Peacemaking in a Polarized World

This sermon is a conversation between Greg Boyd and Bill Doherty, a professor at the University of Minnesota and a marriage and family therapist. His work focuses on bringing people who differ in significant ways into conversation so that they might develop a mutual understanding of each other. In this conversation, Bill shares how he came to faith when he was 76 and what drew him to become a follower of Christ.

Through the sharing of his story, Bill addresses questions like:

• What were his steps to coming to the faith?
• What were the major obstacles that originally kept him from faith?

Bill also shares how he began an organization called Braver Angels whose aim is to facilitate healthy conversations between people who have conflicting political perspectives. He explains the various ways that our relationships are becoming more and more polarized and how we are embracing patterns that keep us from loving others. For instance, Bill points out the harm in our patterns of stereotyping, dismissing, ridiculing, and showing contempt. These are toxic internal attitudes that keep us from understanding where another comes from. In the rest of the conversation, Bill shares various principles that help us connect with others with whom we disagree so that we can express Christ’s love to them.