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Elephant in the Room is a series of presentations & discussions that we hold at our church (Sweetwater Christian Church) by leading experts on a variety of controversial issues. Our world is full of polarizing issues and if the church ignores addressing them we put ourselves in a dangerous position for our families, communities, nation, and world.

We believe that 1) the body of Christ needs to directly address these issues and that 2) we must dialogue with each other in a way that is profoundly Christlike.

Elephant in the Room is NOT:
– A series of arguments or contentious debates
– A final and authoritative answer on where our church stands on these issues

Elephant in the Room IS:
– A respectful, responsible, and Christian conversation over important topics.

Each session will correspond (roughly) to the following viewpoint:

• Prayer & Introduction of the Topic, Speakers, & Format
• Position 1: 10-15 Minute Presentation [Speaker 1]
• Position 2: 10-15 Minute Presentation [Speaker 2]
• Position 1: 5-10 Minute Response [Speaker 1]
• Position 2: 5-10 Minute Response [Speaker 2]
• Questions for Speakers / Discussions
• Closing Remarks & Prayer

 

One of the special features of our Elephant in the Room Series is the way we hold strongly to both the commitment to stand firm for the truth and to be gracious and respectful to one another. With that said, we expect the atmosphere and dialogue at these sessions adhere to the following principles:

[1] We are considering these issues from a Biblical and Christian perspective.  This means that personal experiences, opinions, and politics are not directly related to our concerns.
[2] We believe that people who love Jesus deeply can have extremely opposite beliefs on very important issues.  This is called “Pervasive Interpretive Pluralism” – the historical fact that very faithful Christians have come to completely different conclusions on certain issues with the same exact Scriptures in front of them.
[3] Therefore, we believe that apart from a few key historical/theological truths,  a person’s Christian confession & identity should not be questioned because of an opinion on issues such as these.
[4] We also believe that despite a lack of agreement, there IS a right & wrong stance on these issues and it is the duty of a faithful Church to seek these out in His Word while also using reason, experience, and tradition.
[5] This seeking of the truth, including our time together, must consist of gentle & respectful language and prayerful listening.