Not to win but to find the truth - again

Every time there's a fight lively discussion among Christians on social media, I am reminded of this quote from Mark Foreman. So for your edification, I am sharing it again. 

Many people do not like arguing. They picture an angry dispute between two individuals… It is usually characterized by negative emotions: we are upset, raise our voices, and maybe even stomp out of the room in frustration… Usually, if we are honest, the goal of this kind of arguments is to win…

Another type of arguing features a dispute not between competing individuals but between competing ideas… Rather than emotional; it is rational. We are seeking reasons for why we think a belief is true. In arguing this way, we do not attack the other person, but we are both attacking an issue or problem. This is why philosophers often can hold opposite views on issues and yet be good friends. The goal of this kind of arguing is not to win but to find the truth. In fact, if you can show me that a belief I had thought was true is actually false, I have not lost but have won, because, I do not want to hold a false belief and am now closer to the truth.¹

I think we've all experienced a point in time where we changed our minds about beliefs we formerly held. Before regeneration, the gospel was a diametrically opposing view to say the least. Many Christians in reformed circles used to be Arminian. The doctrines of grace were poles apart from the way we were raised and yet here we are.

While it is true that arguing, from a philosophical standpoint, involves abstract ideas, people hold those ideas. People who are not just brains on sticks but who are body and soul with minds and emotions. Therefore, we can't forget that we are engaging human beings who are fellow image bearers. And if we are brothers and sisters in Christ with a mutual desire to please our Lord, aren't we on the same team even though we may disagree at the moment? Any knowledge we have gleaned about God and his Word was his doing, right? And wasn't it because he was gracious to open our minds and hearts, not because we were better or smarter? Then shouldn't it humble us and cause us to extend forbearance toward one another?

1. Prelude to Philosophy: An Introduction for Christians, Mark W. Foreman, IVP Academic, 2013, pg. 60. (emphasis mine)