words from the PC(U.S.A.) Moderator

These days, my new rhyme is this,

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can really put a damper on any meaningful communal discernment of the will of God and the mind of Christ.

Okay, that may not be all that poetic, but over the past few months, I think it is true. In the same way that gun waving might limit the possibility for fruitful interaction and discernment, some of the ways we begin conversations or describe conflicts have major bearing on where we even begin.

Here are just a few examples from good folks that have crossed my "desk" and what I think are the implications:

SHOT: "We are striving for Biblical faithfulness."
READ: "Our reading and interpretation of the Bible is the right one and, not only is your interpretation wrong, you probably are not even faithful in your reading."

SHOT: "We are loving, thoughtful and welcoming."
READ: "You are only driven by hate and ignorance . . . and you probably REALLY like injustice."

Gosh . . . when those those are the first shots fired why wouldn't we just be one meadow full of unicorns and butterflies? When we try to define the other by creating some false sense of superiority, at our heart we are not interested in communally discerning the will of God.