Find an interesting follow-up to the Rachel video from the first post, here.
Don't hesitate to think about and discuss items 1-3 in the Zion's Walls, part 2 post.
What's "contention"? What could turn a difference of opinion, such as the one, say, between Christian & Mike in the Zion's Walls 2 post, into a contentious situation?
I know you have thought about this and might be bored by thinking about it some more. And perhaps the answer is too obvious for fruitful discussion (I don't think so, or I wouldn't be bringing it up, but you know how I like to hedge my bets). But what, really, does the Lord mean when he says that if we are not "one" we are not his?
Spring is coming! Rejoice!!!
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Hopefully I'll have time later to comment on this having been perhaps the greatest single source of contention in my mother's life.
ReplyDeleteHmm for some reason my e-mail stopped notifying me of replies to threads!
ReplyDeleteTo be clear in responding to Mike's comment below, I think its obvious that there are clear differences between a covenant-keeping Saint and a prison convict, and also agree that direction is part of whatever measurement one might try to use.
That said, I genuinely believe that when we look back on this life from the other side we'll observe that the similarities of the Saint and the convict vastly outnumber the differences.
In response to all of your posts, I have only to say that I am happy that spring is coming as well. More combative and intelligent comments to come.
ReplyDeleteChristian, I gotta say, I don't know about that ("that" being the last paragraph of your latest comment); I mean, I think that some will be surprised at the greatness of the similarity, but I think that others will be shocked at how dissimilar they are. I think that this will be the case because, in the end, perception is everything.
ReplyDeleteAlso, this is a difficult disagreement to resolve, considering it won't be 'til after death that we find out.
It's a difference of opinion, and so it doesn't make sense to argue.
What I think about contention:
• It's either a difference of opinion, or else it's a fact bash. All contention starts there.
• Pride is—in my opinion—always the trigger.
This past election cycle really amplified my own personal problems with contention, as well as challenged my beliefs about unity and being "one." The latest iteration is as follows:
ReplyDeleteMostly, I see contention (at least the contention I have experienced) as the result of my inability to let go of the need to be right or of the need to make sure someone else isn't wrong. This is different (as in a missionary setting) than teaching and persuading with faith and passion, then letting the audience use their agency to accept or reject the message. But even in such missionary situations--when we ARE right--we must respect still the inevitable use of agency.
I definitely agree that the root cause of contention is pride.
My problem is that I often see the rejection of my message as both a rejection of the truth and of me. I mean, I put a lot of thought into that truth. I wouldn't have shared it if I hadn't. Nevertheless, both are often difficult for me to accept and I feel compelled (for their own good of course) to persuade them further. They usually respond with another rejection and I must persuade further. This has, universally, ended in disaster. I think there are at least two pieces of advice that could help me:
1) To paraphrase Hugh B. Brown, we should be very careful not to dogmatize where the Lord has not seen fit to do so (as in politics or several of the so-called mysteries of the kingdom).
2) We must respect the agency of others.
Thus, Being "one" is largely about realizing what matters most in life and putting our shoulder to the wheel to bring those things to pass. It as about being able to let go of our own personal dogmas, beliefs, and/or preferences, as well as the need to be right about them. In addition, we must be willing to look past the dogmas, beliefs, and/or preferences of others to see what is of real value in them and forgive them if they do not do us the same courtesy.
Asking myself the following question could probably do some good: "Am I working to build the kingdom? How does this feeling, belief, response, reaction, action, etc. fit into the doctrines of the church and/or affect my ability to aid in bringing forth Zion?"
I, personally, need to do a better job of both having patience with others who don't ask such of themselves and of begging for forgiveness when we omit it myself.
Any other suggestions of how to avoid contention in conversation would be greatly appreciated.