Sowing discord among brothers is an act our Lord regards as an abomination. We must be careful that our discussions do not provide the only real enemy of our souls with a golden opportunity to divide us against one another.
An example of this can be seen in the recent thread about head covering. If we are not careful, it is easy to begin to see every issue as a right or wrong. The fruit of seeing issues this way leads us to "categorize" the views we oppose as false and those who hold them as deceived.
This is what Paul was warning against in Romans 14. He instructs us to "receive one another......but NOT unto Doubtful Disputations." The Greek word for doubtful disputations is "dialagidzo" - (to dialogue through).
We must be careful not to attempt to "dialogue" another person into abandoning their conviction and categorizing them as an opponent or unprofitable simply based upon their resolve to hold on to their personal conviction.
I am a part of a fellowship where there is great diversity in the specific area of headcovering. We have been able to enjoy great peace by taking heed to Paul's admonition.
Here is an example of how we deal with this touchy topic. We have young sisters who come into the fellowship from all backgrounds. Some sister come who are already wearing the covering, others come who have never heard of any one wearing a covering except for Amish or Mennonite people. Over time both those who wear the covering and those who do not wear the covering naturally will question the issue again because they see other sisters practing the matter different in one way or another from their own practice or none practice.
Quite naturally this leads many to begin to search out the matter on their own, either for the first time or once again whatever is the case. Those married normally always discuss the matter with their husbands first, and if the matter is settled between the two of them, they have found their answer. However, some husbands do not have a clear answer and so they themselves direct their wives to seek out other sisters or more information from books, the internet and even forums like Sermonindex. This is a natural process and none of us are threatened by it.
We do not interfere with the personal choice of how a sister goes about to to discuss the matter. If a sister goes to another sister who does not practice a physical head covering, naturally she will hear that sister's heart on how she understands the matter. The sisters who do cover are not offended that they were not the ones consulted, instead they give each sister true liberty without comparing themselves among themselves.
Conversely, if a sister goes to another sister who practices covering her head with a physical covering, she will naturally hear how that sister came to believe a physical head covering is what God desires for her. The sisters who do not practice head covering have yet to despair that another sister has fallen into legalism because they were not the ones consulted. When the love of Christ resides in the heart of all involved, there need not be any insecurity, resentment or jealousy.
Why do we consider another believer's explanation of how they came to practice a biblical conviction a threat to our own liberty? The person with great peace in their heart, who has fully resolved the matter, should not be troubled at all by those who hold to a different understanding than their own. As members of one body we are called to peace.
In our fellowship, we realize that both the sisters who do cover and those who do not cover have carefully considered the matter before the Lord and made a decision based upon their understanding. All the sisters in our fellowship respect and love each other and give one another liberty to both discuss and decide these matters without becoming unsettled by the process.
It is possible to have unity between those who hold to differing convictions about days, meats, and yes head coverings.
So if we are going to continue to discuss such matters, let us not allow our discussions to become discord. The will of our Lord is that we be made perfect in one, this is why sowing discord is an abomination to Him.
makrothumia