Recently, I got an email from a casual acquaintance. Among other things, he mentioned that he had recently been terminated from his position with a Christian ministry.
From such a distance—both location and relationship—it was impossible for me to understand the issues which contributed to his situation. Was he wrongly terminated? Or was he the guilty one? I simply could not know.
And yet, our correspondence required me to reply, and I could hardly ignore what was obviously an important and life-changing matter for him. What could I say?
Frequently, in Christian ministry, we are told about a situation and are invited to make a response. And often we know only one small part of the whole story.
A person gives what seems to be an extended (and possibly biased) list of wrongs someone else has done. Another person only tells part of the story to avoid exposing someone else’s sin.
Proverbs warns against making a quick judgment without information:
"The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him." (Prov. 18:17)
"If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame." (Prov. 18:13)
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