Counterpoints series helps Christians disagree agreeably

By David Daniels and ChristianWeek | January 15, 2010

Though my decidedly fundamentalist upbringing as a King James-loving independent Baptist with a confident pretribulational dispensational persuasion encouraged me to unquestioningly accept what my elders taught me, I always wanted to know what the "other side" believed.

However, too often my explorations were little more than finding ways of dismissing any view that diverged from what I had been taught. Rarely did I ever seriously engage issues with a sincere effort to truly understand another perspective.

As I entered into vocational Christian ministry, I was continually confronted with views significantly different from mine. Over time, in the longsuffering grace of God (and fellow Christians), I came to appreciate that Christians can agreeably disagree on a range of issues while remaining true to the faith. Exposure to opposing positions enabled me to grow in my own understanding, a process that led to different conclusions on several theological and practical matters, though a conservative evangelical I remain.

One resource that has proved helpful in this journey is Zondervan's Counterpoints series—book-length discussions of significant doctrines and practices upon which Christians hold varying views.

Each title identifies the main views on a given topic. Proponents of each view present their case, which is then critiqued by each of the other contributors. In this way, each view gets a fair presentation followed by a respectful critique from the other contributors. The reasoned and respectful interaction of all the contributors allows the reader to reflect upon the strengths and weaknesses of each view, providing them with the opportunity to form their own conclusions.

Issues such as worship, church growth, the role of women in ministry and church governance are explored in the Church Life category. The ever-expanding roster of titles in the Theological category examines themes like miraculous gifts, apologetics, law and gospel, sanctification, eternal security, hell, salvation in a pluralistic world, genocide, creation and evolution, and the contrast between Eastern Orthodoxy and evangelical Christianity.

Two recently published titles hold particular interest to me because of the significant implications they hold for all believers.

For example, if you are seeking a better grasp of the interface between both the Old Testament and the New Testament, you should consider reading Three Views on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (Zondervan, 2008). In this study, Walter C. Kaiser Jr., Darrell L. Bock and Peter Enns, known and respected evangelical theologians, present their approaches to understanding how the New Testament writers understood and applied the Old Testamemt. The foundational issue is discerning the relationship between "an Old Testament author's meaning and the meaning of that same passage when it is used by a New Testament author."

In case you're wondering what all the fuss might be about here, consider that the answer to this question affects the identity of the Messiah, the role Old Testament law in the Christian's life and whether or not Jesus will physically rule on this Earth in a future millennium—to name just a few things. Understanding the issues and methods presented by Kaiser, Bock and Enns will enable you to better utilize the G.K Beale and D.A. Carson edited Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (Baker Academic, 2007).

The second title of interest is Four Views on Moving Beyond the Bible to Theology (Zondervan, 2009). Conservative Christians maintain that the Bible is the final authority for all questions related to our faith and practice, and yet these same Christians come up with a multitude of interpretations and applications of the biblical text.

Each contributor affirms belief in an inspired, authoritative Bible, yet they present significantly different methods of interpreting and applying Scripture. Four main interpretive models are presented: Principlizing (Walter Kaiser), Redemptive-Historical (Daniel Doriani), Drama-of-Redemption (Kevin Vanhoozer) and Redemptive-Movement (William Webb). As with all titles in Counterpoints, following the presentation of each view the other contributors critique the position. And because of the far-reaching implications these competing models hold for biblical studies, theology and church teaching, this book includes three additional essays by Christopher J.H. Wright, Mark L. Strauss and Al Wolters.

Learning how to explore differences of belief in a gracious manner is a worthy of goal for every Christian. While there are non-negotiable doctrines, there are many areas where we can allow for honest differences. Zondervan's Counterpoints series provides a great model for learning how to engage one another in discussions where differing perspectives are held.