"This change should always be the desired outcome, rather than the pride of having won a battle and leaving an opponent flattened and humiliated in the dust." J. Crotts
Tag: civility
Quote of Note #204: Motive, Means, & Politics
"As sinners we need a spiritual strategy for dealing with our own sinful tendency to put the best possible interpretation on our own motives while putting the worst possible interpretation on those of our opponents."
Quote of Note #191: Motives and the Public Life of Christians
"Often we need to be shocked into an awareness of the motives that really shape our thoughts and actions, and we must respond to these revelations by pleading for the mercy that will allow us to repair our ways. All of this must happen in contexts where the basic issues of sin and grace are … Continue reading Quote of Note #191: Motives and the Public Life of Christians
Quote of Note #161: The Biblical Mandate for Civility
photo by GAC "The truth is that civility is not something that stands over against biblically based convictions in a kind of 'tension' relationship. To put it bluntly: the obligation to be civil is itself a matter of biblical conviction. This is very clear, for example, in 1 Peter 3:15. . .'Always be prepared to … Continue reading Quote of Note #161: The Biblical Mandate for Civility
Quote of Note #160: Respect for All
photo by GAC “Jesus rebukes every us versus them, erases every in versus out, banishes every elite versus outcast, and calls us to a strange Kingdom living and loving where Calvary levels all. To disrespect any person is to slap the face of Jesus and to slander the person’s Creator, God.” Leonard Sweet, Rings of … Continue reading Quote of Note #160: Respect for All
Quote of Note #131: The Well-being of All
photo by GAC "In the past civility was understood in much richer terms. To be civil was to genuinely care about the larger society. It required a heartfelt commitment to your fellow citizens. It was a willingness to promote the well-being of people who were very different, including people who disagreed with you on important … Continue reading Quote of Note #131: The Well-being of All
Quote of Note #125: Kindness and Gentleness
Photo by GAC "We were created for kind and gentle living. Indeed, kindness and gentleness are two of the fruit-of-the-Spirit characteristics that the apostle Paul mentions in Galatians 5. When Christians fail to measure up to the standards of kindness and gentleness, we are not the people God meant us to be." Richard Mouw, Uncommon … Continue reading Quote of Note #125: Kindness and Gentleness
Quote of Note #121: Honoring All People as Divine Works of Art
Photo by GAC "All human beings are God's handiwork. Each person is a very precious work of divine art. To make light of an artist's work within the artist's earshot is a cruel thing to do. To demean one of God's most precious artworks when God is listening--and he always is--crudely dishonors the divine artist." … Continue reading Quote of Note #121: Honoring All People as Divine Works of Art
Quote of Note #93: Loving with our Words
"Love's virtues are described as patient and kind, and not arrogant, rude, or irritable. The opposite of loving others is selfishness, or the love of self. So if you hear words funneling out of your mouth that are unkind, ungracious, and condemning, you can know that those words are not showing love to the person … Continue reading Quote of Note #93: Loving with our Words
Quote of Note #65 — Integrity in Political Life
"We need to believe that both the dignity of our opponents, and the character we aim to model for our kids, require some basic rules for public debate. We should stop holding the candidates on 'our side' to lower standards than we expect from our opponents. This shouldn't be hard. Lying matters, and truth matters. … Continue reading Quote of Note #65 — Integrity in Political Life
Gary Chorpenning's Notebooks 