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Christ-Centered Conflict Resolution: A Guide for Turbulent Times
Have you ever noticed that conflict is absolutely everywhere? Though we all want harmony in our relationships and our world, peace seems so hard to come by. Maybe for you, conflict looks like the latest culture war that relentlessly screams at you to pick a side, and you’re tired of all the fighting. Or perhaps it takes another shape, like a hot-tempered spouse, rebellious child, passive-aggressive friend, difficult church member, withdrawn roommate, or angry social media comment. No matter its form, conflict always finds us. And often, we let it overtake us.
In this short, biblical, and practical book, pastor and author Tony Merida shows us that it doesn’t have to be this way. Merida not only paints a stunning picture of Christ our peacemaker he also shows us how to stop wishing for peace and go make it. In this book, Tony will help Discover where conflict comes from; realize conflicts don’t have to define you, scare you, or undo you; stop allowing your relationships to simmer in a place of division, anger, or strife; understand the pattern and power of Christ as the ultimate peacemaker; tap into the Spirit’s supernatural ability to change you in the midst of your conflicts; learn how to overcome evil with good; anticipate conflicts and resolve them in biblical, Christ-centered ways.
Stop waiting for peace to “hopefully” come to your doorstep. Instead, in the power and strength God provides, become a person who can make the peace you so deeply desire, and watch your relationships transform.
In this short, biblical, and practical book, pastor and author Tony Merida shows us that it doesn’t have to be this way. Merida not only paints a stunning picture of Christ our peacemaker he also shows us how to stop wishing for peace and go make it. In this book, Tony will help Discover where conflict comes from; realize conflicts don’t have to define you, scare you, or undo you; stop allowing your relationships to simmer in a place of division, anger, or strife; understand the pattern and power of Christ as the ultimate peacemaker; tap into the Spirit’s supernatural ability to change you in the midst of your conflicts; learn how to overcome evil with good; anticipate conflicts and resolve them in biblical, Christ-centered ways.
Stop waiting for peace to “hopefully” come to your doorstep. Instead, in the power and strength God provides, become a person who can make the peace you so deeply desire, and watch your relationships transform.
Audible Audio
Published July 16, 2021
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About the author
Tony Merida
56 books34 followersTony Merida is the founding pastor of Imago Dei Church in Raleigh, NC. Tony is the author of Faithful Preaching, co-author of Orphanology, and serves as a general editor and as contributor to the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series (B&H Publishing Group) along with David Platt and Danny Akin. He is married to Kimberly, with whom he has five adopted children.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
September 13, 2021
Good little book to help be a better Christian and live for Christ. It helps to dissolve conflict God’s way which is the best way to mend it. It helps in pushing us towards peacemaking instead of trouble making. And we need a lot of help during this Corona virus pandemic.
October 1, 2020
This the first book I have read that actually acknowledges and is aware of the pandemic we are living through. This is a winsome, relevant take on the biblical ideas of dealing with the conflict we face in our lives. I like the approach from Pastor Merida on not trying to avoid conflict, but accepting it will come in this fallen world and be ready on how to in love and grace with firm truth respond to its coming. This book is helpful for a person like myself that tends to be overly aggressive in my approach to conflict as a husband, father, and pastor. I wish it was a little longer, but the length makes this more accessible for our church people which I like too. I would highly recommend for all believers in Jesus to read this with an open heart and be ready to be challenged about your handling of conflict resolution.
April 6, 2021
3.5 stars, rounded down.
This book is a solid guide to basic Christian conflict resolution. Pastor Tony Merida writes with sensitivity to the challenges that many people have experienced over the past year, especially during the COVID-19 lockdown, and summarizes biblical teachings about conflict for people to apply in everyday life. At the beginning, he explains that even though more thorough resources exist, he wanted to write one that would be short, readable, and easy to apply, without high-level psychological concepts or step-oriented, prescriptive recommendations. He addresses how sin creates cravings and a desire for control, what it means to be a peacemaker, how Christ has made peace through the cross, and how we can grow in the fruits of the Spirit and replace "relational evils" with virtues. He also writes about how we can grow in love towards others, and shares practical tips for confronting others about conflict.
This is a quick, easy read, and I appreciate how the author wrote with a broad audience in mind, not just for married people with kids. He includes illustrations related to single people dealing with roommates, and emphasizes the importance of relationships in every sphere of one's life, not just within the nuclear family. However, this book is best for Christians who don't know much about conflict resolution, or who haven't learned about this before from a biblical perspective. It can be a helpful refresher for others, and we can always glean new insights from familiar truths, but someone who is expecting more intensive practical advice will be disappointed.
Merida provides some practical advice near the end, and also includes a short note about abuse, but the majority of the book is about developing right beliefs and transforming your own behavior in relationship to Christ. This is essential, but I would have been interested in more material to build on this foundation, and more practical ideas for how people can approach confrontations. Even when Merida does write about confrontation, he talks about how you may be responsible for 90% of the conflict, and should start by apologizing for your role. It is absolutely necessary for people to recognize and take responsibility for their sin, but what about the times when you're only responsible for 10% of the issue? I would have appreciated more insight into how to deal with someone else creating problems, when you can't and shouldn't take the majority of the blame.
