Jumpstarter 6 of 10

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Question 6

Bercot argues that openness means listening to the other side and hearing both sides of real-life conflicts (church disagreements, employer disputes, marriage tensions), drawing on pastoral and legal experience—what would it look like for your group to practice that discipline before forming judgments, and what kinds of “walls” keep Christians from doing it?

Another way to ask: What would it look like for your group to listen to both sides in a conflict before deciding who’s right, and what “walls” make that hard for Christians?

Direct Answer Practicing openness would mean deliberately withholding judgment until both sides are heard, applying the same standard to friends and opponents, and recognizing you may be missing key facts. The “walls” are made of settled minds, emotional loyalty, and an unwillingness to hear what challenges what we already believe.

Support from Transcript:

He defines openness as being “open to hear a view that’s different from your own” and “reserving judgment until you can examine the evidence.”
He urges applying “the same standard across the board,” not rejecting something “just” because it differs from what you’ve believed.
He says openness includes admitting “the tiniest possibility” your views “may be wrong,” which requires listening to other viewpoints.
He stresses “there are two sides to most issues” and you “don’t know… until you have heard both sides.”
He illustrates from pastoral work: after hearing the second person, he wondered, “Are we even talking about the same event?”
He describes the closed mind as one whose mind “has built a wall” to keep out conflicting information.

Discussion Follow-ups What concrete steps could your group take when conflict stories arise (questions to ask, people to hear, time to wait)? How does loyalty to “our side” pressure Christians to decide too quickly?

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Jumpstarter 6 of 10