A preacher was concerned about an elderly man in the community.
He made a point to visit him and asked him straight up, “Friend, where do you want to spend eternity?”
The man thought for a moment and said, “Well preacher, I don’t know. I have friends in both places.”
I applaud the old-timer for having friends who were both saint and sinner.
What do we do if we have friends who have different views than we do? Can we be friends with people we do not agreed with?
Bishop Nolan Harmon was one of my professors in seminary. He was the Methodist Bishop in western North Carolina and as a note to history, one of the southern religious leaders the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” was addressed to.
He shared an event that happened during the Methodist Church General Conference of 1944. This was the first national meeting of the Methodist Church since America entered World War II.
One of the ministers came forth with a statement to support both those Methodists members in military service and those who were conscientious objectors. Conscientious objectors are men who – because of their Christian faith – could not in good conscience kill their fellow man and request exemption from military service.
The statement was in keeping with the 1940 General Conference position, which had voted to support peace and an end to the conflict with a negotiated settlement.
Bishop Harmon told of how in response to the statement, one layman stood up, was recognized to speak and asked the question of who was going to support those men who have fallen and given their lives for peace.
What ensued was a debate between two sides, those who saw war as the evil (The Majority Report) and those who saw war as the means to defeat evil and pray for victory (The Minority Report). The Bishop told of his belief that in the face of ultimate evil and he emphasized “ultimate” that war was justifiable.
In Christianity, this is known as the “Just War Theory.”
The debate was a civil one and both sides presented their positions. When the debate was ended and the statements brought to a vote, the Minority Report was adopted.
Charles C. Parlin – Chairman of Minority – wrote these words in the report.
“We must face the fact that the victory itself will be judged by the use we make of it. Our treatment of men and women in enemy countries in the postwar world must be in harmony with those principles for which we fight. We must assert for every person in the world, of whatever race, color, or nation, those very rights which we prize for ourselves. In the hour of victory our Christian loyalties will meet their supreme test.”
Whether we agreed or disagree with our friends, family or neighbors, we can respect their right to voice their opinions, as they have the obligation to respect ours. My hope is we can respect differences and be tolerant.
We can disagree, yet still respect one another. When we respect each other, we can work together to defeat the evils that plague our society and world.
Eric Reece is the faith columnist for The Graham Star. He is the pastor of Robbinsville United Methodist Church.