Civility

One of the many reasons I LOVE YOU, JS! Awesome post, bro!

This makes me think of the saying “Do I want to be right or have a relationship?” We use that one a lot around our house. It helps you stop and think. Not that I’m always right. That is most assuredly not true. But sometimes the relationship needs to come before everything else.

Thanks buddy, I thought of some of our conversations when I wrote this.

Fine thoughts, Jonathan. I’ve had some reflections on James 3 — wondering about the power of our tongue. I thought Bill Clinton’s comments in a clip on Sunday’s “Meet the Press” — about the words we use, and how they fall on the stable & unstable alike — were especially on point.

Still not ready to reduce the importance of politics in our lives. Because it still holds great influence. And the kinds of topics it touches upon are the same kinds of issues that Scripture wrestles with.

Thanks Philip, I really like Bill Clinton’s take on that. I don’t think that politics are unimportant, like I said I think they are a great servant and a horrible master. The problem is that we are unable to name the power these opinions and issues have over us.

Thank you Jonathan – this last year I committed to Sojourners’ Covenant of Civility in regard to our political discussions. It’s extremely difficult sometimes to disagree without being disagreeable. The only surprising thing about events in Arizona is that it doesn’t happen more often in thjis culture of fear, insecurity, and anger which makes it even moere important that we, as Jesus followers,, practice the love we preach

Thanks Joel, that sounds interesting. I know about Sojourners, but I haven’t heard about that covenant. Do you have a link? Thanks for sharing Joel.

Jonathan, Thank you for reminding people about civility. It is so lacking in our world. It was so sad to read about the tragedy in Tucson. I would like to share some thoughts from my own personal experiences in government.

As a staffer for an elected official I think many people confuse governing and politics. Governing is what my boss does day to day. She meets with people, tries to understand their point of view, attempts to make laws that help–not harm. Our office truly wants to have your voice heard. In the Texas Legislature, life is way more about representing the best interest of your district, than it is about your political affiliation. Politics centers around elections and ideology. Governing centers around public service.

In my four years as a staffer, I have experienced good people from every party. I respect liberals and conservatives and each has taught me a lot. When you call my office, no matter who you are or how you voted or didn’t vote, I am there to help you interact with state systems. I have been called horrible names, cursed at, hung up on and even approached at church about how wrong my boss is on a topic. Just because your voice is the loudest, does not mean you or your group has the correct answer.

The vast majority of elected officials I know are not getting rich by being elected–matter of fact–they are probably losing money by serving you. Most are not on a power trip, they feel called to run by a certain circumstance or need.

Politics, like religion, can be a very divisive topic. But as Christians, by participating in government our motives should be in bringing light to the world–not winning at all costs or advancing agendas that God would be ashamed of. We may not all agree on how to do this, but I would hope that by listening to each other and praying for God’s help in discerning what is right, we can solve some of the really big problems.

Robyn, I’m really glad you wrote this. It’s good have a different perspective, and you obviously have a different (closer) one. I appreciate your parsing Politics from governance. You’re right, most public servants get into office to serve, not for public recognition or power. And one of the questions I’ve had through the years is how should Jesus followers balance this?

I don’t think that we are called to fully withdraw from any public venue. It just seems like Christians (at least the very public ones) are just as easily tempted with power as anyone else.

I’m sorry that people have dumped so much garbage on you through the years, especially those who have done it at church. Thanks for being in that office trying to live out a countercultural Jesus ethic. Blessings on your ministry there Robyn!

Jonathan, I appreciate your thoughts and I join you in being disgusted with the blame game that has ensued as a result of this tragedy. You know my political leanings, but I no more blame this man’s actions on Sarah Palin than I do on Minnie Pearl. I am with you in that there is plenty of blame to go around and none of us is entirely exempt.

You know that political discussions can get my blood to boiling. Yes, I have realized that the political topics you have blogged about get more comments than some of the more spiritually-oriented ones. I think as Christians we are growing much more comfortable with other Christian’s theologies and denomination’s teachings (i.e. the lack of comments on some posts), but as evangelicals we are all too often taught and led by word and example to not be so generous of those of other political ideologies. No longer are we taught to hate and question the morality of the Catholics on one end of the spectrum or the old-school Pentecostals on the other, but it is still accepted in so many evangelical circles to demonize any liberal person or position no matter how sincere and biblically-faithful the person holding it might be.

My issue is not with Christians being involved in politics. No, my problem is with so many of the leaders of contemporary evangelicalism sharing a political bed with secular leaders in order to legislate morality while joining with said leaders in demonizing those who hold to biblical notions regarding the least among us and expecting the rest of the evangelicals to follow suit. There are certain things that I believe that the kingdom is called to do that many of our leaders have decided would best be done legislatively and politically.

I don’t know, Minnie Pearl has been kind of asking for it lately.

You’re last paragraph was well said. (The first two weren’t bad). I think that’s probably my biggest beef as well. If I lived in another area of the country I’m sure I would have the same issues just with the other side of the political spectrum though. I just have knee jerk reactions to equating implicitly the Kingdom of God with specific legislation or policies. Thanks for weighing in Maynard.

Thanks Kathy! You may repost if you wish.

Peter, thanks for weighing in. Yeah, there are things that I am strongly against as well. And I don’t think abdicating social resposnsibility is the answer for God’s people. But really what I just said in this post was the greatest commandment. My call was for that to become the priority in our lives, and our approach to social engagement.

Again thanks for weighing in brother, hope all is well with you Peter!

Jonathan, I hope you’ll forgive me for interjecting with my obtuseness, but can you draw for me the causal linkage between rhetorical incivility and THIS PARTICULAR gunman’s actions? The pervasiveness of the narrative wherein the temperature and imagery of political rhetoric are implicated in the Tucson shooting seems to be way out of proportion to the amount of evidence that has been marshaled to support it – which proportion appears to be virtually nil – and seems also to be way out of phase with the piles and piles of historical data in which white-hot, military-derived imagery – a rhetorical norm in American politics if there ever were one – stimulated precisely zero actual violence.

Your conclusions are right on, of course; I just don’t see how you get there by starting in southern Arizona. At least not without tacitly adopting a simplistic narrative that is too politically convenient by half and that was foisted on a naive public by cynical, left-leaning opportunists among the ruling elite. There is nothing apolitical about the emergence of that would-be, explanatory narrative.

Carry on,

qb