Cal Thomas is one of the few columnists who seems to truly understand the way christian conviction informs conservative idealogy. Most use faith as a crutch to prop-up their political convictions, but Thomas's faith always seems to precede his political conclusions. His article on Teddy Kennedy's passing is, I think, the way Christians ought to respond - although most (myself included) would probably take a bit more pleasure in pointing out Kennedy's flaws/crimes.
For me, this article highlights the important distinction between discernment and judgment, or as Thomas puts it "Judgment and Judgmentalism." Kennedy did lots of terrible things. God has empowered us and expects us to watch the actions of others with a critical eye - to identify behaviors that are wrong, call attention to them, denounce them, and encourage others to do the same. But God also expects this to be done out of love, not pride or vindictiveness.
Thomas says:
Many on the Right invoke the name of Jesus on Sunday and tear down a politician whose policies they don't like the rest of the week. Tearing down policy is fine, but diminishing the value of a fellow human simply because you don't like his politics (or his personal behavior) is not a good strategy for persuading him to change either.
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This is not to absolve Senator Kennedy of his sins, only to say that we are neither the judge, nor the one who can absolve. We can't forgive ourselves, or as I put it to a TV interviewer who asked me "bottom line: Senator Kennedy, a good man?"
"Only God is good," I responded. "The rest of us are sinners."
It is not hypocritical to care for someone who behaves badly. In fact, it is the height of love to do so because you want him to have a changed life and attitude that will help him behave better for his own sake and that of his family. Denouncing that person and condemning him to Hell is not likely to make him more open to things that will lead him in the other direction. Who among us has lived a perfect life that would be acceptable to God?
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I strongly opposed much of what Senator Kennedy proposed, but I cared for him as a person. Those without sin...
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I don't understand this column very well. I think it's one thing to talk about not judging someone's sexual promiscuity (which I will do anyway, but fully realizing I am a hypocrite). However Ted Kennedy committed murder, and by the very laws of our society should have been in a jail cell. I find it both abhorent and infuriating that anyone would ever celebrate the life of someone that by their own hand took the life of someone innocent.
ReplyDeleteI expect the luatic fascist media who long ago left morality behind to do this, but it is so strange to me to hear anyone with a shread of decency do anything but denounce the act of murder and those who commit it.