Two Rabbis sat and discussed the Torah for days and weeks and months and years. Years and years passed and they still discussed this one, small, passage of the Torah. It may be said that God has the patience of a saint, but after 20 years of listening to their arguments over this one passage, he had none left. He decided to finish the conversation once and for all. Parting the clouds, coming down from heaven, he spoke to the Rabbis: “You have discussed this passage for twenty years, now listen to the answer!”
In a moment of unparalleled agreement they both turned to God and said “Stop! What are you doing?! Who do you think you are…”
This story was taken from an interview of Peter Rollins on the Mars Hill podcast. It illustrates the high value that the Jewish tradition places on the conversation, investigation and discussion of scripture and how the “answer” as a solution to disagreement is relatively unimportant. I think it speaks a little for the attitude on the Master’s program that I’m beginning, too. With such a broad range of backgrounds and experiences, we will surely disagree. But we will learn much more in our disagreement than in our agreement.
And finally, a comment from @RickWarren: “Reading only authors u agree with will weaken yr mind, harden yr biases, reinforce prejudices & limit yr growth”