In his The Shape of the Church to Come (published in 1974), Karl Rahner calls out the polarization in the German churches of his day. What he says describes our situation too. And he’s right: such polarization is not only stupid and scandalous but also sinful:
There have always been schools, tendencies, and—if you like—parties, and so on, in the Church. This is inevitable and we need not take it too tragically. But the danger of a stupid and ultimately unfruitful polarization arises from other causes. People are thoughtless and suspicious of each other; they label each other “reactionary” or “progressive”; they attack each other, not with relevant arguments, but with outbursts of feeling. Each group, each periodical, each newspaper, is simply given wholesale approval or wholesale condemnation. Someone who holds a different opinion is at once assumed by the other to be stupid or wicked, to be reactionary or a modernist out to destroy Christianity….
Individual “camps” should fight passionately against such polarizations whenever they occur among their own members. Each of us ought to ask himself whether he has been bold enough even in criticizing his own friends and whether he has been so also in public. A Christian ought really to treat his enemies with more consideration than his friends, but with us sinful Christians it is mostly the other way round…
If each of us has such a modest idea of himself and his group, then the struggle becomes not only legitimate but definitely permitted and commanded; but—at least to a certain extent—it is liberated from a self-righteous and humorless fanaticism which Christians cannot permit themselves. There remain then diversities of opinion in all dimensions of Christian life and thought, but the necessary unity of faith, of spirit and of love, can remain firm; there is none of that obstinate polarization which is inhuman and unchristian, which forgets that we not only should, but indeed can love even our “enemies” …
But they must not and may not regard each other simply as enemies, intent on mutual destruction. They must do everything to live with one another in the midst of the conflict. Each group ought to be struggling also for a better understanding of the other group. For example, why should not one group invite representatives of another group to its meetings and let them speak there? Why can one group not regard the other as a critical authority for itself, of which it has an absolute need?
Do we have ears to hear? Schism is worse than heresy—and so much harder to correct and heal.
We need to have more consideration for our enemies than our friends....excellent!
Speaking to hearing others out, I attended a ba'hai temple with Dr. Tony Richie and Dr. Robb blackaby years ago in knoxville. Many different faith beliefs was there. It was an ecumenical gathering. It was very liberating. I listened to them and they listened to my testimony of how Christ changed my life.