It is a real tension – which I guess makes “arguing for the sake of heaven” all the more important. We need to be able push back, and to ask people to qualify what they are saying, or expand on it. And at times we have to agree to disagree – though hopefully that doesn’t happen too quickly. I guess the stress comes when we hear an unexpected view that comes as a real challenge to us. Holding that well can be difficult. The older I get the less sure I am about the finer details of Christianity but the more certain I am of the big truths.

Thanks. I am increasingly reluctant to be too dogmatic on things in an effort to listen carefully to other views but at the same time I am wanting to hold onto some sort of steady foundation of belief and perhaps even more so when belief in anything is viewed with increasing suspicion today.

I agree that sometimes it is a case of either/or, and if a is true, b cannot be true. But when it comes to most biblical passages, there are many different emphases or nuances waiting to be discovered. I guess this is what I have found so enriching over the years – how much more is in the text waiting to be discovered. Sometimes it is that 45 of the 70 faces of the text are relevant… But I agree that it is a mistake to assume that everything is equally true or equally important. Some of the “70 faces” are at the best on the fringe.

Good to hear from you Deidra. What you say is true but hopefully we can help change it over time.

Thanks Karen. Very good to hear from you.

Thanks Matt. The image of the gem is really helpful.