Pastors Lenten Blog — Day 8
I got out of a meeting a little while ago with the two Minnesota State Representatives from the neighborhood around the church. They confirmed what I had long suspected; in state government (as well as national, I think,) there’s a growing entrenchment between the two political parties, and a sense of meanness, penalties for compromise and reaching across the aisle. Civility and manners, a willingness to compromise and work through differences, and civility are going out the window.
One of my favorite authors says that one sign of a culture in collapse is the loss of manners and civility. Does this mean that our culture is on the skids, heading downhill? Probably. This runs smack against my Christian values, which calls me to behave towards all as my brothers and sisters in the human family with a sense of justice and mercy. One of the greatest sins at work in our world is extremism; the sort of “my way or the highway” approach of extreme selfishness.
I continue to pray to God for our culture, and for me, that I may continue to “fight the good fight” with civility.
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“Reaching across the aisle” has been something that has been done for years, so this year is no different. When one questions the civility of our government, I tend to think of those of our government who americans have elected to work for us. I find it ironic that when it comes to “us” not agreeing, then we only question the “reaching across the aisle”. We tend to make it somebody’s fault because it’s not going the way we want it to. The only way to change what we don’t like what is going on in our government is to vote, and not blame those “across the aisle.”