There is a question that has occurred to me daily—often numerous times a day—for the entirety of my adult life: How could that person hold an opinion that differs from my own?

Oftentimes, the person who holds a different view is someone I consider thoughtful and intelligent. Occasionally, the thoughtful and intelligent person who holds the differing opinion is me—or at least me at a younger age. That last point is particularly confusing to me since I’m now convinced that changing someone’s opinion is impossible (a view on which my own opinion has been changed).

The question of how opinions are changed will likely remain elusive. But I’ve become convinced that a more important concern is how opinions are expressed. This is particularly true when Christians differ on adiaphora, issues that are not clearly commanded nor forbidden in the Bible.

Unity and charity should guide such disagreements, which is why I’m looking forward to TGC’s hosting of a series called Good Faith Debates. As Collin Hansen says, “When we keep the gospel central, we can disagree on lesser but still important matters in good faith. In the Good Faith Debates, we hope to model this—showing that it’s possible for two Christians united around the gospel to engage in charitable conversation even amid substantive disagreement.”