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[Mike Abendroth]

How to Deal with Those Who Differ from Us

Dr. Roger R. Nicole, Ph.D.

 

Part 1: What Do I Owe to the Person Who Differs From Me?

We are called upon by the Lord to contend earnestly for the faith. (Jude 3)
That does not necessarily involve being contentious; but it involves
avoiding compromise, standing forth for what we believe, standing forth for
the truth of God-without welching at any particular moment. Thus, we are
bound to meet, at various points and various levels, people with whom we
disagree. We disagree in some areas of Christian doctrine. We disagree as to
some details of church administration. We disagree as to the way in which
certain tasks of the church should be pursued. And, in fact, if we are
careful to observe the principles that I would like to expound for you, I
would suggest that they may be valuable also in disagreements that are not
in the religious filed. They also would apply to disagreements in politics
or difficulties with people in your job or friction within the family or
contentions between husband and wife or between parents and children. Who
does not encounter from time to time people who are not in complete
agreement; therefore it is good to seek to discover certain basic principles
whereby we may relate to those who differ from us.

It seems strange that one should desire to speak at all about Polemic
Theology since we are now in an age when folks are more interested in
ecumenism and irenics than in polemics. Furthermore, Polemic Theology
appears to have been often rather ineffective. Christians have not managed
in many cases to win over their opponents. They have shown themselves to be
ornery; they have bypassed some fairly important prescriptions of Scripture;
and in the end, they have not convinced very many people. Sometimes they
have not even managed to convince themselves! Under those circumstances, one
perhaps might desire to bypass a subject like this altogether.

In order to approach this subject, there are three major questions that we
must ask; and I would like to emphasize very strongly that, in my judgement,
we need to ask them precisely in the right order: (1) What do I owe the
person who differs from me? (2) What can I learn from the person who differs
from me? (3) How can I cope with the person who differs from me?

Many people overlook the first two questions and jump right away to: "How
can I cope with this? How can I bash this person right down into the ground
in order to annihilate objections and differences?" Obviously, if we jump to
the third question from the start, it is not very likely that we will be
very successful in winning over dissenters. So I suggest, first of all, that
we need to face squarely the matter of our duties. We have obligations to
people who differ from us. This does not involve agreeing with them. We have
an obligation to the truth that has a priority over agreement with any
particular person; if someone is not in the truth, we have no right to
agree. We have no right even to minimize the importance of the difference;
and therefore, we do not owe consent, and we do not owe indifference. But
what we owe that person who differs from us, whoever that may be, is what we
owe every human being-we owe them to love them. And we owe them to deal with
them as we ourselves would like to be dealt with or treated. (Matthew 7:12)

And how then do we desire to be treated? Well, the first thing that we
notice here is that we want people to know what we are saying or meaning.
There is, therefore, an obligation if we are going to voice differences to
make a serious effort to know the person with whom we differ. That person
may have published books or articles. Then we have an obligation to be
acquainted with those writings. It is not appropriate for us to voice sharp
differences if we have neglected to read what is available. The person who
differs from us should have evidence that we read carefully what has been
written and that we have attempted to understand its meaning. In the case of
an oral exchange where we don't have the writing, we owe the person who
differs from us to listen carefully to what he or she says. Rather than
preparing ourselves to pounce on that person the moment he or she stops
talking, we should concentrate on apprehending precisely what the other
person holds.

In this respect, I say that Dr. Cornelius Van Til has given us a splendid
example. As you may know, he expressed very strong objections to the
theology of Karl Barth. This was so strong that Barth claimed that Van Til
simply did not understand him. It has been my privilege to be at Dr. Van
Til's office and to see with my own eyes the bulky tomes of Barth's,
Kirchliche Dogmatik(Incidently, these volumes were the original German text,
not an English translation). As I leafed through these, I bear witness that
I did not see one page that was not constellated with underlining,
double-underlining, marginal annotations, exclamation points, and question
marks galore. So here is someone who certainly did not say, "I know Karl
Barth well; I understand his stance; I don't need to read anymore of this; I
can move on with what I have." Every one of the volumes, including the
latest ones that were then in existence, gave evidence of very, very careful
scrutiny. So when we intend to take issue with somebody, we need to do the
job that is necessary to know that person so that we are not voicing our
criticism in the absence of knowledge but that we are proceeding from the
vantage point of real acquaintance.

