With the tension of relations being a bit on the high side around here lately, I thought I’d share a little exercise that I like to do. I visit other blogs/forums that I know I completely disagree with, looking for insight in how others have come to the conclusions that they have. A good example I’ve found is a topic that’s been showing up on Challies.com - the Regulatory Principle.

It is the idea that, “The only acceptable worship is that which is explicitly taught in the Bible. By extension then, anything that is not explicitly taught in the Bible is implicitly forbidden.” (Usually applied to music, drama, and the administration of the Lord’s Supper.) Now neither I nor the host/moderator of Challies believes this principle is Biblical but find it worth exploring none the less. The fun part is that there is a commenter named Anthony that DOES adhere to the principle and it is great to hear what he has to say. And even though everyone passionately disagrees with him, the disagreement and examination has been quite civil so far.

So keep an open ear, use your mind to filter it through the absolutes of the Gospel (assuming you are a student of Christ), interact with one another in grace, and maybe we’ll all learn something that we thought we already knew - the hardest thing to learn.