I have heard the call to repent which came from God through the lips of people I love -- the lips of my wife, my father, and some close friends. They bravely rebuked me for something I knew deep down was a problem to be faced, but didn't want to face it. Here is what they have said:
Greg, in your fervor for solidarity with the poor, you have become judgmental to those who do not have the same passion as you. You have chided rich Americans for being rich Americans and refused to meet them where they are. You have spoken loudly and boldly against the dangers of hoarding wealth, but people will not respond to anger. People will only respond to a life well lived and messages given in love.
I have taken this advice to heart. It was not easy to hear. Rebukes never are. Nevertheless, I needed to hear this as I have become yet another one of those angry, envious do-gooder liberals. And so I repent. I resolve here and now to keep my big mouth shut for a while and just live my life according to how I read the gospels. I will try to preach my sermons without words.
Forgive me, blog readers, for being so vitriolic at times. While I do believe that the grossest of injustices in this world need to be prophetically condemned, I have not done so in love. I hope this to be a new beginning for me and for this blog which is a reflection of the inner soul of its author.
I think people accused Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Jesus of basically the same thing... But does it have to be one way or the other? Can't ideological (theological) commitments be verbalized and yet coincide peacefully (and lovingly) with those who disagree?
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