Even that is not enough. Beyond what a person says or writes, we must
attempt to understand what a person means. Now it is true that there are
what are called "Freudian slips," that is there are people who do not
express themselves exactly the way it should be done; but in the process
somehow they give an insight into a tendency that is there in them all along
and which leads them to express themselves in an infelicitous but revealing
manner. So it is appropriate, I suppose, to note this as a personal
footnote, so to speak, in order possibly to make use of it at some time in
the discussion. But if somebody fails to express himself or herself
accurately, there is no great point in pressing the very language that is
used. We ought to try to understand what is the meaning that this language
is intended to convey. In some cases, we may provide an opportunity for an
opponent to speak more accurately.

I have experienced this in my own home. I have noticed that my wife
sometimes says things like this: "You never empty the wastebasket." Now as a
matter of fact, on January 12, 1984, I did empty the wastebasket. Therefore,
the word never is inappropriate! This tends to weaken the force of my wife's
reproach. Well, I've learned that I don't get anywhere by pressing this
point. This kind of reaction is not providing dividends of joy and peace in
my home. I've learned, therefore, to interpret that when my wife says
"never" she means "rarely" or "not as often as should be." When she says
"always," she means "frequently" or "more often than should be." Instead of
quibbling as to the words never and always, I would do well to pay attention
to what she finds objectionable. And indeed, I should be emptying the
wastebasket. That is a regular part of a male role in the home, isn't it?
Feminist or not feminist, a husband and father should empty the wastebasket;
and therefore, if I fail to do this, even only once, there is good reason to
complain. Nothing is gained by quibbling about how often this happens. I
ought to recognize this and be more diligent with it.

Similarly, in dealing with those who differ, we ought not to quibble about
language just in order to pounce on our opponent because he or she has not
used accurate wording. It is more effective to seek to apprehend what is
meant and then to relate ourselves to the person's meaning. If we don't do
that, of course, there is no encounter because this person speaks at one
level and we are taking the language at another level; and so the two do not
meet, and the result is bound to be frustrating. So if we really want to
meet, we might as well try to figure out the meaning rather than to quibble
on wording.

Moreover, I would suggest that we owe to people who differ from us to seek
to understand their aims. What is it that they are looking for? What is it
that makes them tick? What is it that they are recoiling against? What are
the experiences, perhaps tragic experiences, that have steeled them into a
particular stance? What are the things that they fear and the things that
they yearn for? Is there not something that I fear as well or yearn for in
the same way? Is there not a possibility here to find a point of contact at
the very start rather than to move on with an entirely defensive or hostile
mood?

As an example, it may be observed that in the fourth century Arius, and
undoubtedly many of his supporters, were especially leery of modalism, a
serious error in the conception of the Trinity whereby the Godhead
manifested Himself in three successive forms or modes as Father, Son and the
Holy Spirit rather than to exist eternally as Three Who have interpersonal
relations with each other. From Arius' vantage point, the orthodox doctrine
of the full deity of the Son ans the Holy Spirit did of necessity imply a
modalistic view. It did not help that one of his very vocal opponents
Marcellus of Ancyra did, in fact, border dangerously on modalism. Arguments
designed to show the biblical and logical strengths of the doctrine of the
Son's full deity or vice versa the weakness of Arius's subordinationism
would not be likely to be effective unless the instinctive fear of an
implied modalism were addressed and shown to be without solid foundation.
With all due respect to the soundness, courage, and perseverance of those
like Athanasius and Hilary who consistently resisted Arianism, one may yet
wonder if a more effective method of dealing with this error might not have
been to allay the fear that orthodoxy inevitably would lead to modalism.

In the controversy between Calvinism and Arminianism, it must be perceived
that the fact that many Arminians (possibly almost all of them) conceive to
affirm the complete sovereignty of God inevitably implies a rejection of any
free will, power of decision, and even responsibility on the part of created
rational beings, angelic or human. Their attachment to those features
naturally leads them to oppose Calvinism as they understand it. It is
imperative for the Calvinist controversialist to affirm and to prove that he
or she does not, in fact, deny or reject these modalities of the actions and
decisions of moral agents but that he or she undertakes to retain these-even
though their logical relation to divine sovereignty remains shrouded in a
mystery that transcends finite, human logic.

