The Silly Season

     What makes us so fearful as a culture? I chatted with a friend a few days ago about the venom and vitriol that oozes out of almost all public communications. As the presidential campaigning season spins up; and perhaps out of control, we witness a growing disdain for each other. Candidates hurl insults at each other with little regard for decorum or truth. Facebook conversations often devolve into bitter acrimonious debates that leave me breathless. How did we get to such a place as a difference of opinion can generate such hostility? In years past one of the hallmarks of civilized society was the ability to engage in polite discussion with someone who held an opposing viewpoint. Well-mannered men and women could talk about such things as politics or religion without growing red in the face and raising the voice. Things seem to have changed, and for the worse. For those of us who claim the name of Christ might give a few moments of thought to the following:

1.       We ought to bear patiently with our fellow man as we too have failed. In our past, and all too frequently our present, we miss the mark. Romans 3:23 reminds us that no matter what we may think, no matter how well we clean up, no matter our educational level, and no matter our personal pedigree, we all stand in the same place; sinners in need of salvation. So when I engage in discussion or debate, I do so from a point of having failed, miserably. Perhaps I might show some patience for my fellow man, allowing for their imperfection and my own personal failures and inabilities.

2.       We should listen more. Proverbs 18:2 reminds us, “A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.” Often in discussions, especially when face to face I find myself thinking about a pithy rejoinder instead of actively listening; consequently, I do not fully understand what the other person believes. In my haste to somehow best my opponent (more about opponent in a moment) I fail to offer them the respect of a fair and complete hearing.

3.       We should discard the mental construct of conflict or competition when engaging in discussion.

Thinking of someone as our opponent is only a short step away from thinking of them as the enemy; someone to be subdued. Rather we should esteem one another, counting each other as more important than ourselves. After all, we do not truly wage war against one another. Our enemy resides in the spiritual realm, the realm unseen. Paul speaks eloquently about this in Ephesians 6:12.

4.       We must choose our words carefully. We often select words that tend to separate and polarize, accusing each other, forgetting that our vocabulary may serve only to build walls, not bridges. As Christians we must guard our speech for the person we may offend or wound is our brother and when we stand with eternity stretching out before us, these things to which we grant great import will simply dissolve away, such much grime swept aside by the onrushing weight of His presence. So let us guard our speech, taking as our standard Colossians 4:6 which encourages us to let our speech be gracious; full of the calming salve of the Spirit.

5.       Perhaps, and this strikes home with me, we might speak less. More than once, after a few moments of internal gloating, I’ve searched in vain for the “unsend” button. My two cents will not add up to much in the end and many arguments in the public arena do not need my ill formed thoughts. If I hold my peace, saving my comments for a truly opportune moment, then I might better represent my Lord. After all, even those of us with less than stellar intellects will seem wiser if we say less; Proverbs 17:28.

     So as the political seasons spins up, I will endeavor to guard my speech and not succumb to the fear-mongering so rampant in public discourse. If I try and say those things which encourage thought, build up, strengthen unity, and engender creativity, then my time will be well spend and the little corner of my space might be lighter.

Are you a Christian?

     “Are you a Christian?”

     The questions hung there, suspended between heaven and earth, slowly twisting as the train hissed and clattered down the tracks. I paused, gathering my thoughts, looking into her steady soft brown eyes.

     “Are you a, you know, Christian?” she asked again without obvious rancor.  Shifting my gaze out the window I considered as the scenery flicked past, postcard moments. The train slowed a bit as the tracks bent to the north and the ancient Worms Dom, cathedral, marched into view.  Martin Luther, the unrepentant monk rose up crying out, "Hier stehe ich und kann nicht anders! Gott helfe mir, Amen!" (Here I stand and cannot otherwise! God help me, amen!) Other images vie for primacy in my mind.   

     Flick-angry middle class men and women haranguing haggard, tearful young women, unwilling to

raise their heads as they hustle into a grim dark place, jostle the smiling missionary in Africa handing out gloves and hats to shivering discarded children of the dump scrabbling among the refuse for semi-edible scraps.

     Flick-two men arguing politics debate the government role in ameliorating the ills of poverty driven drug abuse, plaguing inner cities, crowd a thin bearded, beaded, tie-dyed young man, his blousy wife and their friends pooling resources as they convert an abandoned inner-city church building into a community dwelling.

