If there ever comes a time when I suggest that you can fight evil by ceasing to disagree with me, I want you to remind me of this post. If I ever lump hate and disagreement together as the cause of wickedness and the barrier to creating solutions, please show me this post and feel free to slap me in the back of my head.

I know that disagreement and hate are different things. The only reason I would link them together would be to manipulate you. I probably have an agenda that I’m trying to push that isn’t good enough to win you over on its own merit so I’m trying to gaslight you into believing that YOU are the reason we aren’t making progress. I want you to think that disagreeing with me is evil.

You have my permission to laugh and jeer at me (and smack me in the back of the head) if I ever write a book about how ‘fighting to be right keeps us from loving like Jesus.’ I deserve whatever scorn you heap upon me. It will be evidence that you care enough to stop me from proceeding further into madness.

Much like ‘hate’ and ‘disagreement’ should not be linked together, ‘love’ and ‘being right’ should not be made mutually exclusive. It is possible to disagree, be right, and be loving all at the same time. I know you don’t have to choose between truth and Christ. I should be more careful with my words if I accidentally communicate that ‘being right’ is not like Jesus.

The whole purpose of publishing a book is to express what I believe to be right.

If I ever start preaching the new gospel of uncertainty, I am asking you to hogtie me and chuck me in a closet. Don’t let me anywhere near social media! When I start telling you that Christianity requires forsaking biblical teaching in order to get along with pagan culture, you need to call me out.

(Ephesians 4:2) Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit— just as you were called to one hope when you were called— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.