked around a room and could call almost everyone by name, and knew at least part of the story of everyone there.  And I loved them.  And in the way we responded to one another, it was almost “stubborn love” for each other that kept us talking to each other instead of talking around each other.  That’s healthy.  That’s helpful.

So to all who attended, thank you for preserving younger, more impressionable hearts.  In the end, we will make a decision.  And if my opinion isn’t affirmed, I’m going to love and serve my church family.  And if it is, I’m going to love my church family.  THAT’s how this church family operates.  And I’m so grateful.