Navigating Church Controversies with Hope & Strong Beliefs

Navigating Church Controversies with Hope & Strong Beliefs

By Steve Backlund

When controversy arises in the Body of Christ, it reveals more about how we believe than what we believe. Conversations around public leaders and ministries (like those recently involving Shawn Bolz and Bethel Church) can quickly become emotionally charged. Here are four ways I have learned that have helped me navigate moments like these with hope-filled thinking and strong, healthy beliefs. My goal is not to take sides (nor to comment on specific details of what happened), but it is to help us respond in ways that reflect Heaven’s culture. (These truths will also help us in responding to controversies in our nations.)

1. Guard Hope as a Non‑Negotiable 

Hope is not naïve optimism; it is a confident expectation that God is at work and good will come, even when things feel messy. Controversy tempts us to decrease our hope (to assume the worst, to grow cynical, or to believe that disappointment is wisdom). I want to avoid that option. I’ve learned that when hope decreases, it is a signal that I am partnering with a lie. As I guard hope, it keeps my heart aligned with God’s healing and redemptive nature, and it reminds me that He specializes in restoration, wisdom, and causing growth in individuals and churches. 

“Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him” (Psalm 42:11). Hope is something we command our soul to return to, not something we wait to feel again.

2. Separate Facts, Opinions, and Interpretations 

One of the fastest ways to lose peace is to treat assumptions as truth. Strong beliefs require discernment, not a reaction. In controversial moments, it is good to slow down and ask: What do I actually know? Is what I heard just someone’s interpretation? What is my emotional response? Why am I responding this way? This keeps us from forming beliefs based on incomplete information. Truth invites investigation; fear demands instant conclusions. I want to choose truth as much as possible. 

“The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him”  (Proverbs 18:17). Wisdom waits, listens, and examines before forming conclusions.

3. Refuse the Lie That We Must Choose Between Truth and Love

A common lie during controversy is that we must either stand for truth or demonstrate love. That is never God’s answer. Heaven is full of both truth and love. Strong beliefs do not require harsh and angry hearts, and compassion does not require weak convictions that enable people in wrong or hurtful behaviors (or that causes us to minimize wrongs done). Our goal is to:

• Speak honestly without attacking people’s character.

• Hold strong convictions without demeaning people.

• Take ownership for any way our own wrong behaviors may have contributed to the controversy.

• Trust that God will address issues without us becoming defensive or accusatory.

  
  

“Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head—Christ” (Ephesians 4:15). Truth without love wounds; love without truth misleads and enables. Growth requires both.

4. Let Beliefs Produce Fruit, Not Just Opinions

Healthy beliefs always produce healthy fruit (peace, patience, clarity, humility, and courage). When our beliefs produce anger, fear, or hopelessness, it is time for new beliefs. A great question to ask ourselves is this: Is what we are believing helping us become more like Jesus? Controversy is an opportunity to upgrade our beliefs, deepen our emotional maturity, and model a Kingdom response that looks radically different from the world’s outrage culture. One of the main ways we can do this is to not use negative feelings or adverse circumstances as the main source for our conclusions and decisions. 

“By their fruit you will recognize them” (Matthew 7:16). Fruit reveals beliefs more accurately than opinions ever will.

Closing Thoughts:

Controversy will come and go, but who we become in the process matters deeply. This is a season where God is giving us grace to navigate difficult situations and have needed conversations with hope, humility, and strength. God is not nervous about the Church, and He is not surprised by challenges. When we anchor ourselves in truth, refuse cynicism, admit our wrongs, and protect love, we become part of the solution instead of contributors to the problem.