So many holding various views on the LGBTQ+ question seem to believe there is no common ground to rally around. Therefore, the conversation devolves into a shouting match, or worse, a power play. I believe that if cooler heads prevail, we can find common ground and move the conversation forward. By listening well to both sides, the areas of common ground will begin to surface.
Leave a CommentStan W. Wallace, DMin Posts
We all want to know how one’s sexual identity should best be understood. To find the answer to this question we must first understand and commit to the ground rules of healthy conversations that lead to truth. Being committed to reason and logic is the fifth and final ground rule I began discussing last week. This week, I’ll share five more ways we can go wrong in our reasoning about this important question.
Leave a CommentAs discussed last week , following the rules of healthy communication help us all understand one another and together discover truth. Over the last two week I’ve discussed four important “ground rules” to help us all have healthy, civil, and productive conversations. This week, I’ll discuss the fifth way to ensure we are on the path to finding truth in any conversation, including the important “LGBTQ+” conversation.
Leave a CommentWe teach our kids to “play by the rules.” We also do so at work, and there are even laws in place to ensure this. Our nation functions because there are rules we all agree are in our best interest to follow. Rules are necessary in order to ensure fair games, healthy work environments, and just societies.
Leave a Comment“What we’ve got here…is failure to communicate.” Not only was this true for the Captain in Cool Hand Luke, but it is also true for those with different perspectives on the LGBTQ+ movement. Those promoting the movement and those questioning it seem to be so polarized that neither can hear, much less understand what the other is saying. Yet, I see a way forward.
(No matter where you are on these issues, please stay with me to the end of this series. I’m sure much of what I will say can be taken out of context if not read within the larger whole of my line of reasoning on this issue.)
Leave a CommentSometimes we face real moral dilemmas—doing one thing we ought to do means doing something else we ought not do. What are we to do when we are in these hard spots? Last week I discussed one solution that won’t work. This week I’ll look at a second option that is better than the first, but still not a good solution. Then I’ll offer what I believe to be the best ways to solve these moral dilemmas.
Leave a CommentWe all want to “do the right thing.” But sometimes that is much easier said than done. What do we do when choosing one right thing also means doing one wrong thing? What do we do when moral duties truly collide? There are three answers offered, but I only think one is realistic in our day-to-day lives.
Leave a Comment“I Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is inspired by God”—therefore, the Bible is God’s Word!” This is often heard, and may initially sound good, but it is guilty of circular reasoning—“begging the question.” This logical fallacy is a tricky one, and even gets the most careful thinker from time to time. So, let’s learn to identify and avoid it, in order to have healthy conversations and find truth!
2 Comments“Everyone knows…” means “What’s wrong with you for not agreeing?” This is an example of the often-heard “bandwagon” fallacy. Last week I explained this ubiquitous derailer of good conversations, and offered a number of examples. This week I’ll suggest ways to get conversations back on track when they are derailed by this error.
2 Comments“But Mom, all my friends do it!” “Everyone’s switching to Right Guard!” “No one believes that anymore!” You have probably heard a child, advertiser, or friend say these things before. It may have initial appeal, but when you stop and think about it you know something is wrong with this line of thinking. These are all examples of another common logical fallacy: the “bandwagon fallacy” (or the “appeal to common practice” and the “appeal to populace” fallacies). This is a fifth way healthy discussions are shut down.
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