Article i highly reccommend to those who post on SI

[i]Could I be Wrong?[/i]

The first thing that I should be prepared to learn is that I am wrong and the other person is right. Obviously, this does not apply to certain basic truths of the faith like the Deity of Christ or salvation by grace. The whole structure of the Christian faith is at stake here and it would be instability rather than broad-mindedness to allow these to be eroded by doubts. Yet, apart from issues where God Himself has spoken so that doubt and hesitancy are really not permissible there are numerous areas where we are temperamentally inclined to be very assertive and in which we can quite possibly be in error. When we are unwilling to acknowledge our fallibility, we reveal that we are more interested in winning a discussion and safeguarding our reputation than in the discovery and triumph of truth. A person who corrects our misapprehensions is truly our helper rather than our adversary, and we should be grateful for this service rather than resentful of the correction. As far as our reputation is concerned, we should seek to be known for an unfailing attachment to the truth and not appear to pretend to a kind of infallibility that we are ready to criticize when Roman Catholics claim it for their popes!

Our reputation will be better served if we show ourselves ready to be corrected when in error, rather than if we keep obstinately to our viewpoint when the evidence shows it to be wrong. I should welcome the correction. This person is really my friend who renders a signal service to me! I should respond, "I was mistaken in this; I am glad that you straightened me out; Thank you for your help." People who are unwilling to acknowledge their mistakes, by contrast, may be called stubborn and lose their credibility.

The effort made to clarify our thought for others will often result in clarifying it also for ourselves.

What a tremendous find! And so succinctly applicable to this privilege we all have been granted here. Thank you kindly sister. Have made it 'sticky' and without misunderstanding, may it become 'Required Reading' for all who post.

"I was mistaken in this; I am glad that you straightened me out; Thank you for your help."

Very worthwhile article. A responsible poster is 'flame-retardant." ;-)

MC

Thanks Geraldine for the link to this article. Very helpful for all involved!

It seems strange that one should desire to speak at all about Polemic Theology since we are now in an age when folks are more interested in ecumenism and irenics than in polemics. Furthermore, Polemic Theology appears to have been often rather ineffective. Christians have not managed in many cases to win over their opponents. They have shown themselves to be ornery; they have bypassed some fairly important prescriptions of Scripture; and in the end, they have not convinced very many people. Sometimes they have not even managed to convince themselves! Under those circumstances, one perhaps might desire to bypass a subject like this altogether.

Grace and peace
Olan

Thanks Geraldie,

Needed a refresher, great idea...

And since it was just about to slip off the main page...

Alright! Now I've learned a new word!
Polemics. poleeeeemics.
Radical! :-D
Good article.

Great article!

Thanks for sharing!

:-)