Disagreement Tempered With Love, Humility, and Courage: Wayman Presents to Diverse Scholars

Published: April 13, 2021

We cant avoid being jostled by others and jostling others, claimed British historian Thomas Carlyle; no one escapes giving and receiving offense.

But if Carlyle attended a recent gathering of the St. Louis Regional Discussion Fellowship (RDF), he might see that hearts and minds set on productive conversation can go far to minimize offense.

Greenville University Professor of TheologyBen Waymanfacilitated a conversation about
divine action with fellow scholars February 8 at Fontbonne University. The group gathered for its quarterly discussion of pressing issues at the intersection of the doctrine of creation and modern science.

Wayman, representing one of the 11 participating universities, describes the fellowship as ecumenical, interdisciplinary, and committed to moving beyond conflict toward constructive engagement.

One of the most important aspects of Christian witness is to show the world how we engage disagreement with love, humility, and courage, he says. Groups like this, in any venue, provide practice in discipleship and hopefully, model unity and friendship rather than division and opposition.

He explains that while Christian unity does not require agreement, it does depend on commitment to God and one another.

Wayman,theJames F. and Leona N. Andrews Chair in Christian Unityat Greenville University, presented on a chapter from David Fergusson'sThe Providence of God: A Polyphonic Approach(Cambridge University Press, reprint edition, 2019).

RDF is made possible by funding from the John Templeton Foundation. 2020 marks the first year of a three-year fellowship supporting the dialogue. Nine of this years fellows represent the humanities; six represent the sciences.

I was impressed by the breadth of disciplines represented, as well as the variety in faith traditions, said Wayman. Our time together was just as much a time of sharing from different perspectives as it was a time of appreciating the contributions each person made to the conversation.

Waymans participation in the RDF supports GUs strategy for improving community engagement by strengthening abilities to think and converse respectfully with each other about complex issues, purposeful work, and growing faith. He is also co-founder of GUs Justice Ministry program, where students learn how tofaithfullyengageculture as a necessary partof the church's proclamatory action.

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