When Christians Disagree

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Introduction

I have been a part of three different Christian traditions (Anglican, Pentecostal, Baptist). I have attended nine different churches (seven in a ministry capacity). I have participated in a number of parachurch ministries from campus ministries to short-term mission trips. From all of that, one thing that I know is that Christians of all stripes, from across the theological spectrum, believe that their convictions are right and those who disagree are wrong.

On one hand, this is not very controversial. We would expect that Christians would hold strong beliefs about the existence of God, that Jesus was the Messiah, that Jesus died and rose again, and so on. There are some central issues that most Christians agree on. These we might call primary issues. But then there would be secondary and tertiary issues as well that people have strong feelings about.

I will give you a few examples from my own church experience.

I have encountered Christians who strongly believe that no follower of Jesus can participate in the military of the police forces. I know some who believe that to be a true Christian, you must believe that the earth is approximately six thousand years old and that God created the world in six literal twenty-four hour days. There are some Christians that believe it is essential for every Christian to speak in tongues. Others see as major importance the avoidance of movies, of non-Christian music, of tattoos, even drinking coffee. Some Christians believe we need to follow the Jewish Law, including observing Saturday as the Sabbath and avoiding unclean foods. A more recent debate is the use of pronouns in personal bios. Some people think that the use of identifying bios as being only for transgender people but it is common practice for non-transgender (cis) to include pronouns. I have encountered Christians who have stated plainly that you can not be a Christian and include preferred pronouns in a bio. Not just that Christians shouldn’t do that, but that doing so means that you are no longer a Christian.

Some of the examples that I shared are based on certain traditions and some on personal pronouns. It is very possible that you heard some of those examples, that you agreed with them. You have strong convictions about something and you truly believe that this is the proper thing to do or not do. I will affirm what I have said before, that having strong convictions is a good thing and a lack of convictions will lead to complete ineffectiveness.

Where unhealthy conflict arises is when you feel that not only is it good for you to have your conviction, it is unacceptable for another Christian to have a different conviction.

This is a temptation that all of us face. Imagine being asked to have coffee with someone you know has the exact opposite view on the secondary issue that is most important to you. What does that conversation look like? Do you shut down and only give one word responses because you are so bothered by their different view? Or do you choose to debate them to demonstrate how wrong they are? Or perhaps you do not show up for coffee at all? What are the chances you could each share your views in a respectful way and agree to disagree and still care for one another?

As we think about divisions in the Church, whether among or within denominations, or within local congregations, we may long for the good old days, meaning the early church that was still influenced by the apostles, when everyone agreed. Unfortunately, those good old days never existed. There were strong disagreements about issues that never enter our modern minds. We are going to look at one of them and see what Paul has to say about this.

A Matter of Meat

So there is no lack of disagreements among Christians today. But one thing I have noticed is that we never quiz people at potlucks about where the meat for the dishes came from. Is it kosher or halal or organic or ethical? What was the animal fed, what were the conditions under which the the animal live, and how was it killed? Some people in our society will ask these questions but it is not something I have heard at a church potluck. We are pretty focused on how it will taste.

Not so in the early church as it was emerging around the Mediterranean and within the Roman Empire. Sources for meat were limited and especially as you move away from Galilee and Judea, much of the meat was from animals offered in honour of the pagan gods. The animal would be killed as a sacrifice and then the meat would be then sold in the market.

The question is, are Christians allowed to eat meat that was sacrificed to idols? Jesus never addressed this topic because it was not relevant where his ministry was. 

In the Corinthian church, there was a disagreement about what was allowed. One group reasoned that the pagan gods did not really exist as actual entities and that only the one true God existed. If that is the case, then it does not matter what those pagan priests were thinking at the time of the sacrifice and the meat is just plain meat and can be eaten by all.

But there was another group within the Corinthian church that had a different view. They may have been recent converts and they had very strong memories of what it was like to be worshiping idols. That part of their life really controlled them and meeting Jesus was a freeing moment. The idea of having anything to do with those old ways, even just eating the meat from a sacrifice was totally repugnant. 

