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Contending with the saints: Discerning God's will, not imposing our own

The season of denominational assemblies is upon us. Which calls to mind the old doggerel “Living above with saints we love / that will be grace and glory; / living below with saints we know / that is a different story.” Many gatherings of the mainline saints have not been experiences of grace and glory, mainly because of pitched battles over church positions on contested issues, especially homosexuality. If we have to fight, some wonder, why can’t we struggle over something else for a change? It is not surprising that sexuality is at the forefront of debate.