Dear Friends,
It can be hard when someone you care about sees an issue completely differently than you do.
A conversation that began calmly can quickly become tense. Words may feel sharper than intended. You may leave wondering whether the other person heard your heart at all—or questioning how two people who both love Jesus can reach such different conclusions.
Disagreement can feel especially personal when your choices, convictions, or understanding of Scripture are called into question. The instinct to defend yourself, explain more clearly, or prove your point can be strong.
Yet these are often the moments when God invites us to depend on Him most.
He does not ask us to abandon truth or pretend differences do not matter. He does, however, care deeply about the spirit in which we respond. Are we willing to listen? Can we speak honestly without becoming harsh? Can we remember that the person across from us is loved by Christ, even when agreement feels far away?
This week’s articles offer biblical wisdom and practical help for navigating those difficult moments. They remind us that while we may not resolve every difference, we can choose humility, restraint, courage, and love.
May this issue encourage you when conversations feel strained and help you reflect the heart of Jesus—even when you do not see eye to eye.
Encouraging you in God’s truth,
Who’s Right? | Laura Sandretti
What do you do when another Christian questions your choices, convictions, or understanding of Scripture? Drawing from painful experiences of criticism—and her own past assumptions—Laura Sandretti explores why the way we respond matters just as much as the position we hold.
When Conversations Get Difficult | Bethany Bernhard
Some conversations carry so much emotion that it can be hard to know where to begin. Through a candid story of meeting with a friend across a deep divide, Bethany Bernhard shows how patience, thoughtful questions, and mutual respect can keep a relationship from being reduced to a disagreement.
Also:
Who’s Right?
Doing the right thing when you disagree.
By Laura Sandretti
As a brand new Christian, I remember overhearing an older, wiser woman at my church say she would never use The Message Bible. Many people I knew, pastors I had heard, and authors I read used and cited this paraphrase of the Bible, but after hearing my mentor condemn it, I remember wondering who was “right”? I also remember trying to figure out who was right in other areas of my life. I had heard a plethora of conflicting opinions from Christians about trick-or-treat, yoga, and even what worship music was “right.”
Today, I am in seminary and have been a Christ-follower for almost two decades. I have listened to countless sermons from Time Keller and Stuart Briscoe. I have taken classes on systematic theology and apologetics, and I have studied under some very knowledgeable professors. I have tried to teach and model biblical living to my three teenagers and yet, unfortunately, I’m quite certain I’m more confused about who’s “right” than ever before.
I’ve been on both sides of who’s “right” when it comes to issues theologians, pastors, the churched, and the unchurched can sometimes disagree on.
