Recently, during a summit meeting with President Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping remarked that “China and the United States must move beyond the Thucydides Trap” and pursue shared prosperity through cooperation rather than hostility. The ancient Greek historian Thucydides, in his work History of the Peloponnesian War, recorded that Sparta — the established hegemonic power — went to war because it felt threatened by the rise of Athens as an emerging power.
It is natural for a dominant power to seek to preserve its position in the international order. Likewise, it is only natural for a rising power to expand its influence. The problem arises when sufficient communication does not take place within this tension of power dynamics. As mutual distrust deepens, even a small military movement can provoke fear: “Are they preparing to attack us?” Eventually, such fear can escalate into open conflict. In international relations theory, this phenomenon is called the “Thucydides Trap.”
Conflict exists in every organization, and the church is no exception. In fact, if an organization appears to have no conflict or disagreement at all, it may look peaceful on the surface while already being unhealthy within. Whenever people gather to pursue a common goal, a culture that resolves conflict healthily becomes essential. Such a culture is built by leaders who do not avoid conflict but confront it directly — leaders who possess both the courage to face difficult issues and the negotiation skills to resolve them through dialogue.
In his book on teamwork and organizational culture, We Are All in This Together: Creating A Team Culture of High Performance, Trust, and Belonging, author Mike Robbins shares a piece of advice he once received from a mentor:
“Mike, do you know what it takes to truly build relationships with people? Have that difficult and uncomfortable ten-minute conversation you’ve been avoiding out of fear. Once you learn how to have those hard ten-minute conversations, amazing relationships will begin to form. Conflicts will be resolved, trust will grow, and you’ll be able to overcome anything together.”
Ultimately, exceptional teamwork is not built in the absence of conflict, but in the face of difficult conversations. Organizations led by people who can maturely guide conversations marked by disagreement and relational tension are ones that will inevitably grow in a healthy way.
We often avoid difficult conversations for two reasons. First, because we “do not want to hurt the other person.” Second, because we “do not want the situation to become worse.” Yet Mike Robbins points out that leaders who avoid confrontation for the first reason are often not truly afraid of hurting others; rather, they are afraid of being hurt themselves. And leaders who avoid conflict for the second reason must remember this: unresolved conflict never simply disappears. Over time, it only grows deeper and more dangerous.
The Bible also presents examples of situations that worsened because conflict was avoided. One representative example is David. When David failed to properly address the severe conflict within his own family, Absalom eventually murdered Amnon, and the conflict later escalated into rebellion and civil war.
In contrast, the apostles of the early church did not ignore the complaints that the Hellenistic Jewish widows were being neglected in the distribution of aid. They publicly acknowledged the problem and restored the community’s health by appointing responsible leaders and improving the structure. As a result, Scripture records that “the word of God continued to increase” (Acts 6:7).
If the leaders of the United States and China merely exchange diplomatic rhetoric while avoiding difficult conversations, a summit meeting becomes meaningless. Likewise, if church leaders lose the courage and negotiation skills to confront conflict, their organizations can be easily shaken by small misunderstandings and growing distrust. A community that avoids difficult conversations will eventually become like an organization trapped in the Thucydides Trap — an unstable community that could collapse at any moment.