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What if we loved our neighbors even when we disagree?

What if we loved our neighbors even when we disagree?

Last updated on: August 5, 2024 at 12:43 am by Rob Dalrymple

What if we loved our neighbors even when we disagree? 2024-07-31T18:06:39-08:00 Rob Dalrymple

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What do we do when others don’t agree with us? Jesus says that we should love them?

It is fundamental to the Christian worldview that all persons are made in the image of God and are beings of inherent value.

Tragically, many Christians seem to conclude that if a person does not act or believe as they do, which is assumed is in accord with some divine will, they somehow lose that inherent value. This is nothing short of shameful.

I am convinced that the “Image of God” includes the task, or the mission, of imitation. We are to image God. Of course, not all persons image God the same. But our inherent value remains constant. Our value is evidenced by the fact that God loves us and Christ died for us.

It is, therefore, appalling to see people, in the name of Christ, lambast, deride, scorn, insult, and even hate others simply because they disagree with us.

What often goes unnoticed in some of these debates is that Christians do not agree with one another on a whole host of issues. What is more, Christians have not agreed on these issues historically.

Take abortion, for example.

NB: Determinetruth will host several livestreams on the issue of Abortion in Aug 2024.

Most evangelicals hold tenaciously to a Pro-Life position. For many years, a whole host of evangelicals considered themselves one-issue voters.

Yet, the rise of evangelicalism was not centered on abortion. In fact, it was not until 1978 that Jerry Falwell announced that the Pro-Life agenda would become a staple of the new evangelical movement. That is five years after Roe v Wade. And in those five years, there were plenty of affirmations from those who would become the leading voices of the evangelical movement in support of Roe v Wade. In fact, in the early years of the evangelical movement, the Pro-Life agenda was believed to be a Catholic issue and not of concern for Protestants.

So, if we are going to silence people based on their political views, the question becomes: Who decides what the issues are? And who decides who gets silenced?

What if we are wrong?

The fact that Christians have not always held to the convictions that are staples of evangelicalism today and that many Christians today do not affirm all of the beliefs of evangelicals suggests that we may not be correct on everything. This demands grace.

NB: One of the most significant problems with this conversation with American evangelicals is that we have largely lost sight of the Gospel and the Kingdom. We have been addressing this in a series of livestreams.

How about another option? What if we love our neighbor even when we disagree with them?

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About Rob Dalrymple

Rob Dalrymple is married to his wife Toni and is the father of four fabulous children, and two grandchildren. He has been teaching and pastoring for over 34 years at colleges, seminaries, and the local church. He has a PhD in biblical interpretation. He is the author of four books (including Follow the Lamb: A Guide to Reading, Understanding, and Applying the Book of Revelation & Understanding the New Testament and the End Times: Why it Matters) as well as numerous articles and other publications. His commentary on the book of Revelation titled, “Revelation: a Love Story” (Cascade Books, July 2024) has just been released. His new book, Land of Contention: Biblical Narratives and the Struggle for the Holy Land, should be out by the Fall of 2024. You can read more about the author here.

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What if being Pro-Life begins with ourselves?

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