“Rhetoric detached from morality harms people and societies,” says Biola University professor John Mark Reynolds. As Reynolds notes, political rhetoric has become more hateful and extreme —leading to behaviors that Christians should avoid: “Jesus called us to love our enemies in a nation ruled by cruel Caesars. Any religion that can love Tiberius can surely find room to love Obama or Gingrich.”
Reynolds offers seven suggestions for political discourse, including:
Authenticity is useful, but posturing is not.
Few things are more irritating than reading a piece that seems written to get the writer “good-guy” points with the establishment in his or her own group. This happens on both the left and right and is a temptation for all of us. Instead of saying what we think, we write to curry favor with our betters in hopes of praise or reward.
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