If we care about the glory of Christ, we will care about the peace and unity of His church, and, in turn, we will care about the purity of the church. More to the point, if we are complacent about any and all controversies, it probably means we are complacent about truth itself. However, if we fully engage in each and every apparent controversy that exists in the church, it could mean we are not asking ourselves the right questions to determine which controversies we should engage in and, what’s more, in what manner and to what degree we should engage.
He offers ten questions we can ask before engaging to determine if, when, and how we enter into a public discussion of a controverted issue:
- Have I prayed?
- What is my motive?
- Am I striving to edify others?
- Have I sought counsel?
- Would I not rather be wronged?
- How will I treat the person with whom I disagree?
- Am I involving a bigger audience than necessary?
- Am I the right person to engage?
- What is my ultimate goal?
- Am I focused on God’s glory?
Read the whole thing here for more explanation behind each question.
HT: Z
