The New Testament quote from part 1 continues…
“And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.16 But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.17 Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong.”1 Peter 3:15-17 (NLT)
Just because you’re right you don’t have to be rude! Be humble enough to respect the views of others, even if you think they’re wrong. Be careful that your speech and actions don’t contradict what you say you believe
Why is it that, whatever our perspective, we often seem to have to include ridicule, name-calling and demonising as part of our arsenal of ‘discussion’?
When I was young, I remember someone telling me that it was never worth winning an argument if it meant losing a friend…or losing a possible new friend for that matter. The picture with this post is of part of the Rule for Living of the Northumbria Community, the community with which I have chosen to journey.
It means, among other things, that I happily have friends who ‘they’ might tell me I shouldn’t have, and they (my friends) put up with me too! Our variety of backgrounds is something I think we treasure, and because we like each other we’re not afraid to talk religion and politics (and ‘how to bring up children!) without fear of falling out.
Fundamentally, if I fail to show respect for another person, I feel I’m a pretty poor representative of the God I believe in.