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From St. Paul to the American church: Partisanship is poison. Focus on truth instead.
What if St. Paul, a Christian global strategist, who wrote most of the letters in the New Testament, could write a letter to the Church in America? We imagine it would read as follows:
From Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the Church in America: Grace and peace to you.
I am deeply thankful for America. Since its founding, it has been a shining city on a hill, combating tyranny across the world. From Europeans in the grip of Nazism to Asians facing the scourge of communism, no nation or empire in history has so willingly shed its blood and lost its treasure on behalf of other tribes.
Like the Good Samaritan, you have treated all people as neighbors. With open arms, you have welcomed — as that beautiful statue calls them, “your tired, your poor, your huddled masses” — immigrants from every nation. Your actions have imitated those of the One who laid down his life for the whole world.
But recent news from America has troubled me. I have heard that your country has become deeply divided. Family has turned against family; neighbor has turned against neighbor. Rumors, misinformation and outright lies are shared among you. And some want to turn their backs on a world that needs your compassion and leadership.
Partisanship is a poison. So, too, are cults of personality. Both lead to narrow thinking that becomes a danger to integrity. Truth does not flourish in isolation. Worse, such tribal thinking can become a comfortable way to dismiss outsiders, who are then easily regarded as enemies. Friends, your neighbors are not your enemies. A house divided against itself cannot stand, and a nation in which its citizens mistrust each other is precariously perched. Beware.
Yet, some still say, “I stand with the Democrats,” others, “I stand with the Republicans.” Did not your founding president warn against such folly? I agree with George Washington's admonition that political partisanship “agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption.” Guard yourself against it.
I will, therefore, give you the same advice that I gave to the Church in Corinth: Be reconciled to each other, in the way that God has reconciled the world to himself. Be Christ’s ambassadors, sharing his message of love across all political, socioeconomic, cultural, and racial boundaries. Take to heart the idea that “love is not resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth.”
In regard to sharing news reports, heed the wisdom of the Scriptures: Don’t believe everything you read. Be slow to anger and wise with your words. Use language that communicates goodwill and does not diminish the worth of others. We are strongly warned against gossip and slander. In an age in which malice can spread around the world in the blink of an eye, this counsel is more important now than ever.
POLICING THE USA: A look at race, media, justice
Do not forget the importance of truth. It is the responsibility of every citizen to discern truth from falsehood. The veracity of news reports should be judged by openly available evidence that all can test, not on the endorsement of specific leaders or organizations. No individual or entity deserves such singular authority, be it inside the Church or a nation. Moreover, fear not the truth, because all truth belongs to God.
Bear these in mind as your nation prepares for another election. The truth seems particularly vulnerable in a time such as this.
One of the greatest achievements of your nation is its dedication to knowledge. Your science has cured disease, your technology has fed the hungry, and your ingenuity has placed men on the moon. (Who knew that was even possible?) I encourage you, brothers and sisters, to remain steadfast to these principles of enlightenment, so long as you remain equally steadfast to the virtues of faith, hope, and love, for this is true wisdom.
I have written to you boldly because of my undying love for your people. My prayer is that your nation grows in grace as it grows in age.
And may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Rev. Earl F. Palmer is a theologian, C.S. Lewis scholar, author of more than 20 books, and former Preaching Pastor-in-Residence at National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. Dr. Alex Berezow, a Ph.D. microbiologist and senior fellow of biomedical science at the American Council on Science and Health, is a member of USA TODAY’s Board of Contributors.
You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com.
Sent from my iPad
From St. Paul to the American church: Partisanship is poison. Focus on truth instead.
What if St. Paul, a Christian global strategist, who wrote most of the letters in the New Testament, could write a letter to the Church in America? We imagine it would read as follows:
From Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the Church in America: Grace and peace to you.
I am deeply thankful for America. Since its founding, it has been a shining city on a hill, combating tyranny across the world. From Europeans in the grip of Nazism to Asians facing the scourge of communism, no nation or empire in history has so willingly shed its blood and lost its treasure on behalf of other tribes.
Like the Good Samaritan, you have treated all people as neighbors. With open arms, you have welcomed — as that beautiful statue calls them, “your tired, your poor, your huddled masses” — immigrants from every nation. Your actions have imitated those of the One who laid down his life for the whole world.
But recent news from America has troubled me. I have heard that your country has become deeply divided. Family has turned against family; neighbor has turned against neighbor. Rumors, misinformation and outright lies are shared among you. And some want to turn their backs on a world that needs your compassion and leadership.
Partisanship is a poison. So, too, are cults of personality. Both lead to narrow thinking that becomes a danger to integrity. Truth does not flourish in isolation. Worse, such tribal thinking can become a comfortable way to dismiss outsiders, who are then easily regarded as enemies. Friends, your neighbors are not your enemies. A house divided against itself cannot stand, and a nation in which its citizens mistrust each other is precariously perched. Beware.
Yet, some still say, “I stand with the Democrats,” others, “I stand with the Republicans.” Did not your founding president warn against such folly? I agree with George Washington's admonition that political partisanship “agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption.” Guard yourself against it.
I will, therefore, give you the same advice that I gave to the Church in Corinth: Be reconciled to each other, in the way that God has reconciled the world to himself. Be Christ’s ambassadors, sharing his message of love across all political, socioeconomic, cultural, and racial boundaries. Take to heart the idea that “love is not resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth.”
In regard to sharing news reports, heed the wisdom of the Scriptures: Don’t believe everything you read. Be slow to anger and wise with your words. Use language that communicates goodwill and does not diminish the worth of others. We are strongly warned against gossip and slander. In an age in which malice can spread around the world in the blink of an eye, this counsel is more important now than ever.
POLICING THE USA: A look at race, media, justice
Do not forget the importance of truth. It is the responsibility of every citizen to discern truth from falsehood. The veracity of news reports should be judged by openly available evidence that all can test, not on the endorsement of specific leaders or organizations. No individual or entity deserves such singular authority, be it inside the Church or a nation. Moreover, fear not the truth, because all truth belongs to God.
Bear these in mind as your nation prepares for another election. The truth seems particularly vulnerable in a time such as this.
One of the greatest achievements of your nation is its dedication to knowledge. Your science has cured disease, your technology has fed the hungry, and your ingenuity has placed men on the moon. (Who knew that was even possible?) I encourage you, brothers and sisters, to remain steadfast to these principles of enlightenment, so long as you remain equally steadfast to the virtues of faith, hope, and love, for this is true wisdom.
I have written to you boldly because of my undying love for your people. My prayer is that your nation grows in grace as it grows in age.
And may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Rev. Earl F. Palmer is a theologian, C.S. Lewis scholar, author of more than 20 books, and former Preaching Pastor-in-Residence at National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. Dr. Alex Berezow, a Ph.D. microbiologist and senior fellow of biomedical science at the American Council on Science and Health, is a member of USA TODAY’s Board of Contributors.
You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com.
Sent from my iPad
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