Many have said that, in the proper setting, spiritual sparring can be of benefit. So, we’ll give it a try. I’ve promised in the past to address the sticky wicket of the relationship between Jesus and the Father (even naming the topic puts you at risk of expressing bias). We’re all on probation here; if I see that the potential for harm is greater than the potential for good, I’ll stop (which would be a devastating blow to you all, I know).

As we begin, a few rules:

1. Personal attacks are not allowed. It’s easy to get caught up in debate and lose sight of the topic under discussion. We can refer to what someone has said, but let’s not cast aspersions on the one who made the statement.
2. We will give each other the benefit of the doubt. We will assume that the other person: (a) is acting out of proper motives; (b) is seeking the truth; (c) has read pertinent texts (in other words, don’t say “I guess you’ve never read…” or “you’re ignoring ____”)
3. Charity should rule the day. Remember Paul’s treatment of the Corinthians, when he was willing to call them saints and brothers despite their shortcomings. Particularly of interest to our discussion is 1 Corinthians chapter 8:7. After expressing the plain truth that there is only one God, Paul says, speaking of fellow Christians: “Not everyone knows this.” Can you imagine today how we would react if someone expressed doubts about monotheism? Yet Paul addressed these people who didn’t know there was just one God as saints and brothers. As we express differing opinions, let’s do the same.

I strongly dislike long posts, so I’ll leave further discussion for the next one. Does anyone have any suggestions for other ground rules we should add?