Why We Disagree: Insights from Moral Psychology

One of my objectives for this blog is to share ministry resources, usually books and websites. Some of the thinking behind my previous post comes from a book that I highly recommend for church leaders, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion, by Jonathan Haidt. Haidt argues that most of us, most of the time, make decisions based more on our feelings than on sound reasoning, and that the more educated we are, the less likely we are to use reason to form our opinions.
Concerning political and religious disagreements, Haidt argues that human concepts of morality derive from five innate foundations: care for the safety of others; fairness; loyalty; respect for authority, and respect for sanctity.  While conservatives, whether religious or political, instinctively worry about all five of these foundations, liberals tend to prioritize the first two.  Haidt cautions that the word “innate” does not mean “hardwired from birth,” but rather indicates that an adult’s instinct comes from a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
The Righteous Mind is not a "Christian" book and so does not consider the impact of the Holy Spirit on our ideas about morality.  However, it is hard to deny that true followers of Christ nevertheless strongly disagree about theology and ethics. Therefore, we must consider how much of our theology is truly shaped by our human nature.  This is where information from The Righteous Mind can help us minister to the people that God has called us to serve.