Good afternoon, and yes, I'm still perseverating about words. I got to thinking last week during the sermon- no pastor my eyes were not closed in sleep, but in deep concentration. By the way, Luther had some pretty unkind things to say about the book of Esther as well as James. But I want to continue where Pastor went with Luther and the Book of James.
In one of life's little ironies, I was baptised in St. James Lutheran Church in Ashland, Pennsylvania. Hard to believe they would name a church after one of Luther's less favorite New Testament writers. But that is for another time. Luther and his rather strident position on the book of James is what brings us to 'the letter P' and the word Polemic. Luther found himself in the unenviable position of taking an extreme point of view because of his opposition to the Church's position on the value of works and in particular the way in which this position was part of the sales campaign for indulgences. When James talks about works, Luther, almost by default, has to attack him because it counters the argument for the power of grace. Much later Luther was able to soften his tone and accommodate the value of works for Christians. It was really quite simple, works are a result of our gratitude for the gift of grace, not the means of achieving salvation. But I wanted to talk about the 'P' word.
A polemic is a position one takes at the opposite pole of an argument presented by another, it is the favorite rhetorical device of adolescents. I think you all have a favorite memory to illustrate the point. And, while a polemic may win points for strident behavior, it does not do much for civil discourse. And one thing which Paul, and by default St. Augustine and then Luther would support was the theology of open and civil discussion leading to discernment and a resolution of the conflict. One of the major problems that I have with polemics is that it tends to demonize the other party and reduce them to a caricature. And we need to remember that we are all creatures created in the image of God, and, as such we should have respect for them in that capacity if nothing else.
Unfortunately, in the past 30 years we have seen the rise in this behavior, demonizing, in so much of the public discussion. Be it in the political or the religious arena, it opens wounds that are slow to heal if they heal at all. What I would like to close with is a thought from this week's second reading, taken from James 3: 8-10. "But no one can tame the tongue- a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so."
Peace,
Deacon Clyde
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A failure of a statement–it fails to mention anything about WHY people are upset
ReplyDeleteGood afternoon Pattty, and thank you for your comment. The answers to Why are nearly as many as the stars in the sky. Not to stray from a reply, but when i wrote this blog piece nearly 4 years ago, I was upset with the lack of civil discussion in the varioous arenas that I cited. I fear that we, as a society, have only gotten worse.
DeleteMy personal answer to why people are upset goes back to James 3:8-10. We have forgotten, or worse yet, choose to ignore that we are all creations of the same God and should be honoring that Creator by showing respect for his creations. I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on the Why.
Peace,
Deacon Clyde