We live in a highly divisive and dualistic world. You’re either this or that, either on my team or on the opposition, one of us or one of them. There seems to be no middle ground. Right in the center of that, and perhaps adding to the division, multiple Christian groups have released so-called “statements” on certain points of theology and practice. These statements often have to do with a hot-button issue, such as Social Justice’s relationship to the gospel or how churches should engage with the LGBTQ+ community.

While the statements themselves can certainly provide a point of commonality between all those who sign it, there can be multiple unintended consequences to releasing them. With the advent of social media, conversations that were once internal are now open for all to see. Family conversations are now worldwide discussions which create even more lines of division. Are the advantages of formal Christian statements undercut by the polarization that follows them? What place do these modern statements have in the history of the church? When is the right time to write up a Christian statement or should we simply abandon the idea of statements altogether? All that and more on this edition of Questions from the Pew.