Scripture: Ephesians 4:31-32
Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.
Thought for the Day: Maybe I’ve just been in the wrong places at the wrong time lately, but there appears to be a growing wave of unpleasant and hostile attitudes in our culture. Oh sure, we can point to other times in history, even recent history, where plenty of mean-spiritedness has been spewed upon the world. To some degree, this has been happening ever since one human being realized he could hold a different opinion than the one held in the cave next door. But my concern is that we are not even near a general election (though people are already clearly running), and the political ugliness is in full force, perpetrated by people who have the capacity to “Share” an article on Facebook or write a blog or stick a slogan on the bumper of their car.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m an avid supporter of free speech, and I will defend a person’s right to say just about anything. The problem lies with free speech that has absolutely no intention of communicating truth or adding to the broader debate. Instead, it uses tactics that distort, mislead and attempt to redirect the conversation to something irrelevant…so that we never talk about the real issues at hand. Someone asks a legitimate question, and the person is immediately labeled as “one of those” in hopes that the question won’t be asked again. No political party or social ideology is immune. The sad part is that everyone does it really well, and the rest of us have accepted it as the norm. Isn’t it time for us to say, “No more!”
I can’t speak for my brothers and sisters who are atheists, Jews, Agnostics, Muslims, the still searching, etc. But I will speak to my fellow Christians who are, for the most part, those who appear to have mastered many of these insanely manipulative tactics. If you will have a hard time going before your God with a peaceful spirit, then don’t say it, repost it, or put it on your bumper. Let’s take the lead in demonstrating what an environment of respect and kindness could do for those who desire to participate in creative dialogue that seeks solutions. Just remember — the moment you make that decision to offer a true alternative, you will become the enemy of those who make their living by diverting our eyes from the truth through fear, demonization and lies. But this is the tough stuff for which Christ followers were made. Right?
Prayer: Forgive me, O Loving Lord, for those ways I have assisted in the dispensing of lies. Before I point a finger at others, let me confess my own participation in this destructive system that has as its only purpose the dissemination of that which is anything but the truth. Let me never use your grace as an excuse to do so. Instead, let your grace inspire me to provide an alternative way. Amen.
This Sunday
Trinity Sunday
&
Father’s Day
And Coming
June 21st & 22nd
1 thought on “Ecclesiological Etchings: 06-11-14”
Right on! Paul Few