     Flick-a heroic sized Jesus hawking something or other staggers past, eyes sad and hands outstretched over-written by a strong, capable carpenter cum teacher who touches the disfigured beseeching leper, saying, “I will…be clean.”

     Flick-well coifed men with arctic white, capped teeth proudly proclaim, “I am the ‘family values’ candidate as confetti and balloons reign on the cheering sign-tossed crowd, fade as an aging man tenderly, lovingly dabs errant oatmeal from the cheek of a once vibrant wife, hobbled by a stroke.

     Flick-a committee of well-dressed men peruse a set of blueprints of a campus expansion which includes two story stained glass and chrome fountains dissolve, as a sweaty group of jeans clad volunteers grin in front of a just finished home as they hand the keys to a young mother and three children.

     Flick-two well-dressed men chat; their voices muted by the large water feature in the foyer. “I can’t believe you would vote for him, especially after what the preacher said,” snaps the florid-faced man. “It just seemed right to me,” sighs the other resignedly as a gaunt young mother in last year’s fashion passes, two small children in tow, furtively scanning the hall looking for the right classroom.

     Flick-a small group of toga-clad men murmur, “There goes another one. Christians they call them, always trying to help out. They claim that they merely follow their master, a carpenter, who went about doing good in Judea of all places. Not Athens, not Corinth, and not Rome. Weirdos…Christians.”

     Flick-the small group of nervous men gathered round their earnest young rabbi, desperately trying not to let their apprehension show, as they soak up his every word, drawing strength from his calm presence. “Remember, it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher…,” His words ringing out across the Judean countryside and eventually settling into my soul.

     “Well,” she insists, “Are you?”

     “I don’t know,” I reply, “What do you think?”

Wages

     I often think about wages. Not my own mind you, I’m appropriately compensated for my labors. Instead, I wonder about how we develop wage theory and practice.

When I was in the Army I started serving as a private and ended up my time as a Lieutenant Colonel. In a strange quirk of memory I remember my first paycheck. I reported to a lieutenant, receiving $496 after an exchange of salutes and the greeting of the day. Some 27 years later my last paycheck was for around $10,000, and I did not have to report for pay.

     As a private, as long as I showed up at the right time in the right uniform I was considered a great success. As a Lieutenant Colonel, during my last deployment I was responsible for developing operations that involved all branches, thousands of service members, and units from all over the globe. My commander measured success in lives saved and enemy removed from the battlefield. The increase in pay reflected the increase in responsibility. Those who shoulder greater responsibility earn greater remuneration for their efforts. But what is appropriate pay for those who deliver an honest days work in those jobs that society does not honor?

     I do not begrudge the CEO the seven-figure income with all its associated perks. Many of them shoulder enormous burdens and deliver great value for their effort. But what makes it acceptable for a CEO to make over $100,000 a minute while their hourly workers make fourteen dollars an hour? Shouldn’t a person who works 40 hours a week earn enough to enjoy a decent standard of living? Why must so many work multiple jobs just to make ends meet?

      Perhaps if we valued labor more we might pay workers a true living wage. We often argue about what is a living wage. In some countries, Australia, Great Britain, Germany, and Canada, even the lowest paid hourly workers earn enough for a modest living. Their society places a greater value on the service provided by those who work at more menial jobs. Recent debates in our country reveal that we place less value on lower wageworkers.

     As I peruse scripture, God reveals His heart in this matter. Jesus tells us to not chase after worldly things, “…as the gentiles do.” He goes on to remind us that we should seek first the kingdom and God, who knows all our needs will provide. For the Christian, wage theory is a faith matter. If I place my trust in God as my ultimate source of supplies, then I should be willing to support living wages for all workers. I need not fret. James 5:1-6 offers a sobering prophetic word for those of us who take a cavalier attitude toward others wages. This passage ends with this rather grim warning, “⁴ Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. ⁵ You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. ⁶ You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.”

     As a Christian I find this subject challenging. Scripture reminds me that for those who assume greater responsibility reap greater rewards. Yet, what do I do with these rewards? Do I lend my support, monetary and otherwise, for those of more meager circumstances, or will I pull down my barns and build bigger ones and take my ease.