Civility is important to me because of who I am-not because of who anyone else is.
I can't force it on anyone.
It doesn't mean I don't tell the truth or believe lies.
It doesn't mean I approve or pretend to approve.
It doesn't mean I stop resisting wrong.
It's my choice.
So, I'll continue to try and be civil because my basic conviction about the dignity of every human cannot change just because I find it hard to respect their choices or views. That is a predetermined conviction and if it does not work out, oh well.
There will always be a way for me to express my feelings of repulsion or resistance to a tide of culture that offends my sensibilities. But I choose to treat people as kindly as I can without criticizing those who find that difficult or impossible.
And … I will choose my indignation toward what might be uncivil very carefully, in context, and with a sense of balance… respectfully.
Honesty is the antidote to all hypocrisy:
Honesty with ourselves.
Honesty with God.
Honesty with those closest to us.
Honesty with the world.
Honesty with our doubts and uncertainties.
Honesty that reserves possibility that we could be wrong …
… that we might learn something.
Specific situations may prompt me to think generally. Generalized thinking prompted by specific stimuli is still general. When I comment generally, the application is left to the reader. My intent is irrelevant because I am trying to think more deeply than the moment … or context.
That is what thinking is for.
It is not my job to do yours for you.
Nor is it your job to do mine for me.
Enjoy the process.
In a general way, I will say that there is plenty of hypocrisy in the world and it is a sin … maybe one of the biggest sins … because it is rooted in the lies we tell ourselves about ourselves … especially when we tell ourselves that we have no hypocrisy in us.
When one is convinced that one is speaking truth because one has sought earnestly to process truth, one does not need to join the hypocrisy police force. Hypocrisy usually reveals itself without any outside assistance. If something is true in one context, it is true in the next.
So … I really do not have time, energy, nor inclination to be a full-time hypocrisy cop.
But, if I were a cop, I might continue writing very objective tickets, one at a time, for running red lights.
I'd write the ticket and not make a speech about it.
Tell it to the judge 
.
Pastor Tom's Community 
Leave a comment