Similarly, the Calvinist should not glibly conclude that evangelical
Arminians are abandoning the notion of divine sovereignty because they
assert the freedom of the human will. It is plainly obvious that Arminians
pray for the conversion of those yet unbelievers and that they desire to
recognize the Lordship of God. The Arminian will do well to emphasize this
in discussion with Calvinists so as to provide a clearer perception of the
actual stance of both parties. It is remarkable that committed Calvinists
can sing without reservation many of the hymns of Charles and John Wesley,
and vice versa that most Arminians do not feel they need to object to those
of Isaac Watts or Augustus Toplady. 

In summary, I would say we owe our opponents to deal with them in such a way
that they may sense that we have a real interest in them as persons, that we
are not simply trying to win an argument or show how smart we are, but that
we are deeply interested in them-and are eager to learn from them as well as
to help them.

One method that I have found helpful in making sure that I have dealt fairly
with a position that I could not espouse was to assume that a person
endorsing that view was present in my audience (or was reading what I had
written). Then my aim was to represent the view faithfully and fully without
mingling the criticism with factual statements; in fact, so faithfully and
fully that an adherent to that position might comment, "This man certainly
does understand our view!" It would be a special boon if one could say, "I
never heard it stated better!" This then could earn me the right to
criticize. But before I proceed to do this, it is only proper that I should
have demonstrated that I have a correct understanding of the position I
desire to evaluate. 

Part 2: What Can I Learn from Those Who Differ From Me?

In the last section, we discussed the answer to the question, "What do I owe
the person who differs from me?" It is very important throughout that one
should remain keenly aware of such obligation, for otherwise any discussion
is doomed to remain unproductive. The truth that I believe I have grasped
must be presented in a spirit of love and winsomeness. To do otherwise is to
dispute truth itself, for it is more naturally allied to love than to
hostility or sarcasm. (Ephesians 4:15) These may, in fact, reflect a certain
insecurity that is not warranted when one is really under the sway of truth.
It may well be that God's servant may be moved to righteous indignation in
the presence of those "who suppress the truth by their wickedness" (Romans
1:18). This explains the outbursts of the Old Testament prophets, of our
Lord in His denunciation of the Pharisees and of the apostles in dealing
with various heresies and hypocrisies in the early church. These severe
judgments were ordinarily aimed at warning members of the flock rather than
winning over some people who had distanced themselves from the truth of God
to a point which left no room for hope of recovery. (Psalm 139:19-22; Isaiah
5:8-25; Daniel 5:26-30; Matthew 12:30-32; Acts 7:51-53; Galatians 5:12;
Revelation 22:15) But when dealing with those we have a desire to influence
for the good, we need imperatively to remain outgoing and gracious. 

When we are sure that our outward approach is proper, we need secondly to
safeguard the inward benefits of courtesy. We need to ask the question,
"What can I learn from those who differ from me?" It is not censurable
selfishness to seek to gain maximum benefits from any situation that we
encounter. It is truly a pity if we fail to take advantage of opportunities
to learn and develop what almost any controversy affords us.

Could I be Wrong?

The first thing that I should be prepared to learn is that I am wrong and
the other person is right. Obviously, this does not apply to certain basic
truths of the faith like the Deity of Christ or salvation by grace. The
whole structure of the Christian faith is at stake here and it would be
instability rather than broad-mindedness to allow these to be eroded by
doubts. Yet, apart from issues where God Himself has spoken so that doubt
and hesitancy are really not permissible there are numerous areas where we
are temperamentally inclined to be very assertive and in which we can quite
possibly be in error. When we are unwilling to acknowledge our fallibility,
we reveal that we are more interested in winning a discussion and
safeguarding our reputation than in the discovery and triumph of truth. A
person who corrects our misapprehensions is truly our helper rather than our
adversary, and we should be grateful for this service rather than resentful
of the correction. As far as our reputation is concerned, we should seek to
be known for an unfailing attachment to the truth and not appear to pretend
to a kind of infallibility that we are ready to criticize when Roman
Catholics claim it for their popes!

Our reputation will be better served if we show ourselves ready to be
corrected when in error, rather than if we keep obstinately to our viewpoint
when the evidence shows it to be wrong. I should welcome the correction.
This person is really my friend who renders a signal service to me! I should
respond, "I was mistaken in this; I am glad that you straightened me out;
Thank you for your help." People who are unwilling to acknowledge their
mistakes, by contrast, may be called stubborn and lose their credibility.

What are the Facts?

