BY HAROLD L. LEE

hen leaders in the church are concerned for the future, they foster a reasonable degree of diversity and dissent. Dissent is a confusing and, at times, a highly emotive word, especially for those people who are irrevocably wedded to the status quo or who fear any form of change whatsoever. The reality is, however, that there can be no constructive change at all—even in the church—unless there is some form of dissent.

By dissent, I mean simply the proposing of alternatives. A system that is not continuously examining alternatives is not likely to evolve creatively. Open organizations encourage people who propose alternative ways of doing things because they know that organizations (and cultures) age and produce “dead wood.”

New ideas and ways of doing things help guarantee that life and vitality will continue. They are the seedlings out of which the future is born. However, the seedlings are fragile; they can be smothered long before they have had a chance to develop and become vigorous plants. So also with proposals for alternative approaches.

Organizations—the church included—are built to administer, maintain, and protect that which already exists. In contrast, creative or dissenting people are designed to give birth to that which has never been in existence before. Thus dissenters threaten the well-oiled machinery of an organization—something to be avoided for the comfort of the predictable, safe, and traditional.

Confronted with the possibility of chaos and the anxiety it evokes, people usually act to reaffirm their culture’s or organization’s traditional identity, structures, and boundaries. Groups develop their own set of rewards and punishments intended to keep the members in line. Pressure is placed on individuals to conform. If they do not, the sanctions escalate. It is then that “witch hunts” flourish, as well as high levels of intolerance, bitterness, and anger. Dissenters are branded as the cause of the chaos and excluded from any effective involvement in the group.

The Duty of Dissenters
Dissenters in open societies have rights, but they also have duties. They need to propose and pursue their options for action with respect, patience, and tolerance. Jesus was a principled dissenter. With patience, courage, and love He challenged the religious and cultural status quo of His time by proposing and modeling an alternative way of life.

Martin Luther King, Jr., was another responsible dissenter. He challenged the nation through nonviolent action based on principles of human equality. Eventually many came to accept what he did, thus changing the nation’s way of life. However, there had to be a degree of openness within the American political system to allow King to continue to function as he did.

In the case of Jesus, the political and religious system of Palestine finally could tolerate dissent no longer. Its leaders feared the chaos this would lead to in their community. Their “witch hunt” led to the death of Christ.

Loyal Dissent Is Essential for Mission
Where there is no expression of opinion, one is obliged to say that there is a weakness in the life of that group. This ap-plies to our church. The church is a living body, an organism, and there would be something missing from her life if there were no public opinion within her. This would be a defect for which pastors, presidents, and the faithful would be responsible.

The church must be solicitous of its dissenters and ceaselessly concerned to understand them better. We must be aware of too hastily attributing perverseness to them. Principled dissenters are a blessing from the Lord, because they help to prevent the church from becoming excessively introverted.

The church must not only allow the emergence of alternative viewpoints, but also give them opportunity for expression and make it possible for the “loyal opposition” to function for the good of the church. And it is through dialogue that opposition is to work for the good of the whole church. “Truth is the power of peace. What should one say of the practice of combating or silencing those who do not share the same views?”

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Harold L. Lee is president of the Columbia Union Conference. This editorial first appeared in the Columbia Union Visitor, June 1, 1999.