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The Alphabet of Christian Conflict

A is for Alcohol: Do you emphasize the freedom of Christians to enjoy God's good gifts, or do you emphasize that alcohol is involved in sexual immorality, dysfunctional families, and deaths from drunk drivers?

B is for Baptism: Should we baptize infants or dedicate them?

C is for Contraception: Should Christians use birth control, and if so, what kinds are okay?

D is for Dating: Is this a fun way for people to get to know each other, or an institution so likely to lead to immorality and heartbreak, that we should return to Courting?

E is for Evolution and Creation: All Christians agree that God created the earth, but did God create the world in six 24-hour days, or six periods of indeterminate length, or over billions of years?

F is for Fallen Leaders: Do we restore them to leadership? If so, when and how?

G is for Going to a Seeker-Sensitive Approach: Is this the best thing or the worst thing that could happen to a church?

H is for Halloween: An irredeemable holiday of Satanism and witchcraft, or a fun time of candy and costumes?

I is for Israel and Palestine: God's promises to the descendants of Abraham are abundant, and so is his love for all nations. How do you put those together in modern politics?

J is for Just Go to the Doctor, or Try Natural Remedies? If I have faith, do I go with surgery or shark cartilage?

K is for Krispy Kreme or Whole Foods?

L is for Lord's Supper: What exactly happens at Communion?

M is for Marketing in the Church: a good idea or a bad one?

N is for Natal Matters: Lamaze vs. Bradley, home-birth vs. hospital-birth, epidural vs. no epidural, breast feeding vs. bottle feeding, cloth vs. disposable.

O is for the Ordination of Women: Is this a caving-in to the feminist spirit of the age, or a long-overdue application of the liberty of the gospel?

P is for Parenting: Should Christian parents emphasize order in the home and the authority of the parent, or should Christian parents emphasize intimacy in the home and responsiveness to the child's needs?

Q is for Quaint: Are head coverings for women a quaint cultural artifact from the first century or a needed sign of deference to authority?

R is for R-rated Movies: a powerful artistic form or a cause for stumbling?

S is for Schooling: Where should Christians educate their children? In public schools, where Christians can be salt and light? At home, where families can pass on their values in an intimate setting? In a private Christian school, where professional teachers share your values? In a Montessori school, where children can learn and explore in less-structured ways?

T is for Time to Leave Our Denomination, or Should We Stay? Is it better to "Come out from among them and be ye separate" or to "Let your light so shine before men"?

U is for the Use of Psychology in Counseling Christians: A valuable tool or something that elevates Freud above the Bible?

V is for Voting: Which candidates, which parties, should Christians vote for? And how involved should Christians be in politics?

W is for Worship: Anything in worship. Dancing in worship. Drums in worship. Musical styles in worship.

X is for ecstatic utterances: Are tongues and prophesying an expected evidence of the Spirit's presence? An accepted expression of prayer and worship? A New Testament phenomenon that ended with the apostolic church?

Y is for Yoga: A relaxing way to exercise or a doorway into Eastern beliefs that are antithetical to the Christian gospel?

Z is for Z End of Z World: When will Christ come: Premillennial, Postmillennial, Amillennial, or I don't even know what a millennial is?

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