His Story II
I read a very thought provoking blog by Donald Miller the other day and wanted to pass it on...
"I wonder if the coming Presidential campaign season will divide the church. I am hoping it doesn’t, but as more Christians find themselves “homeless” in regards to a political party, I thought it would be good to prepare myself to not be taken by emotions. What I mean is I don’t want to defend political parties or affiliations without objectively being able to articulate why.
So here are some initial guidelines I hope to live by.
1. I don’t want to think in black and white. Black and white thinking stems from media methodologies that attempt to create as much tension as possible during a news segment. To do this talking heads present only two sides of an issue, and the opinions are considered binary opposites and conclusive. This, unfortunately, has taught Americans to believe the illogical assertion that issues are limited to two sides. The truth is every issue has many sides. I find when I think in black and white it is because I am too lethargic to do complex thinking. My motive is not to find truth, but to pick a side, associate that opinion with my ego, and then defend it out of personal insecurities. I will have to consider many angles on each issue, and on more than a few realize there is no easy solution.
2. I will not demonize candidates. There will be no monsters and no angels running for President. Most politicians probably enjoy serving and the spotlight and people and power. And that makes them human. When I was young I believed there were a handful of awful people who wanted to ruin America, and I regret having believed such a thing. There are certainly people who lack character, but the kinds of attacks launched from both sides of the isle have been unfortunate and childish. I hope to turn away when that kind of talk begins.
3. I will get involved. As fashionable as it is to play the cynic, I haven’t seen cynicism accomplish anything. I want to research candidates even at the primary level, find one I believe in, and serve locally in his/her campaign.
4. I want to consider the Kingdom of God during this election cycle. By that I mean I want to consider how this election will affect people around the world. I want to better understand trade, disease, war, and overseas production of goods. I also want to consider the kind of role model and symbol the next President will be, knowing that billions in the world consider the leader of America to be the archetypal Christian.
5. I want to help soften the tone. When people get heated, I want to share with them my resolutions and ask them to join me and keep me accountable.
I am sure this list will grow, but this seems like a good start. There are a lot of good people gearing up to run for President. I’ve found three that I like so far, two within one political party and one from another, and still another candidate from a smaller party who continues to impress."
"I wonder if the coming Presidential campaign season will divide the church. I am hoping it doesn’t, but as more Christians find themselves “homeless” in regards to a political party, I thought it would be good to prepare myself to not be taken by emotions. What I mean is I don’t want to defend political parties or affiliations without objectively being able to articulate why.
So here are some initial guidelines I hope to live by.
1. I don’t want to think in black and white. Black and white thinking stems from media methodologies that attempt to create as much tension as possible during a news segment. To do this talking heads present only two sides of an issue, and the opinions are considered binary opposites and conclusive. This, unfortunately, has taught Americans to believe the illogical assertion that issues are limited to two sides. The truth is every issue has many sides. I find when I think in black and white it is because I am too lethargic to do complex thinking. My motive is not to find truth, but to pick a side, associate that opinion with my ego, and then defend it out of personal insecurities. I will have to consider many angles on each issue, and on more than a few realize there is no easy solution.
2. I will not demonize candidates. There will be no monsters and no angels running for President. Most politicians probably enjoy serving and the spotlight and people and power. And that makes them human. When I was young I believed there were a handful of awful people who wanted to ruin America, and I regret having believed such a thing. There are certainly people who lack character, but the kinds of attacks launched from both sides of the isle have been unfortunate and childish. I hope to turn away when that kind of talk begins.
3. I will get involved. As fashionable as it is to play the cynic, I haven’t seen cynicism accomplish anything. I want to research candidates even at the primary level, find one I believe in, and serve locally in his/her campaign.
4. I want to consider the Kingdom of God during this election cycle. By that I mean I want to consider how this election will affect people around the world. I want to better understand trade, disease, war, and overseas production of goods. I also want to consider the kind of role model and symbol the next President will be, knowing that billions in the world consider the leader of America to be the archetypal Christian.
5. I want to help soften the tone. When people get heated, I want to share with them my resolutions and ask them to join me and keep me accountable.
I am sure this list will grow, but this seems like a good start. There are a lot of good people gearing up to run for President. I’ve found three that I like so far, two within one political party and one from another, and still another candidate from a smaller party who continues to impress."
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