On Sober Reflection

I think George Will did have a point after all. (Note to self...lay off the rantorade a bit.) I do believe that people crave moral certitude, and that they are increasingly being drawn to traditions that demand something of them. Until someone shows me that the mainline Protestant traditions are losing members for a different reason, I am inclined to agree that we have lost our edge in these movements. The Gospels are still edgy; Jesus' words still can be harsh and prophetic. The question for Christians, then, is how to deal with vigorous disagreements on scriptural interpretation. Do we agree to disagree? Or do we battle it out to the point of division? I have a personal bias in favor of Churches staying whole because I think secessionism too easily devolves into disintegration. I can see why people might feel compelled to draw a line in the sand for whatever reason and say: no more! But, is that a problem with them, or does it show our inability to talk about difficult things?