William Wrigley, Jr., the early 20th century purveyor of chewing gum, is credited with saying, “if two men always agree, one of them is unnecessary.” Even though most of us do not like conflict, differing opinions, views, and interpretations of the world make this a much more interesting place to exist. That said, we are divided along these lines because of something else. The issue is not that we differ; that is not the source of disunity. What divides us is the practice of one side claiming their opinions, views, and interpretations as absolute truth. Not with standing, there are people on the opposite side doing the same thing. On the polar extremes, this may work. For the majority who are more centrist, this is a vise whose pressure they cannot escape. I watch my colleagues, friends, and acquaintances do this on social media. In my humble assessment, the only thing they accomplish is an airing of their perspective and a stifling of conversation or at least, that is how I feel in the moment. There are bombshell topics that groups are battling over – because of the way they are discussed and handled they are divisive for communities and families. So, where do we go from here? How do Christians talk about these issues while seeking unity? Is it possible to disagree while remaining in union with one another through Christ? Or has the body of Christ simply capitulated to the way the rest of the world handles these matters? I invite you to join me as we strive to have a civil conversation that informs and unifies us around the love of Christ. We will not solve anything in this series. However, I pray that we come away with some practical ideas on how to lovingly engage others, especially those you strongly disagree with.    - Rev. Dr. Jim Hoffman

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