Sometimes it's not just the...
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Sometimes it's not just the weeds against the wheat. Sometimes it's wheat against wheat. Back in 1997, a heated debate arose between a Christian magazine and a Christian book publisher regarding a forthcoming Bible translation.
After the debate grew angry, the Evangelical Press Association, to which both parties belonged, was asked to investigate whether the EPA code of ethics had been violated.
The EPA did not find an ethics violation. Nevertheless, it concluded: "We regret ... that the rhetoric of the debate ... often seemed to lack charity and the debaters sometimes appeared more interested in winning arguments than in pursuing truth. In an essay titled, 'Pursing Charity and Clarity Together,' Wayne Grudem and John Piper urge believers to carry on their debates with clarity and charity. 'By charity,' they write, 'we have in mind mainly the good will that avoids caricature and seeks to state others' views in ways they would approve ... By clarity we mean the use of language that expresses as fully as possible what we affirm and what we deny.' " ("A Statement from the Board of the Evangelical Press Association," October 18, 1997)
After the debate grew angry, the Evangelical Press Association, to which both parties belonged, was asked to investigate whether the EPA code of ethics had been violated.
The EPA did not find an ethics violation. Nevertheless, it concluded: "We regret ... that the rhetoric of the debate ... often seemed to lack charity and the debaters sometimes appeared more interested in winning arguments than in pursuing truth. In an essay titled, 'Pursing Charity and Clarity Together,' Wayne Grudem and John Piper urge believers to carry on their debates with clarity and charity. 'By charity,' they write, 'we have in mind mainly the good will that avoids caricature and seeks to state others' views in ways they would approve ... By clarity we mean the use of language that expresses as fully as possible what we affirm and what we deny.' " ("A Statement from the Board of the Evangelical Press Association," October 18, 1997)