So who was right in this disagreement? If we relied just on facts, it would be those who understood the idols to be nothing real and the meat to be just meat. But Paul teaches here that the way forward is not a simple matter of logic. The guiding principle is love and not just knowledge of the facts. So while eating that meat is permissible, Paul encourages the Corinthians to consider the affect on others. If eating that meat in front of those Christians who are struggling with their recent idol worship is harmful, then do not eat the meat. Our faithfulness is not based on how well we followed the rules but how we love one another.

Putting It Together

So how do we put this together in our context with all of our hot button issues? One interpretation of this passage is that we have to avoid offending anyone at all costs and that means that Christian living required us to find the lowest common denominator in terms of permissible activities. If there is a Christian who feels strongly about that activity, we cannot do it. The problem is that is not sustainable. You cannot please everyone nor can you avoid offence. The problem is complicated because it is not just a division between those who are strict and those who are more liberal in their views. Everyone is different on what they are strict on and what they are liberal on. 

Paul’s point here is not that we find the lowest common denominator with regard to Christian living. Paul’s point is that our guiding principle is love and how that love is manifest is different based on context. Paul explains how he does this in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. Paul adjusted his behaviour according to who he was with for the sake of love.

But it would be fair to ask if this is being two-faced. Do we not commend people who are exactly the same with whoever they are with? But we do not do that. Think of a sergeant in the army training some new recruits. Would we want that sergeant to talk the same way to their spouse or children as they do the troops? No. We would want them to have the same values undergirding all their relationships but interactions will vary according to relationship. Jesus lived this out as well. Jesus did not talk the same way to the Samaritan woman at the well as he did to the Pharisee Nicodemus. 

So what does this look like in real life with all of our differences of opinion? How do we get along with those who have such different views? Notice that Paul does not take a stand of what the official policy of the Corinthian church should be. Those who think it is okay to eat meat can keep that view and those who think it is wrong can keep that view. What matters is that love shapes our interactions with those we disagree with.

Here are some basic ideas of how we can deal with Christians who have different views. First, it is okay for people to have different views than you. We need not be offended by that. Secondly, we do not have to fight every battle. There are topics that need to be addressed in the right context but we do not have to attack every position we disagree with. Thirdly, it is okay for you to have a strong opinion about something. There is a type of pluralism that suggests that we need to give up our convictions so that we all get along. That is not healthy. Fourthly, we should consider the fact that we could be wrong. That is a hard one to swallow. It takes a lot of humility to even entertain the notion that we could be wrong. But it is possible. Finally, we let God sort it out in the end. This has been one of the most life changing things for me. At one point in my Christian life I became convinced that I had to sort out everyone’s theology. Then I realized that there was someone much more qualified. It is fine for us to share in a respectful way what we believe but ultimately it is between the person and God.

Conclusion

When I started talking about the various things that Christians disagree with, perhaps you hoped I would clear it all up for you. I could put into one column all of the things we should agree with and in another, all the things we should disagree with. But I cannot do that.

What I can do is point you toward the Bible, not to offer a collection of proof texts, but to show the big picture and the guiding principles found throughout Scripture. The one that stands out far above all others is that of love. We are not given a solution to every problem but we are asked to consider when we are about to do or say something whether it is the loving thing to do with that person and in that moment. There is a wonderful illustration of this in 2 Kings 5. An Aramean named Naaman is healed of leprosy through the ministry of Elisha. Naaman was truly thankful and he asked for two things. One was some soil from Israel because the common belief was that gods were tied to the land where they were worshiped. He also asked for grace when he would enter the pagan temples and bow, knowing that in his heart he was bowing to the Lord. Could Elisha have argued against these two requests? Very easily. But what did Elisha say? ‘Go in peace.’ Why did Elisha allow these things that according to the facts were not quite right? It all comes down to the guiding principle of love.