Numerous Christian leaders of various political ideologies have signed a document entitled "A Covenant for Civility: Come Let Us Reason Together." Here are some highlights:
Too often, however, we have reflected the political divisions of our culture rather than the unity we have in the body of Christ.Amen! Among the more than 100 Christian leaders who signed the document are Leith Anderson, Tony Campolo, Richard Cizik, Chuck Colson, Timothy George, Joel Hunter, Harry Jackson, Brian McLaren, Roy Medley, David Neff, Samuel Rodriguez, Ron Sider, Jim Wallis, and Tyler Wigg-Stevenson.
... We commit that our dialogue with each other will reflect the spirit of the Scriptures, where our posture toward each other is to be "quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry" (James 1:19).
... We pledge that when we disagree, we will do so respectfully, without impugning the other’s motives, attacking the other's character, or questioning the other's faith, and recognizing in humility that in our limited, human opinions, "we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror" (1 Corinthians 13:12).
... We pledge to God and to each other that we will lead by example in a country where civil discourse seems to have broken down. We will work to model a better way in how we treat each other in our many faith communities, even across religious and political lines. We will strive to create in our congregations safe and sacred spaces for common prayer and community discussion as we come together to seek God's will for our nation and our world.
A counterpoint: http://apprising.org/2010/03/29/emerging-church-leaders-evangelicals-sign-%e2%80%98covenant-for-civility%e2%80%99/
ReplyDeleteBrian,
ReplyDeleteI paid a visit to the link listed by Ken Silva and found an excellent illustration of the need for just such a resolution as these leaders have signed, calling for civility and being able to disagree without questioning another's faith. Ken has miserably failed in that endeavor--branding Tony Campolo as an outright heretic. I suspect that he's never met Tony nor conversed with him personally, but he's quick to denounce him as an unbeliever. So sad and so illustrative of the need for some civil dialogue among believers.