I love qualifiers. I really love qualifiers when I’m writing on the internet. The internet is trouble, serious trouble. The real trouble is outlined in James 3:8, “the tongue in a restless evil” – the internet is a megaphone and a concrete record of that evil. From blogs, to YouTube, Twitter, status updates and ‘comments’, most of the words are poison.
A couple times a year I receive an email that tells me about a new movie coming out, in this movie Jesus and disciples are portrayed as homosexuals. It is a piece of spam that has been recycled dozens of times, the person receiving it is disgusted and shocked – then forwards it to their entire address book – it is a complete hoax, yet it lives on…
When I get these emails, I find the link to a website which debunks them I send that link to the person who sent me the email. I ask them to send out the truth to everyone they just spammed…(and to please never send me an email such as that without doing a basic fact-check.) I hope that the truth is sent out with as much energy as the spam. However, I’m aware the the truth is rarely as gripping.
This toxic environment is why I love qualifiers. When I qualify I admit that I don’t possess the truth in myself. I admit that there are inevitable errors in judgment, facts I overlooked (or intentionally ignored), ‘truths’ which may be more consequential than the truth I’m highlighting. Some qualifiers, in the right place at the right time, can actually disarm people and drive a point home.
I’m getting ready to offer some political and social commentary on the Health Care bill, on the right-wing conservative response to it, and about my deep concerns over all of the above. I feel strongly that there are some voices from the Christian community that have failed and have become sources of destructive rhetoric. These voices sometimes even claim a degree of divine inspiration. My opinion is that there are many who simply don’t like Democrats, liberals, and our President; and that these people veil their language in ‘inspiration’ in an attempt to justify their malice. I’m concerned we will repeat the errors of the Clinton era; a mistake which I feel would incur God’s judgment for our gossip, backbiting, and lack of humility.
If anything, this era in American is a time for deep, heart-felt, humility. It is time to fight the good fight of faith remembering that patient, long-suffering love never fails.
I can say with a clear conscience that I have not spoken of our President, or the current Democratic Congress (or Nancy Pelosi) in a manner which I feel would displease the Lord. Unfortunately I have encountered many Christians who have spoken in ways which I found to be destructive or malicious. My prayer is that the Body of Christ in the US would be found in unity with Jesus in this issue. More to follow in the next weeks.
Permalink
1 Comment
a few choice tidbits that made me laugh:
“I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.”
“I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work — that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things.”
“Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone…”
“Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.”
Apple, Google, Microsoft (Xbox), Twitter and Facebook gotta be loving it…well, maybe not Xbox, that was a little bit of a negative reference I suppose…
All in all, I really like a speech, there is very little that I disagree with or wouldn’t feel like I could say to students…now, I wonder if they are going to see the speech at TDA?
click here to read full speech.
Permalink
Leave a Comment
