I’ve done a variety of painting in my 48 years. As a child my parents tried to encourage some artistic talent (limited though it was) by buying me a few paint-by-number paintings. My own daughters did their share of brushing with small strokes in their early coloring and painting books. The brushes we used were quite small and the objects were well defined.
On the several properties I’ve owned I’ve painted barns, houses, rooms, doors, decks using an assortment of brushes up to 4″ or 10 cm wide down to tiny brushes slightly larger than a cue-tip used for small finishing touches or those “hard-to-reach” areas.
I’ve been reflecting on the size of the brushes pastors, Bible teachers, even Seminary professors, use to paint those who disagree with them. Dr. William S. Whitcombe, with whom I had the joy of serving for 2 years in Oshawa (1980-82) taught me a valuable principle. “Be fair to your opponents,” he urged. Even the apostle Paul challenged his young trainee to “gently instruct those who oppose….” Dr. Whitcombe, teaching areas of Systematic Theology in which there was honest disagreement among evangelicals would invite proponents of the various views to teach at the Seminary to present their respective views. “I wanted to be fair,” he reminded me, “to be generous with those with whom I disagreed.”
Thanks, Dr. Whitcombe. Thanks for urging me to use a wide brush. I’ve not always followed this counsel and at times see this same flaw in presentations of others. With one wide brush stroke, theological opponents are dismissed – how could anyone possibly believe this “heresy?”
Now, let me clarify – there are issues on which we should take a stand. Jude urges a contending for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints, yet not everything we believe can be regarded as essential.
Before I pack my brushes away for the winter, I’m going to take another look at them and learn some valuable lessons.
Lord, you have been gracious to me, you have taught me and allowed me to grow in understanding. Grant me the grace of allowing others who disagree to likewise grow in their understanding of God’s word and will. Help me not to ridicule or speak ill of brothers and sisters in Christ with whom I have an honest difference of interpretation.
