A classic strategy in times of warfare is to dehumanize the enemy. No sooner has a conflict broken out than the two sides begin to refer to one another as animals rather than men, as mere creatures rather than human beings. It is difficult to harm another person and abnormal to kill one. Our humanity naturally rebels against it. But the challenge becomes easier when the enemy soldier is an animal instead of a man. After all, it is human beings rather than animals who have particular rights and dignities.

Similarly, a classic strategy in times of church conflict or theological debate is to demean the person who believes what you do not. Even if you do not quite regard the other person as an animal, you can regard him as a heretic or an enemy of the faith, as something other than a Christian. If the strategy of military leaders is to make their soldiers regard the enemy as less than human, the strategy of many believers is to regard their theological enemies as less than Christian. After all, the Bible provides clear instructions about the love, respect, and honor we owe to our fellow Christians. We permit ourselves to circumvent such instructions when the other person is an apostate or unbeliever.
In times of conflict or debate among those who profess the Christian faith, it is crucial to relate to others rightly. It is crucial to bear in mind who this person is and how God calls us to relate to him.
We need to bear in mind that this person is a human being. He has been created by God in the image of God and deserves all the dignity that comes with this highest of honors. God made man a little lower than the angels but much higher than any other created being. Of man alone he said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” To man alone he gave the creation mandate and dominion over this earth. God regarded man as a special creature and one of special worth. Surely we ought to do the same.
And then we must also consider that this person is God’s child. Not only has he been created by God in the image of God, but he has been saved by Jesus Christ and is being re-created in his image. He was loved by God before the ages began, saved by God when Christ died for his sins, and indwelled by God when he was filled with the Holy Spirit. He has been adopted into God’s family and rightly considers God his Father. He is no longer under the dominion of Satan but is within the family of God—he is a precious child of our Heavenly Father.
That being the case, we need to also consider that this person is a brother. He is not a brother in a casual sense as if we are members of the same fan club or enthusiasts of the same hobby. He is a brother in a sense that is even more profound and longer-lasting than biology. We have the same Father and are therefore members of the same family—a family that has been called out of all humanity to be loved by God and to display the glory of God. The love, loyalty, and honor we owe to him is that of a brother to a brother.
And then we also need to consider that we will be in relationship with one another for all of eternity. The relationship we have now will continue past death and into endless life beyond. Of course it will be perfected and all will be reconciled and forgiven when we pass from earth to heaven. But there is a long and glorious future between us, a future in which we will live together forever, brothers who have been justified and glorified. God’s calling on all of us is to enact that relationship now, to begin to live on earth as if we were in heaven, to demonstrate heavenly virtues during our earthly lives.
And so in times of disagreement and times of debate, we must be careful to relate to one another in the ways God commands. We owe it to them and we owe it to Him to afford one another all the patience a human being deserves, all the dignity a child of God deserves, all the respect a brother deserves, and all the love deserved by a friend with whom we will spend all of eternity.

May the Lord be with you and bless you today.

(Yesterday on the blog: New and Notable Christian Books for April 2022)
No One Knows My Pain
Vaneetha Rendall Risner writes about a phenomenon common to those who suffer. “Rather than inviting others into my pain and grief, I’ve often pushed them away. I’ve felt a vague sense of self-righteousness, confident that no one could speak into my life except God himself. I’ve dismissed others’ experiences, even the comfort of friends, because they couldn’t fully relate to my suffering.”
In Praise of the Boring, Uncool Church
“Relevance is no substitute for reverence and indeed may compromise it. The Christian life shouldn’t be oriented around being liked; it should be oriented around loving God and loving others. Far less important than being fashionable is being faithful. Far more crucial than keeping up with the Joneses is staying rooted in God’s unchanging Word.”
Baylor University Charters LGBTQ Group
“The news that Baylor University has officially chartered Prism, an LGBT student organization on campus, marks an important moment in Christian higher education in the USA.” Carl Trueman tells why this is so significant.
The most revealing meeting at church
“Martin Buber said: ‘All real meaning in life is in meeting’. What’s the most revealing meeting at church?” This article suggests several possibilities and elevates one above the rest.
Christo et Ecclesiae 
Kristin reflects on the sheer goodness and necessity of the local church despite the pain it can sometimes cause us.
Friendship and Belonging in Middle Age
Alan Noble: “I’m skeptical anyone over age 35 has close friends. That’s an exaggeration, but I’m certainly convinced there’s a dead zone for friendship between ages 35 and 50. It’s difficult to have good friends in middle age. Far more difficult than it should be, especially for men.”
Flashback: Who Does My Body Belong To?
As Christians, we celebrate the beautiful fact that we were each handcrafted by God, we have been bought with a price, and we now have the joyful responsibility and privilege of glorifying God in our bodies.

Confessing that we are sinners in general will not enable us to make lasting headway against our sins in particular. —Sinclair Ferguson

May God bless you as you serve and worship him this weekend.

There are some new Kindle deals to browse through.
(Yesterday on the blog: Is It Unspiritual To Be Depressed?)
Can Christians ‘Do Business’ with the World?
“In recent decades, a number of prominent Christian organizations and denominations have called for Christians to boycott businesses that are associated in some way with non-Christian ethics.” This article asks whether this is necessary.
Did We Kiss Purity Goodbye?
There are some interesting reflections here on the successes and failures of purity culture. “Calls for sexual purity were (and are) biblical and needed. Even in the midst of the good that was done through lots of preaching and discipleship during those years, several lies seemed to spread in the renewed emphasis on purity — each laced with enough truth to be taken seriously and yet with enough deceit to lead some astray.”
4 Traits of an Emotionally Healthy Ministry Worker
Eliza Huie affirms the importance of spiritual health but says “spiritual vitality is not the only area of health ministry workers need to pursue. Your emotional health is also essential. Below are four traits of emotionally healthy people for you to pursue. If you’re in ministry, each one is worthy of your careful consideration.”
Chasing Sunsets
“Why did God give us sunsets? He could have made the shift from light to dark an instantaneous change. One moment it’s day, the next it’s night. One moment you can see, the next you can’t. But written into creation is a gradual movement in colors that hurts our eyes with brilliance and bends our brains with wonder every single day that we care to pause and notice.” Glenna Marshall marvels at God’s handiwork.
The 3 Motivations to Work
“There tend to be three primary motivations that drive people to accomplish something, but it is not until we reach the third that we are nearing maturity.”
God Sees the Pain Unseen by Others
“At a moment’s notice, chaos could erupt in our home. But it never failed that our most difficult moments with our child’s challenges often occurred on the mornings I was determined to make it to my bible study. And this particular morning was no different.” Sarah Walton writes about a special moment.
Flashback: The Opposite of Envy
Neither someone else’s success nor our lack of success changes who we are in Christ. Neither some else’s failures nor our own has any bearing on who we are in him.

It will not take long for God to make up to you in the next world for all you have suffered in this. —De Witt Talmage