What Ever happened to Dialogue?

What happened to dialogue? Why has it become that the widespread approach in discussion is the approach is to win at any cost? Is our identity bound up in our opinions? Are we afraid of losing ourselves, if we have to re-adjust what we believe and practice? Our identity must be much bigger than our opinions This has become a sad state of affairs and by in large, it has been a culture with a great distortion and where the foundation of being shallow, obnoxious and rude are standard practice. Opinions are fickle. Faith is based on what is true.

To have a dialogue there must be respect on both sides. The most childish and most common approach today in discussions these days is to attack or insult the other person and pigeon hole them into a believe that they don’t necessarily hold, to win a discussion or cancel them if they don’t agree with our opinions. When winning is more important than the truth we have already lost.

Whenever we at attacking a person’s character, like implying they are stupid for not believing what we believe or belittling them, we have not gone to discussion, but are just about being rude. However, this is the common practise today that is why dialogue becomes impossible. When we overgeneralize and distort what the other person believes instead of listening and responding with reason and sticking to the point instead or by trying to throw the person off by some attack or a belittling statement, we are not in dialogue. We are closed minded and perhaps our identity is wrapped up in not admitting that we have something to learn. We think we are right and we like the world take our opinions as fact.

Diplomates, professionals, business people and good counselors know that to get anything accomplished there must be dialogue and that attacks and belittling must be set aside. One man was asked what was important in business. He said winning. He was asked what was important in life. He said winning. He also was asked what was important in relationships and he said winning. Do you think that this man might have a distorted concept of life and relationships and be very narcissistic? Narcissism is now seen in our culture as way to healthy self image, at least this is the approach of some counselors.

This is very true in general for the world, but how about for Christians. Unfortunately, instead of being a counter culture in the kingdom of God through Jesus, many have submitted to the world and play by their rules.

Gracious Biblical scholars can allow for different views and still have great respect for one another and still dialogue even thought they have differences. For examples John MacArthur and R.C. Sproul had differences in their belief about the end times and other matters, but still remained in dialogue. This is very different from many others who just decide not to talk about it. Perhaps if we can’t be in dialogue, it might be best not to talk about it. However, dialogue is much better and is the way of God’s grace in Jesus Christ. We should be able to learn from each other.

Truth without grace can be dangerous and used as a weapon. Grace is gentle and “does not insist on its own way” (1 Corinthians 13:5). Grace is not wrapped up in itself, it is wrapped up in truth, and in God’s love and Jesus. The Bible says, “but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:15-16).

Perhaps this is why many people cannot do evangelism, because their identity is wrapped up in themselves and what other people think about them rather than in Jesus Christ and his view. I remember when I first tried doing street evangelism when I was first converted 53 years ago. When someone responded rudely, I took it personally and took it as a challenge. Don’t worry I didn’t do anything, but I was tempted.

Even God says to us in his word, “Come now, and let us reason together,” (Isaiah 1:18) God respects us and reasons with us. He doesn’t force his will on us, even though there will be a time of reckoning and God will honor for eternity our choice to serve Satan or to serve Him. You have this time to seek the Lord and if you seek him with diligence he will find you. Start by reading the Bible and ask God to assist you in understanding.

It isn’t easy to think deeply and people often avoid it. It is common practice these days not to think about difficult issues. Christian leaders should help people to think deeply especially about Biblical truth. We need to think it through if make it part of us. It is not a cookie cutter approach to life in God through Jesus, it is thinking through it ourselves. Certainly, we don’t have to have the same theological convictions as our pastor or parrot everything he believes, but we should have a good Biblical reason to differ. It should not just be our opinion based on our feelings or even experience. Truth supersedes even experience. Experiences must be in line with scripture or it may be demonic or just psychological. Some experiences are demonic. As the grace statement says, “In essentials unity, in non-essentials diversity and in all things charity (love).

God doesn’t attack you or belittle but this is an art that Satan has perfected. Let us not follow his art. Satan controls by condemnation or manipulation based on pride. He wants you also to be envious of God and seek to be your own God which is the root of his sin and of Satan’s pride. Who do you want to become like? You are becoming like Satan or God.

Let us go back to the days of grace and dialogue. Let us be Christians and be the counter culture rather than be imitators of the world. Also let us, as Christians find our full identity in Christ, for in him is great freedom, fullness and treasure in heaven. (Galatians 2:20) We can dialogue with God in prayer, as we learn to pray. We can dialogue with others. This is the way of love and let us walk with Jesus and others in a love dialogue with him and with others.

People need information to be able to dialogue about the truth in their mind and with others. That is the value of preaching and teaching in the church and with trusted spiritual friends. Some preachers are better than others, but the Holy Spirit is the best preacher and teacher, especially in times of worship with God’s people. As the Bible says,
And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!” (Romans 10:15) God sends every Christian. “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8).

The Holy Spirit came at Pentecost. In salvation we enter the kingdom of God, and now we learn to live in the kingdom of God. As Dallas Willard has said, “Jesus is the door but we don’t live in the door we live in the house.” That is where the power of the Holy Spirit is. This also means a holy life. A Christlike life. Now he says, “Go.” (Matthew 28:19).