Inspiring Dialogue: Moving beyond ‘agree to disagree’
By Calum Samuelson, Jubilee Centre:
This article reflects upon some central themes of our Reformation2017 project and how they can be carried forward in the future…
Despite our unprecedented access to knowledge, the world today seems more confused than ever before. Christians are called to speak into this cacophony with hopeful, distinctive voices and offer coherent contributions to help make things right. During our recent effort to collect ‘95 new theses’ we encouraged participants to act along these lines by practising a three-part method: Affirmation, Analysis and Action. This is based upon the categories of Creation, Fall and Redemption professed in a Biblical Worldview.
Affirmation: Protesting is in our blood,[1] and the Reformation gave it extra institutional backing in the West. But while bad news has always sold best, it has only been in the last decade that ordinary people have been able to post instantly their reactions in a global space. Interestingly, negative stories in the media produce a type of ‘lose-lose’ scenario: some may disagree with interpretation or delivery, but most will tacitly side with the headlines by adding their voice of condemnation to whatever has been reported (murder, theft, corruption, etc.). Either way, most of the noise is made up of disapproving voices.
The first ‘A’ challenges us to step back from the immediate clamour and consider what fundamental values undergird a story or situation (for good or ill). Because these values are seldom spelled out in detail, they often remain fuzzy in the minds of both speakers and audiences. Consider the growing number of sexual harassment cases: these elicit a general malaise among the public, but on what basis? For some, the basis is an affirmation of sex as a sacred act for committed relationships. For others, it is an affirmation of honest work without coercion, and respect regardless of gender. For most, it is the affirmation of consent as the highest social ethic governing sexual encounters.
Many ‘affirmations’ have become fused with particular political and/or social agendas so that they actually cause more divisiveness than solidarity. Other ‘affirmations’ can be so vague that they end up functioning as some ‘nice thing’ someone says before heaping on vitriol. Accordingly, Christians should make a habit of affirming in ways that establish common ground without compromising beliefs or simply serving as tactical ploys.
An inspiring, paradigmatic example is set by Paul: ‘Athenians, I can see how extremely religious you are in every way’. What might the equivalent be for today? The case of sexual scandals is difficult to address because it involves multiple factors, but it seems that two of the foremost are sex and power. Consequently, a Christian affirmation might look something like this: ‘Sex is powerful, but should never be used to exercise or manipulate power.’
An affirmation sets the trajectory for dialogue and helps others see what we are ‘for’ rather than what we are simply ‘against’. More importantly, a prudent affirmation acts as an opportunity for Christians to urge our fellow humans forward to greater things.[2]
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