On Tuesday I raised the concern that many of us as Christians are far too content with our ignorance of major social issues and far to willing to buy a party line without investing any real thought of our own on the subject at hand.
A very thoughtful response was posted in the comments section, and I fear that few other than I ever have the opportunity to read the comments that come in. Sometimes the comments are so substantive that I think many more of us should read them, as is the case here. So, I am posting this comment here for your further reflection and interaction. I posit a further question at the end on which I am interested in your input.
Yes, Randy, I do think that we are too comfortably ignorant on difficult issues, both as a nation and as a Christian community.
My mother has been a fabulous model for me in this regard. She did not attend college but instead worked to pay for my father’s undergraduate and graduate education. She had two children in the 70’s and stayed home with us when all of the other women in her circles were going back to work to do something “important”. I watched her on a daily basis become educated as an “uneducated women” on difficult issues for her. For example, she grew up in a non-sports loving home. My father and little brother love sports, football especially, and so she learned the game. Why? Because she realized that she was missing out on something wonderful? No. She learned the game because she knew it would deepen her relationship with her son. Today, their relationship goes way deeper than football, but I know that becoming fluent in the pigskin language gave her inroads to that deeper relationship. My dad worked his entire career in the nuclear power industry. Again, my mom learned the language and the theories and the problems and positives and could discuss her husband’s line of work almost as well as he could. What a beautiful gift it was to listen to their dinner table conversations!
In the same way, I have found that becoming less ignorant on the topics of the day can deepen my conversations with my non-believing friends. As I’m able to talk the language of the topics that are important to them, then the conversations deepen, and they eventually go to discussions that can be directed toward God and Christ. Knowing political platforms of both parties has enabled me to have great discussions with several non-believing friends that have lead to conversations on morality and then God. Learning a little about the independent, punk rock music industry, while certainly not my favorite topic, has enabled me to have conversations with my CEO-of-a-record-label friend that lets her know I care about what she does (even though I hate that kind of music). That care has opened roads to conversations about the meaning of life and Christ and the Bible. When my husband was a relatively new believer, our pastor went to the wastewater treatment plan where he worked to try and understand his career path a little, even though said pastor could have cared less about a sewage plant. My husband still talks about the impact that had on him.
So, while I do think we have a responsibility as humans to get rid of our ignorance on uncomfortable topics, we have an even greater responsibility as Christians to know about the things that are important to the people to whom God has providentially placed in our paths.
What do we do about it? Three things: stretch ourselves, listen and read. Then read again and again. Read while at the stop lights. Read while waiting at the doctor’s office. Read while watching the World Series!
Great topic! Thanks for bringing it up.
My follow up question is directed to all of you. This comment says we need to read. What, though, should we read? And what else should we / could we do to lessen the ignorance which plagues us? What resources have helped you to stay informed?
I really am interested in your responses. If you don’t want to publish your thoughts as comments here, then email them to me. I’d love to hear what you think.
The Domestic Intellectual
Although I don’t agree with all of their philosophy, I find The Economist to be valuable, particularly in my relationships with international friends. I usually scope the NYTimes headlines at work as well. For a Christian perspective, I always appreciated World magazine.
MagistraCarminae
I think we need to read good theology, good fiction, and a good selection of things that come from a perspective different from our own. We need to read for pleasure, read for current events information, and read for depth of understanding. I try to make myself read worthy books, and reward myself with fluff, but avoid a steady diet of fluff. I like World Magazine, blogs, the Intercollegiate Review, and lots of books.
Gus/Adri
We also like WORLD magazine – contrary to what some people believe, it often disagrees with Republican stance. One of us frequently reads The Economist – though, like another commenter, not always agreeing with their views. The drudge report some may consider sensationalistic or even muckraking, but on that site one can access a wide variety of columnists, ranging from humor (Dave Barry) to others such as Maureen Dowd, Eleanor Clift, David and Rush Limbaugh to name just a few. We read a lot of books, both novels and non-fiction; just about anything and everything. One of us reads more serious stuff (theology) but both like David McCullough’s John Adams, Path Between the Seas et al. and other works of that type.Recommendations come from friends and family, NPR reviews, blogs etc.David Breese, _Seven men who rule the world from the grave_ reminds us of dangers of prevalent cultural philosophies.