Joshua’s generation fought for the land. The next generation did not. The children of Israel went from victory to apostasy because somewhere along the way, it became easier to settle than contend. May that never happen to us. Contending but Not Contentious is one young pastor’s perspective on when and how to fight. We do not merely fight against, but for, and this inheritance we have received from the previous generation is worthy of protecting. At some point, everyone will fight for what he believes in; we just live in an era when we have the luxury of quibbling over direction, not just doctrine.

Part One shows how Christians have separated into “circles” or “camps,” as we call them, and why that is not a bad thing. In a world where churches inevitably change with culture, some groups choose not to change as much or as fast, and how they do inevitably change matters for how the next generations will view change. Part Two is about the spirit of the fight. May the next generation stand strong on truth but not be contentious.

Ryan Rench is a second-generation pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Temecula, CA. His father planted the church in the ‘80s and retired in 2021, and the church has continued on the same path ever since.