Confronting the Fear of Controversy
Richard Exley
God values some things more than church unity, things like obedience, truth, and integrity.
— Richard Exley I clearly remember the first time my church leaders discussed our church's stance regarding pro-life involvement. A small group within our congregation had presented a proposal to the board requesting permission to begin a crisis pregnancy program. Our discussion was intense. "I will vote in favor of the proposal," said one board member, "only if we include strict guidelines prohibiting any form of public protest against abortion." Others expressed similar reservations. We eventually approved the group's request, but this was only the beginning of what would become one of the most controversial issues of my twelve years of ministry at Christian Chapel in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Superheated issues in our society have a way of starting fires within the church walls. Political wars can become church wars. Of no issue is that more true than abortion. As a pastor, I had been reticent to get involved. In the course of everyday ministry, I take enough shots without asking to be shot. I'm more interested in calming church controversy than creating it. Like most pastors, I like people to like me. The last thing I want to do is make people in my church angry. In the end, I overcame my fears and got involved in the controversial, and I made my church angry! But I learned a lot along the way about how to handle such issues. Be Open to God
In August 1988 as I watched a national newscast from the Democratic National Convention in Atlanta, the news anchor reported that Randall Terry and a group of anti-abortion demonstrators were using their bodies to barricade abortion clinics. They were arrested and jailed. Many refused to give their names, identifying ...
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