While at seminary, the two things that brought the most controversy and/or conversation were the two topics of salvation and the church.
Regarding salvation, the discussions focused upon God's sovereignty and how it relates to man's responsibility. Some would call this Calvinism vs. Arminianism, but that is too simplistic.
As for the church, the big arguments stemmed not so much from what the church is. We were all in agreement that the church is the people of God. No one said the church is a building. The discussions/conversations/controversies were related to what church life looks like.
The troublesome thing was that these topics often generated a lot of negative emotion. I still see this today and I do not understand it. Two Christians will be discussing these issues and become angry. Why?
I suppose the answer is that these are important issues. That was an understatement. Of course they are.
Why, however, do we have to fight over them?
We should, as brothers and sisters in Christ, be able to sit down with our bibles open and discuss in a loving manner what the bible says about these issues.
One problem in all this is that people do not like to give up their traditions. Especially as it relates to church life, people have a comfort zone. When one person challenges another's tradition, the result is often anger.
These are great topics to discuss. My hope is that more Christians will want to talk about them. We can sharpen each other as we look to the bible for answers. We must be willing to be corrected in humility and correct others in love.
I'm sure I do not have everything figured out when it comes to salvation or the church. I'm willing to learn and be corrected. I sure hope that happens.
May we all be humble people who enjoy conversation, correction, and challenge. May we let the bible change what we think - even what we hold dear. May we not become angry, but rather be thankful when a brother or sister shows us where we may are wrong.
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