It was just this week that I asked my son “What is the difference between contention and conflict? And is contention always bad?” We were having Morning Basket for homeschool, and somehow that question came up after we read something together. After all, as I told my son, Jesus created conflict, and contention, when He cleansed the temple by overturning the tables of the money changers and chased them out with a whip. (See John 2:13-16)

Then I noticed that today’s video of Connor Boyack’s Sunday Musings addresses that very topic. God delivered the answer to me in the form of Connor’s video! I love it when I get answers so quickly, especially if I didn’t even pray about it.

In the video, Connor talks about the scripture, shown at the top, 3 Nephi 11:29, from The Book of Mormon Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Then he gives other examples of scriptures that show contention as a negative thing.

He also gives the Noah Webster 1828 Dictionary definition of contention:

1. Strife; struggle; a violent effort to obtain something, or to resist a person, claim or injury; contest; quarrel.

Multitudes lost their lives in a tumult raised by contention among the partizans of the several colors.

2. Strife in words or debate; quarrel; angry contest; controversy.

Avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law. Titus 3:9.

A fools lips enter into contention Proverbs 18:6.

Then he gives scriptures that speak of contending and contention as a commandment from God, as something positive to do. We are to contend against the church of the devil.

Have you noticed that the Book of Mormon says that the great godly hero Ammon went to “contend” with the bad guys scattering the king’s flock of sheep? I never noticed that before, until Connor pointed it out!

We are told to contend for faith in Jesus Christ, in the Bible.

So interesting! It’s OK to contend for truth, and not just OK, it’s godly, it’s a commandment, it’s something we must do if we are to follow Christ. As Connor says, if we are following Christ, spreading truth and light, it’s inevitable that we will have conflict with evil. We are not to give in to evil. We have to keep contending for truth if we are to stand for truth and continue to fight for truth. Watch and learn!