"…Neither is this Thou" (- C. Williams)

Theology's many necessary intersections

Month: March, 2016

March 19, 2016

Politically Correct

Assertion: Polically correct language enforcement suppresses freedom of speech. Freedom of speech (though a messy freedom like most) is vital for a society that depends on the free exchange of ideas. Without this free exchange of ideas, we are more vulnerable to tyranny.

Narration: Donald Trump is in a large venue surrounded by supporters. A man stands wearing a T-shirt announcing “KKK endorses Trump.” (David Duke had recently announced his support of Mr. Trump’s candidacy for president.)

Narration continued: Trump laments that in “the good old days” the man wearing the T-shirt already would have been ejected quickly by law enforcement, but not “in this Politically Correct era.”

Irony: Trump suppressed the statement expressed on the man’s T-shirt and the idea it represented. (I wonder what happens at other candidate’s rally’s that doesn’t get attention in the press.)

Constructive question: How do we create safe space for the free public exchange of controversial ideas on which the continuation of a free society depends?

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March 17, 2016

Trump

The fact that there are Christians casting primary votes for Donald Trump troubles me quite a lot. Why? I think they demonstrate a divorce between their life in the polis and their claim to follow Jesus of Nazareth. Granted, it is may be that few if any candidates would pass this scrutinizing test. Nevertheless, since I see Trump as cultivating hatred of groups of people, and I like to believe (perhaps naively) that opposition to such hatred is an American value that does not belong to any one religion, I make the following challenge:

I challenge Christians who support Trump’s presidential candidacy to read the gospels of the Christian Testament – all four of them. Read them slowly, meditatively and with care. Try to envision each moment narrated in the life and teaching of the Man from Nazareth; then read through the documented statements of Donald Trump, or watch videos of him in action.

I have asked myself, could I really follow Jesus and vote for Donald Trump too? My answer is, only if I were able to tolerate a lasting and profound disturbance in my soul. (I have come to this conclusion about some other candidates too.)

I welcome hearing from you, whether or not you arrive at my conclusion. But please… Please do not respond to this post until you have read the gospels as I have recommended: slowly, meditateively, with care and with vision.

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