Discernment as a Way of Life: Reclaiming the Church’s Identity in the Syrian Context

I argue in this essay that discernment, grounded in New Testament theology, is not merely about making choices but about forming a people whose way of life is governed by self-giving love. In his practical letter to the Corinthians to address various issues and conflicts in the church, Paul contrasts worldly wisdom with cruciform wisdom (1 Cor. 1:18-25). He emphasizes that knowledge, power, and even faith are meaningless without love (1 Cor. 13). Any discernment model that neglects this foundation risks becoming a tool for self-interest rather than a means of shaping a holy community. Paul’s exhortation in Philippians 2 calls believers to embody the “mind of Christ” and prioritize humility and mutual service. Grounding discernment in this understanding provides a counter-narrative to contemporary tendencies that equate decision-making with strategy and reframes it instead as a communal posture of attentiveness to God and the Other.

In the context of the Syrian Church, discernment must be understood as a formative and transformative way of claiming the Church’s true identity and resisting a survivalist, minority mentality. As a Syrian myself, I know firsthand that war, persecution, and economic hardship have long shaped the Syrian Christian experience. Unfortunately, these realities reinforced an insular focus on self-preservation. After the fall of the Assad regime, the Church stands at a critical crossroads where the temptation to withdraw even more into a defensive posture is strong. The collapse of infrastructures, economic instability, and sectarian tensions have deepened the Church’s precarity, which makes discernment an urgent theological and practical necessity. The challenge is dual: to provide immediate relief for suffering Christian communities—which is imperative—and to ensure that the Church does not retreat into fear-driven isolation but instead reclaims its prophetic vocation. Discernment must function as a communal act of resistance against self-protection and call the Church to embody Christ’s presence in the world even in its most vulnerable moments without neglecting the need and suffering of the believers. Therefore, I propose that practical and pastoral theology must take on the dual task of addressing the immediate needs of faith communities while ensuring that the Church remains faithful to its identity that is shaped by cruciform love. The practical challenge is to develop formation models and learning and support communities that push the Church toward its true vocation while responding to the urgent realities of its suffering members. In contexts such as Syria, where persecution and loss often define Christian self-perception, discernment must reorient the Church away from a defensive mode and toward an identity grounded in love, hospitality, and courageous witness.

I believe that while this essay emerges from my own Syrian context and theology, its implications extend beyond the Middle East. Living in the US, I clearly see that American Christians, facing increasing polarization, cultural fragmentation, and political anxiety, can benefit from a discernment model that resists self-preserving instincts and instead fosters communal wisdom rooted in self-giving love. In a time of heightened division, the call to embody the mind of Christ is imperative. It is a call for a transformative framework for navigating both ecclesial and societal challenges with faith, hope, and love.