In the second place we may learn from one who differs that our
presentations, while correct as far as it goes, fails to embody the truth in
its entirety on the subject in view. Although what we assert is true, there
are elements of truth that, in our own clumsy way, we have overlooked. For
instance, we may be so concerned to assert the deity of Christ that we may
appear to leave no room for His humanity. As a Calvinist, I may so stress
the sovereignty of God that the reality of human decision may appear to be
ruled out. Here again, I should feel grateful rather than resentful. The
adversative situation may well force me to give better attention to the
fullness of revelation and preclude an innate one-sidedness which results in
a caricature that does disservice to truth no less than the actual error may
do. Many of the mainline elements of Christianity are thus, "two-railed," if
I may express myself in a metaphor. Unity, yet threeness in God, immanence
yet transcendence, sovereignty of God and yet reality of rational decision,
body and soul, deity and humanity of the Mediator, justification and
sanctification, divine inspiration of Scripture and human authorship,
individual and corporate responsibility. One could multiply the examples.
When one of the factors is overlooked, one is doing no better than the
railroad operator who would attempt to run an ordinary train with only one
rail (I do not speak here of monorails!) The person who differs from me may
render me great service by compelling me to present the truth in its
completeness and thus avoid pitfalls created by under-emphasis, over
emphasis and omissions. Thus my account will be "full-orbed" rather than
"half-baked!"

What are the Dangers?

I may learn from those who differ from me that I have not sufficiently
perceived certain dangers to which my view is exposed and against which I
need to be especially on guard. I may find out notably that there are
certain weighty objections to which I had not given sufficient attention
heretofore. Here again, I must be grateful for a signal service rendered by
the objector. Instead of being irked by the opposition, I should rise to the
challenge of presenting my view with appropriate safeguards and in such a
way as to anticipate objections that are likely to arise.

For example, consider how the Westminster divines were led to express the
doctrine of divine decrees (Confession III/I).

"God from all eternity did, by the most wise and Holy counsel of His own
will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass; yet so as
thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered to the
will of the creatures, nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes
taken away, but rather established."

The three clauses following "yet so as thereby" are specifically designed to
ward off misunderstanding and to meet objections commonly raised by
Arminians or Arminianizing divines. The peculiar wisdom of setting up these
safeguards in the first article of that chapter is the fruit of the bitter
experiences made in more than half a century of controversy issuing in rich
balanced and nuanced expression of truth in the Westminster standards.

In France, certain barriers placed on bridges, terraces or quays are called
"garde-fous", that is to say "safeguards for the crazy." They provide a
fence to prevent those who are careless from falling off the edge. Those who
disagree with us provide us with an opportunity to ascertain areas of danger
in our view and to build "garde-fous" there. It would be a pity if we failed
to take advantage of such an opportunity.

What about Ambiguities?

We may learn from those who object that we are not communicating as we
should and that they have not rightly understood what we wanted to say. In
this we can be benefitted also, for the whole purpose of speaking (or
writing) is to communicate. If we don't communicate, we might as well remain
silent. And if we don't manage to communicate properly what we think, we
have to learn to speak better. If ambiguities remain, and it is apparent
from the way in which the other person reacts that ambiguities do remain,
then we are challenged to make a presentation that is clearer, more
complete, more wholesome, and one that will communicate better.

We have Biblical precedents for this. The apostle Paul, for instance,
anticipated objections which arise from misunderstanding of his doctrine. In
Romans 6:1 he writes "What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that
grace may increase? By no means!" This objection provides a launching pad to
articulate more fully his thoughts so that readers will not be permitted to
wander away, but will gain a proper understanding of the truth. There are
many other examples of this approach in the Pauline writings. (Romans 3:3;
6:15, 19; 7:7, 13; Galatians 2:17, 19 etc.) Even our Lord took pains to
rephrase or amplify some of His statements that the hearer had not rightly
understood at first (Matthew 13:18-23; 37-43; John 11:12-14, etc.) 

The effort made to clarify our thought for others will often result in
clarifying it also for ourselves. We may thus secure a firmer hold upon the
truth, a better grasp of its implications, and relationship to other truths,
a more effective way to articulate and illustrate it. These are boons for
which we may be grateful to those who differ from us.

