Why do some Christians support one position on a public issue while other Christians defend the opposing viewpoint?
How do some churches come to adopt a particular moral stance, yet other church bodies disagree with that conclusion? Can Christianity avoid divisions within and among churches over such conflicts? The manner in which Christians and their churches approach controversial topics occupied two full sessions of the Faith and Order Plenary Commission as it met at the Orthodox Academy of Crete in Kolympari, Greece from the 7th through the 13th of October. Reflecting on four case studies specially written for the meeting, discussion groups of participants composed of men and women from a range of church traditions identified sources of authority, patterns of thought and other significant influences that lead believers to varied conclusions in disputes over moral theology and Christian social ethics. “Moral discernment in the churches” is a new area of study for Faith and Order, growing out of past studies on “Ethics and ecclesiology” and “Christian perspectives on theological anthropology”. An
