4 Responses

Anyone who reads the Bible soon becomes aware that sometimes one statement or theme seems to be contrary to another statement or theme found in Scripture. I attended a discussion about the Trinity last night and the presenter was describing 4 ways that Christians respond when confronted with apparent contradictions

1. Redirection- We just try to change the subject
2. Resist pressure to answer- Leave it to mystery
3. Restraint- Refuse to commit to a position
4. Resolution- Attempt to solve the 'problem'

The presenter was most interested in #4 in regards to the Trinity, but in the question/answer period a lot of the people in the audience wanted to leave more room for #2. I think all 4 responses have their time and place on that subject. If I Muslim, for instance, wanted to talk about the Trinity just to complain about Christianity, it'd be appropriate to change the subject to the essential Gospel (#1). If one studies various theories (#4), but remains undecided (#3), that's OK. And, ultimately, there is a point where we have to admit that it's impossible to fully understand an infinite Being (#2).

But I think these 4 responses apply to many issues. And that's why I wanted to post this. I want to throw out my notes from last night, but may want to find these 4 responses later on my blog :)