When It's Time To Confront
Every time we say, "I believe in the Holy Spirit," we mean that we believe there is a living God able and willing to enter human personality and change it.
J.B. Phillips
The intertestamental book Bel and the Dragon describes a confrontation between Daniel and a great living dragon the Babylonians revered. When Daniel was pressured to bow before the monster, he said to the king, "If you will give me permission, I will slay the dragon without sword or club." The king agreed.
As verse 27 relates, "Then Daniel took pitch, fat, and hair, and boiled them together and made cakes, which he fed to the dragon. The dragon ate them, and burst open."
That's one kind of effective confrontation. Unfortunately, it's an approach that probably should not be used with dragons in the church. Unlike Daniel or Saint George, the goal of a pastor is not to slay but to tame the beast, to prevent further destruction on either side.
Such work is rarely easy, never fun, but it is possible. Before looking at the important elements of effective confrontation, we must clarify what dragon taming is not.
It is not suppressing differences of opinion. These are inevitable and even desirable — one person's insights balance another's quirks. The church is stronger when its unity comes out of diversity, when the body of Christ is more than birds of a feather flocking together. Unless the differing opinions are outright heresy or vitriol, they need not be feared.
Controlled friction produces energy, and energy is essential for creativity and effectiveness in church life. Different ideas should be allowed to coexist, and God allowed to take the lead, thereby raising one opinion to prominence.
...
Neither is confrontation the silencing of all complainers. Chronic complainers ...
Like the preview? To read this complete article
and 20,359 more in the archive—JOIN NOW!
Easily find high-quality, well-researched materials that provide a Christian perspective on topics ranging from headlines to history.
Start using this invaluable tool TODAY for preparing your Bible studies, presentations, class lectures, sermons, meetings, and more.
|
It's easy and quick to join:
Brought to You by Christianity Today Int'l |  |
|
| 
Find similar articles
E-mail this page
