The Ministry and Message of Reconciliation

John Fehlen

Conflict is inevitable. One does not have to look far within any organization, be itreligious or otherwise, to find conflict brewing. Interestingly, in communities of faith, conflict isoften more intense and prolonged. Perhaps this is attributed to acute spiritual warfare, amisapplication of scriptural teachings, and/or a clash of personalities, redeemed or unredeemed. Norm Shawchuck understands that “Jesus engaged in conflict. Sometimes He started conflict…atother times He resolved conflict. If Jesus could not live in this world without conflict, we mightas well accept it – we, too, will have conflict in our churches and ministries.”

It is important to note that Jesus not only

engaged

and

started

conflict, but he also

resolved

conflict. He, on behalf of his Father, was an agent of reconciliation. Subsequently, hehas given us the ministry and the message of reconciliation in order to propagate his heart for unity and restoration in this broken world. This essay will expound upon the ministry andmessage of reconciliation as spoken of in 2 Corinthians 5. In particular, it will make an importantand intriguing connection between reconciliation and a key (and often overlooked) component:

death

.The preponderance of this essay will unpack the ministry and message of reconciliationwith a brief point of application regarding marriage from 1 Corinthians 7:11. But first, we willsee how reconciliation is being utilized even within business and modern culture.

Reconciliation in Business and Culture

As in all of life, businesses experience high levels of conflict and often utilize classicresolution methods including conciliation, mediation, negotiation, arbitration and/or litigation.Quite often we hear of businesses, and individuals as well, engaging the legal system to resolvetheir conflict. However, there seems to be a growing trend towards reconciliation, beginning withsimply saying, “I am sorry.” Reports such as in the case of Ford Motor Co. and Firestone Tires

Norman Shawchuck,

How to Manage Conflict in the Church, vol. 1

(Spiritual Growth: 1983), 9.

issuing an apology for an accident involving their products are becoming more common. One particular articles notes that, “Studies indicate that besides compensation for tangible damagessuch as medical expenses, most victims of negligence want three things: a sense that their complaint is being taken seriously, a satisfactory explanation of what happened, and anassurance that steps are being taken so it won’t happen again to someone else.”

In the medicalfield, doctors, attorneys and hospital administrators are discovering that liability costs andmedical errors are down at the same time by giving a simple apology and seeking reconciliationrather than litigation.

D. Michael Kratchman in is article “Anatomy of Mediating a BusinessReconciliation” believes there is a psychology of divorcing business partners. What begins witha merging of aspirations and shared dreams eventually grows in different directions and reality becomes a disappointment. Kratchman finds that “the parties coming to mediation arecomparable to disappointed spouses…to preserve the individual’s dream, the partner is blamed.The partner becomes the enemy.”

When multiple parties are in conflict it leads to a breaking of faith with one another. In a sense this looks similar to a marital separation or divorce – with both parties seeking justification, an acknowledgment of rights and an appropriation of responsibility(i.e.: who is to blame?).

Conflict and Separation

Conflict, whether corporately or personally, potentially brings about a point of separationin which various parties retreat and entrench. Craig Runde and Tim Flanagan, “do not think it is possible to do away with conflict. People will always have differences in values, goals, principles, and tactics that lead to conflict…Our experience suggests that when emotions get the

Kris Frieswick, “Say You’re Sorry,”

CFO Magazine

, May 01, 2001,http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3870/is_5_17/ai_99599731

Debra Schmidt, “A Simple Apology Can Spare You A Lawsuit,” July 24, 2007,http://www.articlepros.com/business/customer_service/article-88017.html

D. Michael Kratchman, “Anatomy of Mediating a Business Reconciliation”http://library.findlaw.com/1999/Jul/1/130884.html