Sorry for a short detour, but Ben made a comment in our previous thread that is worthy of a standalone response in this series.  Basically he is concerned that the tone of our contesting of truth is not loving at all, and makes those on the other side feel that they are enemies.  As Ben says here:

I get that the majority folks in this (and similar spaces) care deeply about God. I get that they are powerfully committed to their understanding of God’s truth. And it’s rare that I get any real sense that they have a comparable care or commitment to me. Dr. Smith wrote four posts to suggest that might be a real problem. Dr. Haymond seems determined to dial that back with four posts of his own.  Arrogant? Who’s to say? But it’s clear enough that in these thousands of words about loving enemies, “enemies” end up at the bottom of the totem pole every time.

Here is my short response which I’ll expand on:  Proclaiming and defending the truth is almost always loving.  I readily concede that how we communicate those truths can put a stumbling block to those that come are on the other side, but when the option is to contest for the truth or be silent, the former is always the right thing to do. 

I am in my current line of work because I have watched, writ large, that when people don’t think biblically, they don’t act biblically.  And when they don’t act biblically, their lives will be a mess.  This happens both personally and socially.  Thinking biblically in no way precludes sin in your life, and its attendant destructive consequences, but it sure is a big help.  Yes you can look at the Christian leaders who have fallen, but that number pales in comparison the broader social destructiveness of those that reject biblical values in their lives.  So I think helping people think biblically is a noble call.  And that includes challenging people to think biblically, in the right context—and a blog devoted to such a thing is the right context (more below personally toward Ben).

I also think this goes collectively.  Let me give a few examples. 

• I maintain that it is not thinking biblically to look for our answer to caring for the poor as a responsibility of the state through coerced taxation.  I think that leads to highly destructive results for both the recipient and the “giver.” The recipient becomes entitled not grateful, and the taxpayer begins to justify his own lack of compassion since it’s the state’s responsibility. So this blog is a perfect place for me to lay out such a case.
• I think expanding the role of the state beyond the Biblical function as the avenger of evil to do things like legislate a minimum wage, which effectively makes some workers unemployable, is a terrible decision, with hugely destructive consequences, with the most vulnerable members of our social structure (e.g., young, minorities) effectively having the first rung of the ladder sawed out from under them.
• I think the state expanding human “freedom” to include dismembering babies in the mother’s womb is unbiblical and a monstrous evil.    

I could go on and one with examples—indeed we have here on this blog for several years.  Our public debate and discussion is always ultimately a contest of values and the truth, and I will continue to argue that the Bible must be the ultimate source of those values.  It doesn’t mean my interpretation is right—hence we have this blog.  And why I keep waiting for those that disagree to put together a biblical rationale for a better way to think about the issues we raise.

And a final personal note to Ben.  I may or may not know you since you’re just anonymous Ben on the blog, but I’m sure I don’t know you well (and vice versa).  In your comment about not having a personal commitment to you compared to the truth, I think you have a misunderstanding about the contexts of how we show our love for people.  Loving people and personal care is totally dependent upon the context.  The following is not intended to be a justification to you of my behavior, as I don’t really think I need to, but I hope that it might help you better manage your expectations.  Last night I met with my other elders for 4 hours discussing how we care for our members, to include some tough conversations with some members—that was loving in that context.  My wife was likewise loving our church because I wasn’t there for her.  Most weeks I’ll spend a few hours preparing to teach Sunday School, and that’s part of the way I love those that attend my class.  I meet most weeks with at least one other person in a discipling relationship to get in their lives (and vice-versa), and that is a context for the more intimate care.  And of course I have my family relationships, and co-workers, etc.  The point is that this blog is a very small part of my life (and all the other Bereans) as we struggle to minister in a wide variety of contexts.  We have a limited purpose here:  try to make a case for what Biblical thinking means to various Political Economy questions.  This is not a place where I’m trying to show special care for you (or anybody else).  If you were one of the members of my church, I would have a lot more intentional care and conversation with you—and not just to bludgeon you with the truth as I see it.  If you were in a personal discipling relationship with me, our interaction would be totally different.  When you come to our blog, the most love I can give you is to accurately show via Biblical logic how one might think about an issue.  And if you are not thinking biblically, I hope you are uncomfortable about what I’m writing.  What you do with that is totally up to you, although my prayer is that this blog forces you back into the word to check—be a Berean—is that guy Haymond crazy or does he have a point?  And I’ll go further.  In this context of a blog, the way you love me back, and the other readers, is to respectfully engage, challenge, and question.  Iron does sharpen iron, and you can be part of helping me think more biblically too.  In the time you’ve been here, I haven’t seen you specifically engage at the level where we can debate and discuss—rather I have seen comments that (whether you intend or not) seem solely to question my heart.  I’m far too old to be bothered by that personally, but I don’t think it advances the discussion.  I hope you hang around, and that over time we can get to a closer mutual understanding.