This book is a straightforward, accessible guide to understanding conflict from a Christian worldview, and can be very helpful to people who have never learned much about this. It can also be great for people who need a concise, encouraging reminder, or who want to work through this as a family to teach their kids about conflict resolution. However, it wasn't all that I had hoped that it would be, because even though the basic principles are all true and well-presented, there aren't a lot of ideas for practical application, or for more entrenched issues where you can't attain reconciliation through your own apology. I would recommend this as a foundational resource, but Christians who already know the basics and are looking for more complex applications should pursue something else on the subject.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This book is a solid guide to basic Christian conflict resolution. Pastor Tony Merida writes with sensitivity to the challenges that many people have experienced over the past year, especially during the COVID-19 lockdown, and summarizes biblical teachings about conflict for people to apply in everyday life. At the beginning, he explains that even though more thorough resources exist, he wanted to write one that would be short, readable, and easy to apply, without high-level psychological concepts or step-oriented, prescriptive recommendations. He addresses how sin creates cravings and a desire for control, what it means to be a peacemaker, how Christ has made peace through the cross, and how we can grow in the fruits of the Spirit and replace "relational evils" with virtues. He also writes about how we can grow in love towards others, and shares practical tips for confronting others about conflict.
This is a quick, easy read, and I appreciate how the author wrote with a broad audience in mind, not just for married people with kids. He includes illustrations related to single people dealing with roommates, and emphasizes the importance of relationships in every sphere of one's life, not just within the nuclear family. However, this book is best for Christians who don't know much about conflict resolution, or who haven't learned about this before from a biblical perspective. It can be a helpful refresher for others, and we can always glean new insights from familiar truths, but someone who is expecting more intensive practical advice will be disappointed.
Merida provides some practical advice near the end, and also includes a short note about abuse, but the majority of the book is about developing right beliefs and transforming your own behavior in relationship to Christ. This is essential, but I would have been interested in more material to build on this foundation, and more practical ideas for how people can approach confrontations. Even when Merida does write about confrontation, he talks about how you may be responsible for 90% of the conflict, and should start by apologizing for your role. It is absolutely necessary for people to recognize and take responsibility for their sin, but what about the times when you're only responsible for 10% of the issue? I would have appreciated more insight into how to deal with someone else creating problems, when you can't and shouldn't take the majority of the blame.
This book is a straightforward, accessible guide to understanding conflict from a Christian worldview, and can be very helpful to people who have never learned much about this. It can also be great for people who need a concise, encouraging reminder, or who want to work through this as a family to teach their kids about conflict resolution. However, it wasn't all that I had hoped that it would be, because even though the basic principles are all true and well-presented, there aren't a lot of ideas for practical application, or for more entrenched issues where you can't attain reconciliation through your own apology. I would recommend this as a foundational resource, but Christians who already know the basics and are looking for more complex applications should pursue something else on the subject.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
September 19, 2022
useful to avoid conflict AND resolving in actual conflict!
Wow! What a well-written, practical book also referencing other good works for further study. I agree with the author about many in-depth and excellent works that are step-oriented may make it easy for readers to overlook (even if the author meant and actually said otherwise!) that no method will work if the heart isn’t right! This says more about the reason we read the books than the author. I appreciate Tony’s practical questions for examining my own heart and motives. I listened to audio while reading along and stopped several times to write notes and reflect. I’m sure I will read this many more times and spread it like fertilizer in the churches I serve as an interim pastor 😊!
Wow! What a well-written, practical book also referencing other good works for further study. I agree with the author about many in-depth and excellent works that are step-oriented may make it easy for readers to overlook (even if the author meant and actually said otherwise!) that no method will work if the heart isn’t right! This says more about the reason we read the books than the author. I appreciate Tony’s practical questions for examining my own heart and motives. I listened to audio while reading along and stopped several times to write notes and reflect. I’m sure I will read this many more times and spread it like fertilizer in the churches I serve as an interim pastor 😊!
June 15, 2020
Concise and to the point, this book should be read by any self-professed believer in Christ. It emphasizes practically loving everyone well by initiating and loving reconciliation. “Blessed are the peacemakers.”
July 31, 2020
Timely book for 2020 (and every age). Filled with pastoral insights and biblical wisdom about the conflicts that seem to be everywhere, Merida points us to the better way in Christ. Through Jesus, we can actually seek to be peacemakers.
December 10, 2021
Fantastic Short Guide to Conflict
Tony Merida provides Christians and Church leaders with a really useful biblical guide to conflict and resolution. The book is not exhaustive but is a helpful quick primer on scriptural teaching about abuse.
Tony Merida provides Christians and Church leaders with a really useful biblical guide to conflict and resolution. The book is not exhaustive but is a helpful quick primer on scriptural teaching about abuse.
July 18, 2023
Short book that references and quotes a lot of solid scripture. I anticipate I will refer back to this throughout the years. I wrote down solid takeaways about how to resolve conflict in a Biblical and Christ-reflecting way.
October 12, 2020
Concise and gospel centric
A pointed challenge to the pride in all of us. Highly recommended. It will challenge you to be the first one to die to self. That’s hard.
A pointed challenge to the pride in all of us. Highly recommended. It will challenge you to be the first one to die to self. That’s hard.
December 22, 2021
Short and to the point guide to conflict. Helpful advice.
June 21, 2022
Very practical, biblical, down-to-earth, helpful book on the cause of conflicts & how to best resolve them.
June 25, 2023
A great read on how believers should handle and solve conflicts with their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
February 8, 2024
A must have resource for anyone facing conflict between believers.
December 11, 2024
A short but excellent Biblical primer on resolving conflict. Highly recommended.
June 16, 2025
Great short read! Completely driven by scripture. If you're looking for a very direct "how-to" book on conflict, this is probably not the book for you. There are some helpful, practical tips throughout, especially in the last chapter. But it is more of an overview of how scripture instructs us on the topic of conflict, which is also very helpful and encouraging. I would definitely recommend it as a resource to others.
December 19, 2021
Helpful resource, nothing profound though.
April 11, 2024
Objetivo. Trata com o evangelho até no último capitulo que é mais prático.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews