Rev. Lourey Savick is pastor of Wesley United Methodist Church in Concord.

As a Christian called to public leadership and accountability, I pray about when and how to address local matters from the perspective of my faith. Reading about the destruction of the statue of Baphomet, I noted that Christian symbols were left at the site of the vandalism.

There is certainly precedence in Christian scripture for the destruction of symbols deemed to be idols, but this is not how Jesus directly instructed his followers to deal with conflict.

First, it is important to understand that unlike some other faiths, Christians believe they are called to ministry of transformation. Our many traditions and texts differ on how much this transformation is meant to be internal and personal, and how much it is meant to be social and part of public life. The gospels, those Christian scriptures devoted to describing Jesus’s life and ministry, are political and come down on the social side of that spectrum.

In the gospels, Jesus’ ministry, death, and resurrection disrupts public life, and invites transformation in the lives of people of all nations, languages, and ethnicities. Jesus was willing to suffer political violence and participated in public acts of protest.

Yet, in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 18, Jesus’s description of how to treat others and how to handle conflict in ideas or actions does not include violence or threats against persons or property. In this chapter, Jesus praises the humility in regarding oneself and one’s neighbor as young children. He warns that anyone who causes another to “trip,” or sin, is condemned.

Also, anyone who looks down on anyone should remember that God takes special care over those who are wandering away from God. Every person matters to God, and those who love God should not look down on whom God loves. Jesus teaches that anyone whose actions warrant correction should be approached directly and privately like an equal, a sibling. If that doesn’t work, they should be approached again with one or two others as witnesses. If that doesn’t work, they should be approached publicly for the community to witness. If that doesn’t work, they should be held accountable publicly and treated as someone who does not represent the community.

This final step is about managing boundaries and expectations. It does not condone disrespect. Finally, Jesus teaches that his followers must practice forgiveness and patience. Harsh accountability, treatment that involves violence or threats and legalistic punishment, will rebound on the punisher, as that is not how God wants Jesus’ followers to exercise judgment.

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My experience is that this method of dealing with conflict is far more difficult than damaging a public display. It is possibly the most difficult method, as it requires Christians to honor the dignity and sacred worth of every person, including those whose practices and policies harm individuals or communities, and to continue to recognize the ongoing relationship among people who are in conflict. We cannot escape each other.

Instead, we are meant to invest in one another: to nurture healthy growth in ourselves and all others. This is what it means to be called to ministries of transformation. There is a place for the destruction of idols in communities of faith, but that place is within the community of faith. History shows that those idols are most often forms of pride, bigotry and assimilation to what is acceptable according to secular culture rather than according to the law of God and teaching of Jesus.

Especially at Christmas, followers of Christ Jesus may be reminded that the little one in the crèche is how God sees every one of us. Let us treat one another accordingly.