America’s Crisis of Contempt


Last Friday (February 7th), Arthur C. Brooks, a social scientist and a member of the faculty at Harvard’s Kennedy Business School, offered a thought-provoking speech to attendees of the National Prayer Breakfast.  I encourage you to read his remarks in their entirety here. 

Mr. Brooks is not a member of the clergy but a devote Roman Catholic layman.  I find it interesting that he was selected as the speaker at the prayer breakfast as sometimes those of us in the clergy can be very full of ourselves and forget that God works through all of God’s children, whether or not we claimed to be “ordained.”  His message was poignant and timely, and unfortunately may go unheard.

Mr. Brooks as raised by “liberal” parents even though he identifies as “conservative.” When he hears “liberals” being called “stupid” and “evil,” it is understandable that he takes that very personally. He loves his parents regardless of their politics or ideology.  I am sure many of us have loved ones who have very different opinions about such things than we do, and it can become a point of division IF WE LET IT.

In his speech, Mr. Brooks makes the point that contempt, as defined by 19th century philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, is “the unsullied conviction of the worthlessness of another.”  This breaks my heart. Jesus came to tell us that ALL of us are worthy of God’s love just because we are. We have inherent value because we are God’s creation.  The fact that we humans believe we can eradicate that worth with our words is unconscionable, and yet we do it every day. And I am guilty of it too.

I am ashamed to admit that I have fallen under the seductive lure of contempt to make myself feel better, to justify my point of view when I vehemently disagree with someone.  I admit that it “feels good” to put down another person’s ideas as being beneath my own righteous ones, and yet in the very act of doing that, I have committed a grievous sin against my neighbor.  I have denied their God-given worth and made myself feel superior for my own ego’s sake. 

Unfortunately, such behavior is being rewarded in the media and as such is perpetuated.  There is no civil discourse because when we deny the other’s point of view as having any sense of value, it is simple to disregard it and them.  Sadly, we don’t realize the spiritual damage that we have done to ourselves in the midst of such acts, and to me, this is the devil’s playground.

I do believe that we are in the midst of spiritual warfare in our secular society.  We have allowed evil to seep into our hearts and minds so that we feel righteousness for hating our neighbor because of we disagree with their politics. Yes, people can do acts that are evil, but to call someone evil for a position or belief is the epitome of contempt.  And yes, there are positions on certain topics that I cannot support, but I have to remember that the person who believes in that position is still a child of God.

Jesus said it is easy to love our family, but he also asked us to love our enemies.  It is not a sign of weakness but a place of power, although it may not be power that this world appreciates. Yet we are called, as faithful Christians, to love even when it is inconvenient or hard. We are called to not be contemptuous, no matter what.

Let us offer a fast from contempt.  Let us rededicate ourselves to love especially when it is hard. Let us celebrate our worthiness through the sacrifice of Jesus and remember that he died for all, not just those we agree with.

In Christ,
Rev. Valerie+ 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Give God the Glory

Reflections on Chapters 12-14 of the Book of the Acts of the Apostles Years ago, I had a grandparent chargingly ask me if it was OK for her to be proud of her granddaughter, because she had been taught, “Pride goeth before the fall.”   I assured her that being proud of her grandchild was not a sin when the feeling was offered in thanksgiving of the accomplishment and not boosting up one’s own ego. “Look at what I have done,” has been the down fall of many people because they neglect or forget those that helped them achieve their goals. The Book of Acts shares story after story of the importance of acknowledging that all power and might comes from God, to whom we should offer our thanks and praise.   When our egos take over and we congratulate only ourselves for what we have done, we become idolatrous. Chapter 12 records an terrible story of King Herod’s response to the apostles.   He outright kills James and then arrests Peter, who is guarded by over 30 men....
Read more

Good Lord, Deliver Us

Today is the “Hallmark Holiday” Valentine’s Day.  Some of us will mark the occasion by wearing red or remembering at the last minute to buy a card or flowers of one’s beloved.  But my thoughts and prayers are with the 17 families of Parkland, Florida who mark today as the first anniversary of living without a loved one who was killed in a shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.  It seems hard to believe a year has past since that awful day, which also happened to be Ash Wednesday.   Due to that fact, I was not as “plugged-in” that day and only got snippets of information between services.   As the details emerged, it was tragic and heartbreaking, taking on a surreal shimmer as most unthinkable acts do. Unfortunately, it was quite real, and the aftermath will be felt forever. I don’t know any of the victims, however I feel a connection to Carmen Schentrup, who was a 16 (almost 17) year old senior with big plans. She was also Episcopalian. ...
Read more

Transformation

Reflections on Chapters 9-11 of the Acts of the Apostles A little over a year ago, on the Feast of St. Paul’s Conversion (January 25), I wrote a blog post entitled “People Don’t Change – Until They Do.”   In our cynical world, too often we dismiss the idea that transformation can be a reality: that a criminal can be rehabilitated; an addict can remain in recovery, a “sinner” can become a “saint.” It is true that, being human, many of us fall short of complete change (I’ve lost and gained the same 40-50 lbs. many times in my life). However, such skepticism neglects the power of the Holy Spirit at work in peoples lives.   As we continue to read through the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, an essential art of what the author is sharing with us are amazing stories of such radical transformation that the only thing that can account for it is the Holy Spirit. And it begins with Saul.   He is the perfect villain in the story of the apostles.   No one was more opp...
Read more