An Inkling
It’s a scriptural exhortation
that I hear quoted all the time: we must
speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15). Life certainly works better when we do. And when we do we certainly offer a better
witness to the One who paired truth and love in such winsome ways.
When we encourage each other in
this it seems that we always have in mind personal, family, and church
relationships. And those are certainly
arenas where truth and love are well paired.
But it’s also essential for us as Christians in the public square.
I was reminded of this by an
email I received from a prominent Christian political action group in response
to the Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling on prayer in public meetings. The email rightly celebrated the Court’s
support for such prayer. (See my own
take on this in a blog last September.)
But the main purpose of the
email was not to celebrate. Rather it
majored in ridiculing the Governor and the Richmond
Times Dispatch, who had sided with the arguments of the four Justices
instead of the five. Such chest thumping
contempt for opponents may feel good at the moment, but ultimately it only
serves to set the truth back and to spawn cynicism about Christian values having
a voice in the public square. And that’s
not even to mention the negative effect on our overall witness to Christ.
Yes, even in public
conversations, we must speak the truth in
love….
Blessings,
Keith
