Thursday, October 04, 2007
Are You Persuaded?
Jollyblogger quotes a blog written by the sons of Tim Keller. Part of the long pullquote David presents is:
A while back at Article VI Blog, I quoted Michael Gerson quoting G.K. Chesterton:
One is tempted to argue extensively that the left-leaning positions claim to be based solely on reason so such blind adherence invalidates their case, but it is too done and too obvious. I want to talk about us right-leaning religious people for a minute.
Why are we "unpersuasive?" I would argue that it is because we build followers, not disciples. Caveat first - I have always argued for a mystical aspect to our faith and I do not here deny that, but it is but a single aspect. As we grow in our spiritual communion with the Lord, so too should we grow in our intellectual capabilities and understandings about that.
There is much reasonable and persuasive about the stances we take, but those in leadership are more interested in building political mass to add emphsis to their arguements than they are interested in building people that can argue.
Much is made of the new media age breaking that logjam. New media indeed allows access to the greater public discussion around the traditional gatekeepers, and we are indeed better for it. But it has not, and I do not think it can, turn the ranters into reasoners. That is a job for, on the left, our educational institutions, and on the right, our churches.
My challenge to Christian leaders everywhere is consider that their goals can be accomplished not by starting a movement, but by building a disciple, capable of and willing to argue our case in the public square. My challenge is to be less concerned with power and more concerned with result. If we truly believe in the rightness of our stances, then we will prevail through such an approach.
Because both doubt and belief are on the rise, our political and public discourse on matters of faith, truth and morality has become deadlocked, shrill, and deeply polarized. The culture wars are taking a great toll. Emotions and rhetoric are intense, to the point of hysteria. Those who believe in God and Christianity are out to ‘impose their beliefs on the rest of us.’ Those who don’t believe are ‘enemies of truth and purveyors of relativism and permissiveness.’ We don’t know how to reason with or persuade those with whom we disagree. We can only denounce. [emphasis added]The essential thesis, that both religious right and secular left feel threatened and are struggling mightily is a correct and relavant one, but it is that phrase I highlighted that I want to talk about briefly.
A while back at Article VI Blog, I quoted Michael Gerson quoting G.K. Chesterton:
"Bigotry," said Catholic writer G.K. Chesterton, "may be roughly defined as the anger of men who have no opinions . . . the appalling frenzy of the indifferent." And religious bigotry is offensive everywhere, including on the bayou.I think it is fair to say that there is bigotry between the far right and the far left and I think Chesterton is on to the genuine reason why that is the case - because on both extremes, there is no there, there. There is, at best, ignorant faith and blind adherence.
One is tempted to argue extensively that the left-leaning positions claim to be based solely on reason so such blind adherence invalidates their case, but it is too done and too obvious. I want to talk about us right-leaning religious people for a minute.
Why are we "unpersuasive?" I would argue that it is because we build followers, not disciples. Caveat first - I have always argued for a mystical aspect to our faith and I do not here deny that, but it is but a single aspect. As we grow in our spiritual communion with the Lord, so too should we grow in our intellectual capabilities and understandings about that.
There is much reasonable and persuasive about the stances we take, but those in leadership are more interested in building political mass to add emphsis to their arguements than they are interested in building people that can argue.
Much is made of the new media age breaking that logjam. New media indeed allows access to the greater public discussion around the traditional gatekeepers, and we are indeed better for it. But it has not, and I do not think it can, turn the ranters into reasoners. That is a job for, on the left, our educational institutions, and on the right, our churches.
My challenge to Christian leaders everywhere is consider that their goals can be accomplished not by starting a movement, but by building a disciple, capable of and willing to argue our case in the public square. My challenge is to be less concerned with power and more concerned with result. If we truly believe in the rightness of our stances, then we will prevail through such an approach.
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