Loyalty to God sometimes means disappointing your friends. That’s a trade worth making.

Some choices cannot be made without letting somebody down, and pretending otherwise just delays it. When what you believe and what your friends want point in different directions, staying loyal to both is not actually available. The disappointment is real and usually survivable, which is more than can be said for a conscience you keep overruling.

Decide the thing in advance rather than in the car park. Say no plainly, without a sermon and without apologising for having a position. Then stay warm with them afterwards, because leaving is not the same as being right.