Living in today’s generation, well really living in any generation, means you are going to have to tackle controversial topics. My friend Jeff Jones shared some principles he learned from John Stott’s book, Between Two Worlds: The Challenge of Preaching Today, that really helped me as a preacher, and I think they could help all of us as believers. Particularly in this day of social media interactions, here are three approaches we can have on controversial questions.
1. AVOID THEM ALTOGETHER
Now at first glance there are some great pros and cons to this approach. Sometimes it is best to “let the sleeping dog lie”. I don’t think we have to weigh in on every issue that comes our way. Every issue does not need your opinion and it is best to not engage in every issue because that would lessen your voice on the more substantial issues. However, there are some things that we as Christians in good conscious cannot avoid. The question we must ask ourselves is this, “Is what I am about to say worth what this will cost?” Choose your battles wisely. Dr. Curtis Hutson used to say, “There things worth fussing, fighting, or dying over, the secret is make sure you know which one is which.”
2. WE CAN ADOPT A PARTISAN POSTIITON
The dog pile, everybody jump on top! What everyone else is saying is what I am saying. We retweet or re-quote without really knowing the issues well. If you say your are for or against something can you give a clear and convincing reason for your position? So many times we jump on an issue without really thinking through it. If you cannot defend it you should not engage in it, even if every other person on your friend list has commented and posted on it. Be careful that we do not add our voice to something we have not thoroughly investigated. Remember what Abraham Lincoln said, “You can’t believe everything you read on the internet!” Sometimes we can have an uninformed opinion that will hurt us when something that really matters comes up!
3. HUMBLY, BRAVELY, AND BIBLICALLY SAY WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS
This is by far the best position. Our thoughts and feelings on things do not really matter. What matters is what God’s Word says. There is not an issue we will face that the Bible does not give us a precept or principle to stand on. There are three steps to finding the Bible answer to a problem. The first is to INVESTIGATE it thoroughly. Find out what the Bible says about the topic from every possible text of Scripture. The second step is to INTERPRET it correctly. Sadly, many will take a verse out of context as a proof text that is incorrectly interpreted. Do not make the Bible say what you want it to say, let the Bible speak for itself and say only what the Bible clearly says. The third step is to APPLY IT PRACTICALLY. Too many times we know what the Bible says but we do not apply it in a way that helps people. This is where humility is so important. We are not to use the Bible as a club to beat people into submission but to show them the truth of Scripture, allowing the Holy Spirit to do His work.
Again, these are principles from Bro. Stott’s book as shared with me by Pastor Jeff Jones. These simple truths struck me very personally yesterday as I was sharing them with some young preachers. The Lord convicted me that it is not what I think or say that matters but how I present what God says that is important! I hope this a help to you as you tackle controversial questions in the days ahead! - Pastor Stancil
