Reflections: Can we combat divisiveness while teaching truth?

Reading news articles this week, followed by scrolling social media and seeing friends’ comments on some news, I was saddened by the divisiveness I see among Christian friends and acquaintances and in comments from the church community at large. 

Although the internet and social media have hastened the pace at which we receive news, the divisiveness itself is not new. I remember conversations decades ago among my dad, other World War II-era relatives, and younger family and friends, all Bible-believing evangelical Christians, on both sides of our involvement in Vietnam, Civil Rights, or who should be President and why.   

Going back even further, a recent First5 devotional asked readers to imagine walking into your church and finding people accusing one another about their sexual behavior, or someone getting drunk during Communion. Add in arguments over basic doctrine, heated discussion about which preachers or influencers should be followed, and members threatening to sue each other, and that describes the state of the Corinthian church, to whom the Apostle Paul wrote letters to straighten things out! 

Corinth was a major trade center of the eastern Roman empire. As people heard the Gospel and accepted Christ, they brought a mixture of cultural backgrounds into the church: Trafficking and prostitution built around pagan worship; major class divides between the wealthy and the poor; believers of Jewish and gentile background. That sounds like the internet today! And like the Corinthians, we have trouble keeping the main thing, the main thing. 

Mixing cultures while trying to keep everyone happy had led to some poor theology in the Corinthian church; a major part of Paul’s letter was to return the focus to Jesus. He urged the church to stay faithful to the teaching of eyewitnesses who had personally walked with and learned from Jesus himself. Based on the apostles’ preaching, recorded for us in the Gospels and in the book of Acts, Paul’s letter leaves no room for compromise in the basic doctrines of Jesus’ birth, crucifixion and resurrection. Paul also referred to foundational Old Testament scriptures about moral issues, clarified the orderly use of spiritual gifts, and reviewed Jesus’ example of servant leadership at Communion. He took the focus off himself and other leaders, reminding the Corinthians not to identify as followers of Paul, Apollos, Peter, or anyone else except Christ. 

It’s possible for sincere Christians to disagree in matters of preference, such as styles of worship music in public worship, or even issues where different denominations interpret scriptures differently, such as speaking in tongues during worship, while maintaining unity in basic doctrinal and moral issues. However, as Paul cautioned the Corinthians, we must be careful not to let surrounding culture re-interpret those basics. 

C.S. Lewis expressed it well: “As Christians we are tempted to make unnecessary concessions to those outside the faith . . .  There comes a time when we must show that we disagree.” He goes on to explain that we cannot concede basic doctrine, not being obnoxious but looking for opportunities to speak up and boldly clarify truth. In my personal experience, taking time to hear others’ stories, but also using good study resources to clarify poorly paraphrased or out-of-context “proof texts,” can help bring truth without being rude. 

Paul follows up his letter of concern and correction with the famous “love chapter,” 1 Corinthians 13. As Christians, let us be careful not to compromise truth, but also realize that others may bring different backgrounds into the conversation that must be handled with loving concern while keeping the focus on Christ. As we do that, our unity can be our greatest opportunity for witness.