She loves to argue about the Bible...

Thursday, January 1st, 2009 at 6:30 PM by Ruth Tynes / Online Editor / InTheTimes.com

Q: I have a friend that loves to argue about the Bible / doctrine. No matter what we're talking about, she turns it into a theological debate. Her arguments are always very negative towards God and the Bible... She says that she's a Christian, so I wonder why she likes to try to tear Bible theology down... I don't like it, any advice on how to handle talking with her?

Ruth: In 1 Timothy 1:3-7 Pastor Paul was advising Pastor Timothy on a similar situation, "stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God's work--which is by faith. The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm." (NIV)

As a Christian it is good to know how to, on the spot, articulate what we believe and why. This is often called "apologetics" and will help you when you are sincerely questioned about what Christians believe and why.

Sadly, there are some people that try to get into arguments about the LORD / the Bible and they may even consider themselves to be Christian. This could be because they don't really believe in the LORD / the Bible and they may be trying to find a reason not to believe. Or they might think that they are really smart and they want to try to impress others with their "deep wisdom" Instead, they end up making themselves a pain to be around.

Read Luke 20 in the New Testament portion of the Bible and you'll see how the LORD Jesus went through the same situation with the pastors and leaders of the day.

There's nothing wrong with discussing Bible theology with friends, but hostile arguing is wrong. If you realize that your friend cannot have a civilized discussion about theology, then just don't go there with her. Let her know that you don't want to argue about the LORD and to change the subject. If she refuses to change the subject, don't argue and look for an opportunity to politely excuse yourself.

Pray that your friend will start to see the Bible as a life changing book from the LORD, instead of something to merely debate about.



Originally published in the June 6, 2008 issue of In the Times magazine. Copyright 2008. All rights reserved. This article may not be reprinted or posted without written permission from the author. Please contact for reprint permission.

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