Friday, June 27, 2008

Civility

In the course of responding to a certain inconsistency in Jim Wallis's political commentary, Peter Wehner says this:
....[M]any of us who are Christians and in the political and policy arena struggle with how to allow our faith to animate our political and philosophical views without allowing it to become merely an instrument to advance a narrow political agenda. Our faith, while it certainly ought to be relevant to our public lives, should be trans-political and trans-ideological. And while faith can deepen one’s commitment to certain issues, the danger is that a passion for those commitments can sometimes manifest themselves in words that cross boundaries and are meant to wound. Tough and spirited exchanges are fine; mean and ad hominem ones are not.

I have found that it can sometimes be a delicate and difficult balancing act.

We could all benefit from more examples of, and more encouragement to strive for, authentic grace and civility in our public debates. .... (more)
Faith should animate our politics - both the causes to which we commit ourselves and how we behave as we pursue our poltical goals. Religion should never be placed at the service of political goals.

The Corner on National Review Online

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