Cotroversy Abounds

Marnie's post raises the question of controversy in the community of faith. What role does it play? Or, more importantly, should it play? Is it healthy to have controversy in the church? Recently, I was watching a clip about two unlikely friends in the gay marriage debate as I was channel surfing after work one late night. Much to my surprise, I was riveted by a piece on Pat Robertson's 700 Club that was suggesting that friendship across enemy lines was the key to controversy in the church and our culture. Finally! Someone was talking sense and in a place, quite frankly, that I least expected it. Christians need to re-learn the art of healthy debate because I am convinced we do a great disservice to Christ himself when we either retreat to our own small corners of the world or we find ourselves demonizing those who hold opinions divergent from our own. Maybe there is a place for the Gospel of Q after all and for friendship that is marked by love and conversation that is not afraid to go towards the deep end of life. In my humble opinion, this is what Faith Renaissance seeks to create in the studio, in worship, in our coffee house and across tables wherever our members find themselves drinking a good cup of coffee.