When we give due attention to what we owe those who differ and what we can
learn from them, we may be less inclined to proceed in a hostile manner. Our
hand will not so readily contract into a boxing fist, but will be extended
as an instrument of friendship and help; our feet will not be used to
bludgeon another, but will bring us closer to those who stand afar; our
tongue will not lash out in bitterness and sarcasm, but will speak words of
wisdom, grace and healing. (Proverbs 10:20, 21; 13:14; 15:1; 24; 26; 25:11;
James 3)

Part 3 How Can I cope with Those Who Differ from Me?

In the previous two sections, we sought to explore how to derive the maximum
benefit from controversy both as to those who differ by being sure that we
do not fail in our duty toward them, and as to ourselves in welcoming an
opportunity to learn as well as an occasion to vindicate our position. Now
after having given due attention to the questions, "What do I owe?" and
"What can I learn?" it is certainly proper to raise the query, "How can I
cope with those who differ from me?"

Now "coping" involves naturally two aspects known as "defensive" and
"offensive." Unfortunately, these terms are borrowed from the military
vocabulary and tend to reflect a pugnacious attitude which injects
bitterness into controversies. We should make a conscious effort to resist
that trend. Furthermore "offensive" is often understood as meaning "giving
offence" or "repulsive" rather than simply "passing to the attack." It may
therefore be better to use the adjectives "protective" and "constructive" to
characterize these two approaches.

I. Biblical Arguments

In evangelical circles obviously this type of evidence carries a maximum of
weight if properly handled, for it invokes the authority of God Himself in
support of a position. This is what Luther so eloquently asserted at the
Diet of Worms, and what the Westminster Confession also bears witness to in
these words:

"God alone is Lord of the conscience, and hath left it free from the
doctrines and commandments of men which are in any way contrary to His Word,
or beside it in matters of faith or worship" (WCF 20:2).

We need here to be careful to make a reverent use of Scripture, quoting
every reference in a way that is consistent with its context. This will
protect our approach against the legitimate criticisms levied against
"prooftexting," a method that lifts scriptural statements from their
environment, and marshals them as if they were isolated pronouncements
vested with divine authority without regard to the way in which they are
introduced in Holy Writ. A notable example of this wrong approach would be
to claim that God sanctions the statement, "There is no God" because it is
found in Psalm 14:1 and 53:1.

We must therefore, be careful to use the Scripture in such a way that an
examination of the context will strengthen, not weaken the argument. Very
few things are as damaging to a position as a claim to be grounded in the
authority of God's Word, only to find that a more careful examination of the
text in its context cancels out the support it was presumed to give. An
argument of this type, like the house built on sand, "... falls with a great
crash" (Matthew 7:27).

Likewise, a well-advised person will be careful to avoid passages that
"boomerang,"- passages that are used as proof, but turn out to be more
decisive against the view advanced. For example, some people quote
Phillipians 2:12, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" and
forget that Paul continues, "For it is God who works in you to will and to
act...."

All this demands that we should know the Word of God. God entrusted the
sacred Scriptures to His people in order that they may search it diligently
(John 5:39) and make it the object of their daily meditation. (Psalm 119) To
be acquainted with the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27) must be the aim not
only of professionals like pastors and professors, but of everyone who wants
to be known as a Christian. To be sound in the interpretation, correlation
and application of the Scriptures is the way "to be approved, a workman who
does not need to be ashamed" (2 Timothy 2:15) and every child of God ought
to aspire to that.

Defensively we may be aware of passages that are often quoted to invalidate
a stance which we find scriptural. Sometimes we may anticipate this
objection even before it is raised and be prepared to show how it does not
undercut our view. If we have a particularly strong refutation, we may at
times wait until the person who differs quotes the passage. In this was we
may score the psychological advantage of destroying an argument thought
valid. Even this however, must remain within the framework of "speaking the
truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15).

In some cases it may be possible to show that the interpretation which would
see in a particular passage an objection to the scriptural truth we are
undertaking to advocate is simply improper and indefensible because it sets
this Scripture in conflict with its context, or at least with the larger
context of the unity of divine revelation. In other cases, it may be
sufficient to show that there are one or several plausible alternative
explanations of this text that do not precipitate the alleged conflict.
Since we are obliged to seek the unity of the truth, a plausible
interpretation that averts a conflict deserves the preference.

To sum up, we must ever strive to take account of the fullness of biblical
revelation to have the boldness to advance as far as it leads, and the
restraint to stop in our speculations where the Bible ceases to provide
guidance. Polemic theology in this respect is simply biblical light focused
in such a way as to assist those who appear yet caught in some darkness.

