Can Pastors With Different Beliefs Be Colleagues?
One of criticisms I hear about Christianity is that there are all these denominations and churches and they do not get along. If Christianity was true, this would not be the case.
There are numerous problems with that argument but I will only address one here. Can pastors from different denominations with different interpretations and beliefs really respect one another as colleagues?
My experience says yes.
Are there pastors who see pastors with different beliefs with suspicion and even antagonism? Absolutely. But that is not limited to the religious context.
I have been able to spend time with pastors of other denominations and traditions and the experience has almost been completely positive. Not just that we are friendly to one another but we have been able to work on projects together and even to have combined worship services together.
I need to also mention that as a Baptist, there is quite a bit of theological diversity even within my specific Baptist group. I know of numerous Baptist pastors who are either more conservative or more liberal than I am and we are still colleagues.
My experience as a military chaplain is even broader. Not only is there a wide diversity of Christian chaplains, we also have chaplains of other religions and traditions. Again, we see each other as colleagues who are working together for the same goal.
Some who read this might interpret this as a dangerous pluralism in which truth is relative and everybody’s theology is equally true. That is not where I am coming from.
I have my own convictions and I know that my colleagues have their own convictions, some similar and some different from my own. I can respect their convictions without giving up my own and without our differences preventing us from being colleagues.
I enjoy being around pastors and chaplains who are different from me. I try to learn from them and to be inspired by their dedication. I sometimes agree with them and sometimes disagree with them but always see them as colleagues.
