Cain & Abel, World Vision, & Conflict Reconciliation

The recent controversy surrounding World Vision has caused me to reflect upon how various segments of the church deal with conflict. As I recently watched the movie Noah, I was again reminded that the story of Cain and Abel demonstrates the root cause of human conflict (Genesis 4:1-16). We must be reminded of two things: (1) this is a conflict between brothers provoked by envy; and (2) this is a religious conflict. One more thing, this is an example of how conflict between brothers should not be resolved.

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Church Conflict as Spiritual Warfare

Conflict is the absence of shālôm.  The Hebrew word shālôm refers to the overall welfare of the human soul.[1] Shālôm means to be complete, or whole; to be safe; to be in good health; to prosper; to live and die in tranquility. In matters of human community, shālôm refers to friendship and peacemaking. In relationship to God shālôm refers to the salvific covenant between God and humanity.[2] When the apostolic authors of the New Testament spoke of peace they used the word to reflect its usage in the Septuagint, which corresponds to the Hebrew shālôm.[3] Jesus Christ is the “Prince of Peace” and his disciples are call to be peacemakers.[4] Throughout the New Testament, the apostolic greetings and benedictions speak of the blessing of peace.[5]

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False-christs, False-prophets, and False-apostles: Toxic Leaders in the Church

As the Apostle Paul offered his farewell address to the church at Ephesus he offered a paradigm for leadership in the church. Throughout his farewell address, Paul’s words reflect three years of diverse conflict as he served the church. Paul’s time at Ephesus was marked with tears. His straightforward declaration of the gospel of Jesus Christ provoked the conflict. The sources of conflict were “the plots of the Jews,” “savage wolves” from outside the assembly, and leaders within the church that will arise to speak “perverse things” in an effort to divide the church. As Paul takes leave of these believers, he warns them of continuing conflict and urges them to “be on guard” and “be on the alert.” Even as he transitions to another area of ministry Paul declares that “the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me.” In other words, conflict cannot be avoided. In fact, it is the Holy Spirit that is guiding him from conflict to conflict. The goal of Paul’s ministry is to “build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:18-32).

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A REFLECTION – Firestorm: Preventing and Overcoming Church Conflicts

This book should be required reading for every ministerial candidate. I have read dozens of good books on conflict resolution in the church, but none better than Firestorm. The narrative style makes the principles of conflict resolution accessible to all readers. Ron Susek’s story of Pastor Steven Gates and Central Baptist Church is the narrative in which Susek weaves much pastoral wisdom. The presentation is so straightforward that a pastor, or church leader, could easily use this material for sermons or training church leadership.

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