II General Arguments

These arguments direct their appeal to something other than the actual text
of Scripture, namely to logic, history and tradition. While the authority
involved is not on the same level as the Bible, the Word of God, it has a
bearing on the discussions and must be considered by those who wish to make
a strong case.

Appeal to Reason. Human reason, especially when not guided by divine
revelation, is apt to go astray either in being unduly influenced by
prejudice (what we call "rationalizing") or when reason forgets its proper
limits and attempts to apply to the infinite what is valid only for finite
categories. Nevertheless, reason is a divine gift to humankind,
indispensable to the process of receiving, applying and communicating
revelation. (Cf. J.I. Packer, "Fundamentalism" and the Word of God, pages
128-137.) It is a part and parcel of God's image in humanity. To fly in the
face of logic is to court self-destruction, for logic has a way to beat its
own path in the process of history. Rational arguments may therefore be
presented with propriety, and those advanced by people who differ from us
must be addressed.

1. Positively, it behooves me to show that my view is in keeping with the
totality of revealed truth, with the structure of the Christian faith as an
organism of truth. I will promote the acceptance of an individual tenet if I
can show that it is inescapably related to some other element of the faith
on which I and the one who differs from me have agreement. For instance, one
who accepts the doctrine of the Trinity is pretty well bound to confess the
deity of Christ and vice versa.

Specifically, it is in order to make plain the damaging or even disastrous
effects that a departure from the position I advocate will logically entail.
In doing this, I must carefully distinguish between the view that the other
person actually espouses and the implication that I perceive as resulting
from it. Failure to make this distinction has resulted in the
ineffectiveness of much polemic theology. Christians have wasted a huge
amount of ammunition in bombarding areas where their adversaries were not in
fact located, but where it was thought they were logically bound to end up.
Perhaps God has providentially so ordained in order that polemic theology
should not be as destructive as the combatants intended. To struggle with a
caricature is not a "big deal." and to knock down a straw man does not
entitle one to the Distinguished Service Cross! To be sure, it is a part of
the proper strategy to show those who differ that their view involves
damaging implications that will be difficult to resist in the course of
time, but one must remain aware that it is the present position rather than
anticipated developments that must be dealt with.

2. Negatively, I need to face the objections that are raised against my
view. Some of them are irrelevant because they are based on a
misunderstanding of the issues. To deal with these will help me to clarify
my position and to reassert it with proper safeguards against one-sidedness,
exaggeration or misconceptions. For instance, I may show that definite
atonement is not incompatible with a universal offer of salvation in Christ,
even though the supporters of universal atonement frequently think it is.
Other objections may be shown to be invalid because they apply to the view
of those who differ as well as to mine. Still other objections may be
recognized as peripheral, that is to say, difficulties that may or may not
be resolved rather than considerations that invalidate a position otherwise
established. For instance, some alleged contradictions between two passages
of Scripture represent a difficulty for the doctrine of inerrancy rather
than a discreditation of this otherwise well-established tenet of the faith.
Obviously the most advantageous situation is found when an objection can be
turned around to become a positive argument in favor of the view objected
to. Jesus' treatment of the Old Testament Law in Matthew 5:21-42 is a case
in point. It might appear to a superficial reader that in this text Jesus
repudiates the authority of the Law, when in fact He confirms it and
reinforces it by His spiritual interpretation.

Furthermore, it is sometimes effective to challenge a person who differs
from us to press for an alternative approach which we may then proceed to
criticize. For instance, a person who denies the deity of Christ may well be
pressed to give his or her answer to the question, "Who do say that I am?"
(Matthew 16:15). Any answer short of full deity may be shown as deeply
unsatisfactory, as leading to some form of polytheism or as failing utterly
to account for the facts of the life, death and resurrection of Christ. It
may be hoped that those who have unsatisfactory views may then leave the
smoldering ruins of their system and take refuge in the solid edifice of the
faith "once for all entrusted to the saints" (Jude 3).

