Political Etiquette On Facebook

In the hours following the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act first passed into law in 2010, Facebook was the place to voice one's opinions on the matter. There's an old joke about a bunch of men at the local diner fixing the world's problems over coffee. My friends, that's exactly what we are seeing on Facebook: Everybody has an opinion, and, yes, their opinion is the right one.

Should Facebook be used this way? Some would say, 'why not?' Others would say that it exemplifies the beauty of free speech in our country. Others would contend that it opens up dialog and discourse. I'm annoyed by it all, honestly. I'm finding myself judging people because they aired their opinion on a complex political issue. By posting your opinion on a hot-button topic that affects everyone, you're taking a chance. There will be plenty of people who will agree with you, and plenty who will not. Are you willing to alienate yourself that way? To be a divisive voice amongst your 'friends'?

CNN's Belief Blog ran a great follow-up article on this health care reform issue. John Blake, the article's author, notes that Jesus "was a healer, a provider of universal health care, a man of compassion who treated those with preexisting medical conditions." Now we certainly don't know what Christ would think about individual mandates, but we know what the New Testament says about him. There is a moral dimension to this debate, and at its heart is how the nation should best help "its 'least of these,' an estimated 50 million Americans who can’t afford health insurance, as well as those who could go broke or die because they can’t afford medical care." Most agree that health care should be widely available and also affordable, but Christians who quote the same Jesus come up with very opposite conclusions.

And these 'conclusions' end up on Facebook.

My point here is to say that certain opinions should be guarded carefully. Lots of very experienced, intelligent voices are weighing in on these legal decisions. Should we trust our government? Maybe not, but we should trust our God who is over all. And ranting opinions on a controversial topic will not bring anything but more controversy and debate. Instead of worrying about how our own health care may or may not be affected, we should be more concerned—every day—with all of those who are without.

Community

A TLS blog

In my next series of blogs, I plan to write about my experiences at Trinity Lutheran Seminary. I will be starting Greek this summer, then taking a full semester of classes beginning in late August. This will be a very new and challenging experience for me, and there's going to be plenty to write about.






Every Wednesday evening, the families that live in the Trinity Seminary apartments have a community dinner. Each family grills their own meat and brings a side item to share with the group. It's a very simple idea, yet it holds so much goodness and power. We gather and talk. We cook. We drink. We eat some burgers. We relax and enjoy a nice, summer evening. Our kids play together. Even when we don't feel like being 'social,' we gather. We gather, not because it's required—we gather because we need each others' company and support.

I'm always cautious about how and when I use the word 'blessing,' but I have to say that it's been a real blessing to live with this group of fellow believers who are committing their lives to church ministry. It's a blessing to share housing in a close-knit community. It's a blessing just to share food every Wednesday evening.

And so we gather. We usually don't even talk about God or church or anything like that. We gather and just let the community presence help us. While many people in life withdraw and resist opening their lives to others, I've been reminded that community and friendship are so important. We need this. We were created for this.

We Haven't Yet Arrived, But We Know We've Left Where We Were

A quote from a book caught my eye recently. It's a book I read a few years ago, called unChristian. It details research into the perceptions of Christianity from the point of view of sixteen- to twenty-nine-year-olds. And those perceptions aren't good. Still, what caught my eye was hope. The leaders of the Christian Church in the United States have hope for the future of the faith. Despite all the hypocrisy, apathy, and animosity that pervade Christianity, these men and women have hope.

Here's the quote that caught my eye:
"My dream is that thirty years from now, the church will be known more by what it is for that what it is against."  
Dr. Rick Warren, Senior Pastor of Saddleback Church and best-selling author of A Purpose Driven Life


Then another quote got my attention:
"I have faith that in the future we will make better decisions on what issues we think are important."   Mike Foster, president of Ethur; founder of XXXChurch.com

And yet another:
"Christianity is and has been quite a remarkable mess, and that's surely not going to change in the next thirty years. As for Christians, well, we really have just one thing going for us. We have publicly declared that we are desperately in need of Another to give us his righteousness, to complete us, and to live in us."  Andy Crouch, journalist and author

All of these quotes ring so true to me. As a full-time employee at a church, I am acutely aware of the many ways that Christians 'get it wrong.' Still...I believe we can do better. I wouldn't be wasting my time in this field of work if I didn't believe that.

We will always prove to be hypocrites. We'll always wrongly judge others. We'll continue to be selfish and self-centered too much of the time. We're human. But we'll also own up to those mistakes and press on toward our goal of being better people. People more like Jesus.

A man I met recently said it like this: We haven't yet arrived, but we know we've left where we were.