MIN-430 Topic 4 - Benchmark - A Biblical Strategy for Dealing with Conflict

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1 Benchmark - A Biblical Strategy for Dealing with Conflict Elias Ruiz College of Theology: Grand Canyon University Min—430: Ministerial Communication Dr. David Yauk September 24, 2023

2 Biblical Strategy for Dealing with Conflict As God created the heavens and the earth, He stopped daily and deemed everything “good.” On the final day, when all was considered complete, He asserted it to be “very good” (Genesis 1:31). But something went wrong. How did humanity go from “very good” according to the Creator, and He cannot lie, to chaos and destruction where some generations have been destroyed by conflict and wars? How can the followers of this mighty God approach conflict? We read about the events before Genesis 3, the fall of humanity, where there were no conflicts. Still, Conflict arose after the historic event in the garden between humanity and God right after. (Genesis 3:8-24). The outbreak of conflict initiated by Adam and Eve in the garden has not stopped since then. Conflict is seen domestically and internationally in the United States and the rest of the world. Sadly, the ministry is not exempt from this universal plague. Conflict is more pervasive inside the ministry due to the helplessness of those affected and the unprepared personnel within the ministry settings who are almost incapable of dealing with these issues. “People tend to use escape responses when they are more interested in avoiding unpleasant people or situations than resolving differences” ( https://rw360.org/slippery-slope/ ). How can our ministers and our church leaders manage these conflicts and honor God and those involved in conflicts with others? This is a Biblical analysis of how conflict started and investigates the principles and teachings that deal with these conflicts. We must develop a Biblical Strategy for Dealing with conflicts. This approach will help us deal with conflict by understanding the leading spirit of conflict and putting the word of the Lord in the circumstances to achieve conflict resolution. As we examine the origin of conflict, two critical issues to remember are where we will find the beginning of conflict, and how it is interpreted and seen in the Bible. In Genesis, we can

3 see the origination of conflict. The first occurrence seen in Genesis chapter 3 is when Eve is tempted by the serpent (3:1-7). The nature of conflict is seen firsthand in Eve’s dealings with the serpent. The serpent questions God's plan for provision. It brings the inborn human desire to bring ourselves up to the almighty creator God (as the serpent convinces Eve that God is holding back great wisdom while trying to keep them “repressed” (Barry et al., 2012). This is followed by another conflict between Cain and Able, Adam’s sons. This conflict stems from jealousy and inferiority; these spirits lead to hostility, resentment, discontent, and bitterness (Levin, 2004). These are the first instances of recorded conflicts, two of the four types of conflict we know of today. Though they are not noticed in the inception of conflict, they are spread through the entire biblical grand narrative, making up the three groups of conflict known as horizontal conflict: “man vs. man, man vs. nature, and man vs. self (Muehlhoff & Lewis, 2010). The types of conflict are seen in Genesis chapter 3 and are still seen in present interactions between people. Gratefully, Genesis 3 does not only describe conflict but the hope that we have in God's plan for the final resolution of conflict. In Genesis 3:15, God proclaims a set of declarations known as the Proto Evangelion, the first announcement of the gospel message saying that Jesus would come to earth some thousand years later for all of humanity. How do we deal with conflict, precisely horizontally (man vs. man, self, or nature) in this modern age or a modern ministerial context? It all begins with the Bible. Let us look at the New Testament and the teachings of the Son of God himself. The center of Jesus’ message was that we must love one another. He demonstrates this with His actions towards the beginning of His ministry. He interacted and even dined with the trash of the earth, prostitutes, and the reviled tax collectors. In Matthew 16:24-28, Jesus calls us to follow the example he has set forward.

