I’m repeatedly amazed by the amount of discussion that goes on within the evangelical family that causes a huge divide. No doubt there are many others that create division, but these are top of the list in my reading circles. On the one hand are those who would argue to the death on these issues, while others see them as peripheral; the latter camp often attacked by the former and charged with heterodoxy.
- Inerrancy versus a high view of Scripture as God’s authoritative voice
- Egalitarian versus complementarian views of men and women roles in the home, the church, and the world
- Translation wars; formally equivalent or word-for-word versus dynamic or thought-for-thought translations
- Eternal conscious torment in hell versus annihilation of those who reject the gospel message
- Justification by faith as a means of entering God’s covenant family versus the state of those already in the family.
Interesting that none of these topics are part of the core commitments of Christianity as historically founded. My how time changes things! Rather than healing all wounds, time has a way of opening up new ones, and some can be fatal.
