Principles of Managing Conflict and Negotiations: An Exposition of Acts 6:1-8.

Abstract

When groups of people feel neglected and under-appreciated, they will resort to desperate means of getting their needs met. Since the beginning of the Palestinian uprising (1987-1993), also known as the Intifada, parents still proudly dress up their children with suicide belts and celebrate their death as dozens of other Jewish lives, including children, are killed in suicide bombings. What kind of parent deliberately and determinedly sacrifices a child in an intractable conflict? What kind of unmet need can compel a parent to sacrifice a child for a political gain or a tactical advantage in a conflict?

In this essay, we will carry out an exposition of Acts 6:1-8, to reveal strategies used by biblical leaders for managing and resolving this kind of internal group conflict. The goal of the study is to understand and describe how the early Church leaders dealt with intra-group conflict involving sub-groups that felt neglected and undervalued.