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4 Suppose it does not work out after we do these things in love and compassion; what do we do then? Matthew 18:15-20 has set a route to take when this happens. Jesus puts out instructions for the disciples and the church to follow. We are to bring it to their attention, even if it seems like a wasted effort because the party offended does not see it as a conflict. However, Matthew says to give them the benefit of the doubt so they can see the error and return to righteous living with a better relationship with God (Barry et al., 2012). After repeated and careful attempts and the conversation is not fruitful, you should ask one or two people to meet with you and the opponent and try to resolve it through mediation, arbitration, or accountability (https://rw360.org/the-four-gs/). If all this fails, it must be taken to the church as a last resort. If all these attempts fail, Jesus says to treat them as a gentile or tax collector (outcast). This is not done out of condemnation, but with genuine hope and prayer, the offender will see the error of his ways and return to the Father ( Barry et. al., 2012). Another step in overcoming conflict is praying for wisdom; a great example is in 1 Kings 3:16-28. Two mothers bring a child to Solomon, claiming to be the mother, and he must determine the right mother. Using Godly wisdom, he determines the natural mother, which is false. When we seek Godly wisdom in any situation and conflict, God will answer and direct us in the way we should go. As ministers, praying for wisdom will help us determine the truth and the lies. Lastly, another fundamental step towards conflict resolution in our church is empathy. According to Muehlhoff and Lewis, “Empathy is the ability to re-create another person’s perspective, to experience the world from the other’s point of view.” (Muehlhoff, T. & Lewis, T. (2010). Empathy is an effective tool so ministers can resolve conflict; not only will a minister recognize the problem sensitively, but it will also help justify the person inside the conflict. These steps in conflict resolution are central within the church to level out problems.

5 The Word of the Lord in any situation or conflict is critical to success. The Bible is truth, and every word of the Lord is truth, and we need to manifest this to others. We must seek the Lord for answers when times get tough and conflict comes. The Bible teaches that we must take personal responsibility for ourselves before blaming another. “You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, 2006/2016, Matthew 7:5). As Ministers, we are to understand forgiveness, and if we hold on to anger and injustice, those emotions of the conflict will not set you free, but forgiving your brother will. “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother who sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, “I tell you, not just seven times, but seventy-seven times!” (Matthew 18:21-22). Accepting forgiveness and giving it freely will help resolve the conflicts at hand. Conflict is a very messy situation. Regrettably, neither one of the sides involved in a conflict will walk away unblemished. However, we can see that the beauty of the gospel and the approaches that the Bible teaches for dealing with conflicts and its nature is that we will find grace and redemption for all involved. Conflict is a direct result of the fall of humanity. Genesis 3 shows us that conflict results from the fall, and we must deal with it continually until Jesus returns and defeats sin forever. With this in mind, there are many ways to work on conflict resolutions and tackling conflicts that are edifying and healthy and can be damaging and destructive to co-heirs of the Kingdom of God. Our world is defined primarily with ambiguity, and the truths in the Bible have never changed since their beginning and should be adhered to when dealing with conflict. How will ministers and church leaders?

6 How can our ministers and our church leaders handle these conflicts while honoring God and those involved in conflicts with others? This essay is a Biblical analysis of conflict, how it started, and talks about the principles and teachings of dealing with these conflicts. A Biblical Strategy for Dealing with conflicts must be developed. This approach will help us deal with conflict by understanding the leading spirit of conflict and putting the word of the Lord in the circumstances to achieve conflict resolution.

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7 REFERENCES Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., & Bomar, D. (2012). Faithlife study bible. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software. https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=a9h&AN=125471126&site=eds- live&scope=site&custid=s8333196&groupid=main&profile=eds1 Levin, S. (2004). Cain versus Abel. Judaism, 53(1–2), 51–54. https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=rfh&AN=ATLA0001665188&site=eds- live&scope=site&custid=s8333196&groupid=main&profile=eds1 Muehlhoff, T., & Lewis, T. V. (2010). Authentic Communication: Christian Speech Engaging culture . https://digitalcommons.biola.edu/faculty-books/303 https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=edsgao&AN=edsgcl.236568340&site=eds- live&scope=site&custid=s8333196&groupid=main&profile=eds1 The Four G’s - Relational Wisdom | Ken Sande | Biblical Emotional Intelligence | Peacemaking | Institute Christian Conciliation | Reconciliation. (2022, August 12). Relational Wisdom | Ken Sande Biblical Emotional Intelligence | Peacemaking | Institute Christian Conciliation | Reconciliation. https://rw360.org/the-four-gs/ The slippery slope of conflict - What is your response to conflict ? - Relational Wisdom | Ken Sande | Biblical Emotional intelligence | Peacemaking | Institute Christian Conciliation | Reconciliation. (2022, February 13). Relational Wisdom | Ken Sande | Biblical Emotional

8 Intelligence | Peacemaking | Institute Christian Conciliation | Reconciliation. https://rw360.org/slippery-slope/ The Holy Bible , English Standard Version. (2016). Bible Gateway. https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/English-Standard-Version-ESV-Bible/#copy (Original work published 2001)