Our Western friends and I rarely get on the topic of theology. Normally when we hang out, we find ourselves playing the wii, talking about food from the States, things we loved to do there, families and friends, and stuff we do here. Last night started our first conversation that revealed very different opinions on some theological issues that I found interesting. Theology tends to bring out the worst in some people. Those who lean towards arrogance are typically overwhelming for me when this conversation starts. Some people get angry which I tend to run from. Others have opinions that are identical to the books they have read, ect. I always get nervous when theology is discussed because I know how critical I can be of the ways people express their opinions and the opinions expressed if they are not grounded in the word. I enjoy the discussions and thrive on learning from others, but also find myself frustrated with those I can't really talk with. So these new discussions should be interesting for our group. I pray that it doesn't cause disruption or division, but love and learning. And I pray that it doesn't cause my heart to miss those back home with whom I can always have 4 or 5 hour long discussions about theology mixed with life and leave encouraged, enlightened, and loved.
Man, I feel ya! We tend to avoid the theology discussions with most people. Don't get me wrong, we like to talk about theology and theological issues, but it tends to be a polarizing thing with a lot of people, so that's why we avoid it :) We have some close friends that we can talk about anything with. We disagree a lot, but when we're done talking about things we are always closer :) haha! it's funny :)
ReplyDeleteI hope your group's discussions bring you closer together! YOu ROCK!