Church Corner

As I write this article I am anticipating our 233rd anniversary of Independence Day and because I have a daughter, a son-in-law and two grandchildren living in Honduras, the turmoil there has made me think about the things that we have been blessed by as well as the things that concern me.

Because I am a Christian, one who attempts to follow Jesus in my way of life, I appreciate the freedom of conscience that our country diligently protects. It has not always been true that people were able to follow their conscience without suffering from those who disagreed with them. In much of the world freedom of conscience is still unknown. I am thankful for the blessing our republic has preserved for me. And I am concerned as I watch our political dialogues grow more extreme and adopt tactics that make open discussion of different opinions difficult, if not impossible. And I wonder how would Jesus interact in such a time? I don’t have to wonder too much, since Jesus lived in a time when freedom of conscience and the right to express your belief was not the law of the land.

So what did Jesus do? He spoke to people honestly even if the “law” was against him. But he didn’t call for holy war, suicide bombers, character assassination or propaganda wars to mislead the public. He remained steadfastly true to his own character and kept his focus on doing God’s will. So people who were hurting were comforted. People who were blind were made to see. Crippled people walked. And broken people were made whole again. Where Jesus went, the world was influenced to be better – because people were touched in ways that showed the world does not have to be so cruel and cold.

So what is the result of our presence in the world? More conflict and harm? Or lives touched for good? Blessing or cursing? Do we manage to speak our conscience in ways that permit fruitful discussion or merely add volume and quantity (say the same thing louder and more often) to the noise level? Do we demonstrate our genuine concern for the people we dialogue with or just a desire for ideological supremacy? Does the desire to see hurts healed, fears eased, wrongs righted and life valued show clearly in our words and our deeds? Or do we look and sound like party hacks interested only in our agenda?

Do we leave a wake of damaged and wounded people behind us, or is the world a better place for our being present? Do we use the privileges of our national heritage to make the world a better place or just to “have it our own way?”

Here’s my prayer: May we all, each one of us, exercise our privileges with compassion and wisdom. May we engage in helpful and honest dialogue that honors the freedom of conscience and recognizes the real concerns of those with whom we disagree. And may the world come to recognize it does not have to be so cruel and cold.