what to do with those you disagree with

(apologies to Mrs. Brantley - my friend the English teacher - for hanging the preposition)

...nevertheless it's a fair question: what do you 'do' with those who hold differing views from your own?

Well, I've seen it done many ways over the years...

Ignore
one of my most favorites... just play like nothing is wrong and hope it goes away; creates a terrific foundation for meaningful dialogue... not! so, simply avoid those with whom you disagree.

turn up the volume
The first time I traveled abroad, the way I chose to try to break the language barrier was to slow down my speech and talk louder! So here I am yelling at some poor German waitress trying to order a sandwich (in loud english)... yeah, that worked well... and it works about as well when we turn up the volume (literally) or ratchet up the rhetoric when trying to have a discussion...

"I'd rather be right than anything else"
another personal favorite... and always productive! Just take out all your anxieties on anyone who doesn't believe like you; then, add an ounce of "I'm-always-right-and-there's-no-reason-to-listen-to-you" condescension, and you will insure that, in time, nobody will talk to you about anything... this brand of narcissism feeds on itself, because you begin to reason: "I MUST be right, because nobody even challenges me on anything anymore"

Attempt to Persuade
another time-tested method for dealing with someone who disagrees with you... it assumes, however, that YOU have the correct answers and that, too, creates instant barriers to meaningful communication...

"Withdraw Fellowship"
ah, yes, and this one even has a Biblical sound to it... 'cause it is Biblical! It's just that we have so thoroughly misunderstood and misapplied Matthew 18 that it doesn't even resemble the original intent anymore... but it does have the tendency to 'make it go away'

Be respectful and kind
a new, different and exciting (and Jesus-modeled) way of developing trust that causes meaningful dialog to happen... Paul exhorts us to 'speak the truth in love' in his letter to the church in Ephesus... frankly, I have seen very little of that method used in my life...

but I'm sure it will work; let's try it! what do we have to lose?

God bless!