Diary of a novice minister -5

KAMAL WEERAKOON is combining full-time study at Moore College with ministry at St Anne’s, Strathfield. He shares his trials and joys as a trainee minister.

Do we argue more at Moore?

NOW THAT you’re in third year, do you argue with each other more?’ What the...?  A guy who hopes to study at Moore College asked me this. I was really surprised. Why should we argue with each other more just because we’re in third year? 

“You know – ‘cause you’ve learned stuff and you’re coming up with your own ideas and opinions. So you argue with each other more.”

Oh…right…so the point of all our hard work and study is so we can get arrogant and opinionated, is it? I was about to have an argument with him, but I stopped and thought about it.

When I think of an argument, I think of two people yelling at each other that what they think is better than what the other person thinks. They usually end up with both people even more convinced that they’re right, and the other person’s a narrow-minded, Bible-bashin’, pulpit-thumpin’ fundy. 

I have heard that Moore students have argued with each other. I’ve heard one got so heated that students would tell people not to go to the church that the other person was at. But that’s not been my experience. I haven’t had any arguments. I’ve disagreed with people, but I’ve always felt respected, and we’ve learned from each other. Like the book-reading group that I’ve been in. We were reading a book on the Holy Spirit, and discussing what we thought of it. All the other people in the group liked the book more than I did. They thought it rephrased what the Bible says in a way relevant to today. I kept saying, “It’s similar, but it’s not the same!  I think it’s setting off down a path that will lead us away from the Bible!” The rest of the group didn’t let me just say that, they made me justify it. That was difficult, but it was good for me. Not liking something doesn’t make it wrong. The book could be right, and I could be wrong! 

After all, that’s the point of studying at Moore, isn’t it? Trying to understand why I think what I do, and checking whether it’s correct. Why do other people think what they do? Do I agree with them? Why?

We aren’t opponents; we are colleagues.  So let’s not argue. All it does is ruin relationships. Let’s talk honestly about what we believe, so we can grow in knowledge and love together. 

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