Appeal to History and Tradition. The course of history is a remarkable
laboratory that permits us to observe the probable developments that issue
from the holding of certain tenets. The decisions of councils or the
pronouncements of confessions of faith are often geared to guard against
erroneous opinions that God's people recognized as dangerous or even fatal
to the faith. To neglect this avenue of knowledge is to risk repeating some
mistakes of the past that an acquaintance with history might well have
enabled us to avoid. The Christological debates of the fourth and fifth
centuries should protect us from the twin errors of Arianism and
Apollinarianism, of Nestorianism and Monophysitism without our passing
through the convolutions that the church of those days experienced. The
Reformation of the sixteenth century, similarly, should shield us from
repeating some of the mistakes of the Roman Catholic Church. 

Positively, it is proper for me to attempt to prove that I am in line with
orthodoxy in general and specifically with statements of faith that have
received wide acceptance or that are part of the subordinate standards of my
church or of the church of the one who differs. This will be especially
significant if the formulation was established for the purpose of warding
off a position analogous to that of my opponent. Now all manmade statements
are subject to revision and correction, but it appears prima facie
impossible that a view that flatly contradicts the Nicene Creed or even the
Westminster Standards should turn out to be right, while these revered
creeds, tested as they were through centuries of Christian thinking, should
be wrong.

Specifically, the position of the one who differs may so closely approximate
a well-known heresy adjudged as heterodox that the course of history may
provide a portrayal of what happens to those who entertain it. The
disastrous course of Arianism, culminating as it did in the Moslem conquest
of North Africa, may be an example. We need, however, to be careful to
recognize the importance of weighing all operative factors rather than just
some selected ones which seem to suit our purpose. The demise of
Christianity in North Africa applied largely to Egypt where a monophysite
tendency prevailed, as well as to the lands that had been conquered by the
Vandals with their Arian commitment.

Those who would gloat over the increasing heterodoxy of the Arminian
movement in the Netherlands should probably be somewhat sobered in thinking
of the destiny of Calvinism in New England, which moved from high orthodoxy
around 1650 to the rather massive Unitarian and Pelagian defection at the
beginning of the nineteenth century. These remarks do not invalidate the
value of the lessons of history, but merely admonish to caution in applying
them.

Negatively, the course of action would parallel closely what was described
above. Objections raised against my view may be shown to be
counterproductive, because they support rather than undermine my view;
irrelevant, because they fail to address my real position or because they
burden equally the objector's view; or inconsequential, because they have
only a peripheral bearing on the issues.

III Christian's Goal

Perhaps the most important consideration for the Christian is to remain
aware at all times of the goal to be achieved. It is the consistent
perception of this goal that will give a basic orientation to the whole
discussion: Are we attempting to win an argument in order to manifest our
own superior knowledge and debating ability? Or are we seeking to win
another person whom we perceive as enmeshed in error or inadequacy by
exposing him or her to the truth and light that God has given to us?

If the former be true, it is not surprising if our efforts are vain: we
should be like physicians who take care of patients simply in order to
accredit some pet theory. If the latter be true, we will naturally be
winsome. This will increase our patience when the force of our arguments
does not seem to have an immediate effect. This will challenge us anew to
understand those who differ in order to present the arguments that are most
likely to be persuasive to them. God has appointed all of us to be witnesses
to the truth. (John 1:7; Acts 1:8) God is the one who can and will give
efficacy to this witness. We should never underestimate His ability to deal
even with those who appear most resistant. Who would have thought that
Stephen could actually reach the heart and mind of anyone in the lynch mob
that put him to death? But his great discourse was actually sowing goads in
the very heart and conscience of Saul. (Acts 26:14) Acts 7 showed that his
argument was sealed by his Christ-like spirit in the face of this atrocious
murder. (Acts 7:59-60) His witness was used by God to win over perhaps the
ablest of his adversaries, who was to be the great apostle Paul!

A Christian in carrying on discussions with those who differ should not be
subject to the psychology of the boxing ring where the contestants are bent
upon demolishing one another. Rather "The Lord's servant must not quarrel:
instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those
who oppose him he must gently instruct, in hope that God will grant them
repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come
to their senses..." (2 Timothy 2:24-26).

 

 

Thanks.

 

For the King's honor,

 

Charis,

 

Mike Abendroth

 

 <http://www.bbcchurch.org> www.bbcchurch.org

 

Ephesians 3:21 auvtw/| h` do,xa evn th/| evkklhsi,a| 

 

2 Tim 1:2b  "Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our
Lord."

Thomas Watson, "[Jesus] alone is the Prince of Preachers.  He alone is the
best of expositors."

 

 

 

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