Is what I’m doing or thinking or saying building trust or undermining trust?

Last updated on: July 17, 2014 at 2:34 pm by Morgan Guyton

Is what I’m doing or thinking or saying building trust or undermining trust? 2014-07-17T14:34:52-05:00 Morgan Guyton

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

There’s a song stuck in my head from our mission trip: “Is what I’m doing or thinking or saying building trust or undermining trust?” I learned it from a woman named Katie who has one of the most gentle, Christ-like spirits of anyone I’ve met in a long time. I think if God wanted to teach the world something, he would get the best results using someone like Katie whose demeanor builds trust. Being an impulsive, opinionated firebrand, I am convicted by those who actually embody the gospel that I love so much in theory.

We’re doing a sermon series on Ephesians this summer so I’ve been previewing the chapters to figure out what I’m going to preach. In Ephesians 4:1-3, Paul exhorts the Ephesians to live in a way that builds trust and unity:

I therefore the prisoner of the Lord beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Over the last couple of years, “unity” and “orthodoxy” have often been pitted against each other within evangelical Christian discourse. The people who want “unity” are pegged “moral relativists” while the people who want “orthodoxy” are called “judgmental fundamentalists.” Obviously this is a false dichotomy. What if the goal is indeed to converge at the truth but to journey in a spirit of patient trust-building rather than theological arm-wrestling and conquest?

What would it look like to have passionate and Biblically-grounded theological convictions which you care enough about fruitfully sharing with others that you do so with patience, humility, and gentleness? What would it look like to give more attentiveness to building trust than to coming up with razor sharp arguments that demolish our opponents’ ideologies?

The blogosphere often rewards those who engage in trust-undermining behavior: hit jobs, take-downs, mockery, deconstruction. Those are the pieces that get the most hits for me. A merciless tractor beam is always tugging me in that direction. My struggle is that I really do believe that poisonous heresies out there need to be called out. I believe that certain theologies make people act like Pharisees. The question is how can I talk about these issues in a way that builds trust and, moreover, in a way that respects God’s prerogative to teach me through those whom I think need to be taught by me or even those I think are dangerous heretics. It’s definitely a work in progress.

Previous Post

June 5, 2012

Getting to know God through people we just barely got to know

Next Post

June 11, 2012 Letter from a gay Christian classmate

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Advent Beauty Will Save the World Bible Big Picture: Ephesians Bloggers Book Christian salvation and the Beautitudes Culture Daily Office Danceable Homiletics Deadly Sins Deep Roots: Genesis Devotions Dominican Republic May 2011 El Principio Misericordia (The Mercy Principle) Five verses God tattooed on my heart Fundraising FutureGospel Good Biblical Words Henri Nouwen Interview Jennings' Christian Imagination Jesus inside the beltway Jesus Is My Candidate Jesus vs the Pharisees Jesus vs. Plato Journey to Eternity Looking Back on 2012 Love Actually Monday Merton Monday Merton Music Occupy the manger On Earth As It Is In Heaven Original Sin Podcast Poetry Politics Prayer Psalm 119 Radical Jesus 101 Reviews Sermon on the Mount Sermons Spanish Bible study Special Series Spiritual but not religious Synchroblog Theology Things that made me think Thomas a Kempis Ugliness Into Beauty Uncategorized Viaje Dominicano 2013 Walking in the Valley (Lent) Welcome: It's More than a Mat Wild Goose 2013 Wrestling

Select a Month March 2022 January 2022 December 2021 September 2021 April 2021 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: In Revelation, the New Jerusalem has ten gates, each made of a single pearl.

Select your answer to see how you score.

FALSE TRUE