How does viewpoint bigotry blind us?

Yesterday on my show, we had a pretty interesting discussion about whether it’s better for pastors and priests to be married or single. However, I’m sure some people found it frustrating that I’d even ask this question because the notion of single (and celibate, of course) pastors is too closely associated with Catholicism for them to ponder it seriously.

Tragically, some Evangelicals have such a strong anti-Catholic bias that it’s very difficult for them to even consider the possibility that Catholics might say anything right, let alone something that we get wrong. This is because they are so invested in the post-Reformation turf war that it feels a bit like treason to concede any ground. And if the prospect of yielding any ground at all to the Catholics weren’t enough, the idea that the doctrine of priestly celibacy might have anything going for it is uniquely horrifying to consider since most non-Catholics hold that idea particularly in contempt (as the cause of priestly abuse, for instance).

Simply put, allowing ourselves to scoff at a viewpoint makes us that much less able to ever consider it as a possibility. It’s one reason I try not to scoff at much. But it’s only when we are willing to love our opponents enough to take their views seriously that we can honestly claim to be more interested in truth than in merely winning.