CIVILITY IN CIVIL DISCOURSE

I am disturbed by the way we have racheted up public discussion over issues in our country to the level of harshness that creates even more hardened divisions at a time when a bipartisan approach has become critical to our nation's well-being. If you read the posting by one young man to my August 20 posting of McKnight's comments on
"Obamacare and Political Rhetoric," you will see that Christians (and Christian leaders) are held to a higher standard of attitude and behavior. (This, I might say, is a fair expectation--our Lord holds us to a higher standard.)

Three words from God's Word come to mind in all of this. One is Jesus' words in Matthew 5:16, "let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Just before that he says, "You are the salt of the earth" (salt, in Jesus' day was a preservative and a seasoning.) But I am also reminded that in serving those two functions, too mugh salt is destructive.

The other is Paul's words in Ephesians 4.15 "speak the truth in love." Third are the words of Peter's admonition in I Peter 3.16 about sharing the essentials of our faith and values "with gentleness and respect." The words speak very clearly against the acidity and sometimes outright hatred in the way people engage in civil discourse in America today and are particularly incumbent upon Christians.