Amplification Arguing

      If you ever feel that “social media” is an echo-chamber for obstreperous arguments that go back and forth with little purpose and a tendency to react negatively to whatever was the last statement, perhaps our reading this Sunday from Matthew 11 will reassure you that, when it comes to human nature, there really is nothing new under the sun.  [Jesus said:] “But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market-places and calling to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.’ “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners!’” It’s the same reflexive complaining about John and Jesus that we get about all sorts of people and situations today from twitterstorms and talking TV heads.  Sometimes it seems all we want is childish arguments; any topic will do. 

      We’ve seen the usual “they said” / “they said” flurries this week about celebrities and events, some just silly, others deadly as we see the escalating retributions over the deaths of three teens in Israel and the mass murders between Shiites and Sunnis.  I admittedly have a somewhat progressive political position, but honestly, I have totally lost the thread on Benghazi as voices clamoring for aggressive action before now object once a suspect has been captured and… oh well, I get confused.

      Another reflexive pile-on has been the Supreme Court ruling on Hobby Lobby’s case.  Some circles celebrate how it protects religious convictions, others call it an unwarranted establishment of religion, and we’ve heard all of the church and state arguments we’ve had for two hundred years again.  Of course, that’s the nature of competing values: it’s never really settled, we just find a balance for now.

      We will be discussing (I hope discussing and not just arguing! Or flinging broadsides at each other.) the nature of corporate responsibility, of governmental mandates, of workers’ rights, of owners’ rights, of contraception and abortion and women’s health.  As the immediate flare up died down, a couple of theological commentators have started asking about “The Adjective,” that is, what does it mean to say a “Christian” company?  Is there something distinctive about a company whose owners espouse religious values?  The corporate personhood issue comes into play here; “can a corporation be baptized?” is a popular meme, but perhaps too simplistic.  Are there ways a corporation can declare and then act on certain religious principles?  If so, and we like the way one company is eco-friendly because of its religious perspective, can we object to one not wanting to cover contraceptives that may be considered abortifacients.  Is there a difference between closely-held companies like Hobby Lobby and publicly-traded corporations?  That is significant in this case, but it may limit the applicability in other situations, although clearly not the inflammation.  I have a running conversation in my head wondering if I accept some practices because I like them but object to others because I don’t share that perspective or dislike some of the people who hold them.  Or I dislike some of the positions some of those people have, so I reactively dislike all of their positions.

      My concern is consistency of positions, not just childishly saying you didn’t dance twisting into you didn’t grieve, John was ascetic and you didn’t like that and Jesus is gregarious and you don’t like that either.  Letting your arguments being something other than against whatever the last person said is somewhat harder work; I hope we are up for it in the coming days.

      Part of the problem with democratic discourse— which we celebrate this Fourth of July, ironically enough— is that it is messy and takes work to reach consensus and takes work to keep from deteriorating into yelling at each other.  On the other hand, that human tendency to speak and behave ungraciously goes all the way back to the Bible.  The good news is that God loves us anyway.  And can help up communicate with each other and learn from each other, and not just talk past each other!

      Hope to see you Sunday!

                                                             In Christ,
                                                          
                                                              David

Texts for Sunday

      From the Hebrew Bible       Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67
      From the Epistles               Romans 7:15-25
      From the Gospels               Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30