Why Do So Many Christians Disagree?

Have you ever wondered why so many Christians disagree? It seems to me like the more I study theology, the more issues I find Christians disagreeing on. Calvinism or Arminianism, Cessationist or Charismatic, to tithe or not to tithe: these are the questions. And it really bothers me when Christians following Jesus end up mad, angry, and bitter with each other. I get that it will happen a little bit, but even in formal debates, I've seen blood vessels burst in people's foreheads as they explain how right they are. 

I want to propose a new direction. And it really isn't that new. Instead of the Calvinists having their verses and the Arminians having theirs, why don't we learn to live with the tension in Scripture?

Take Romans 9 for example. Paul has no problem at all with the Calvinist idea that God sovereignly chooses who will be chosen for salvation. In the next chapter he has no problem agreeing with the Arminian idea that whoever wants to be a Christian can.

"I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy." -- Romans 9:15-16

"that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." -- Romans 10:9-10

There's a textual reason why we all disagree. The writers of the Bible we're much less concerned with the tension than we are. They didn't explain the tension away; they lived with it. 

Certainly there are issues that are vital. The trinity, Jesus' death and resurrection, that soccer is the best sport..., but there are all sorts of issues that really shouldn't divide us person to person.

I heard a story about a guy who was stuck in trying to decide between Calvinism and Arminianism. He was pushed from both sides by family and church. It was driving him mad. He came up with a way to decide. He took a quarter and said, "Heads is Calvinism, Tails is Arminianism." He flipped the coin and his beliefs were determined.

I've certainly got my leanings on a lot of the issues, but I'm also left with a quandry on some of them too. If God really does want everyone to be saved like 1 Timothy 2  says, then why would he sovereignly create any scenario where anyone ends up in hell? If God gives significant libertarian freedom to each individual, then what's with all this election business? Why elect people that would choose Him anyway? it doesn't make total sense either direction you go.

My proposal is this, "Keep the coin in the air." Live with the tension in Scripture. Maybe we might even be able to live with each other too.