"I always tell people
this: to be a savvy politician or a good head of state and to be
charitable are not mutually exclusive things." - Natalie Dormer, Author
"Doing business and doing good are not mutually exclusive, and it is our responsibility to prove that every day anew." -
Ofra Strauss - Owner of 2nd Largest Food Producer in Israel
It's amazing how polarized our thinking is. It's as if we no longer believe that two things can be true at the same time.
Perhaps because I'm an outlier, it's not as difficult. I can love the
character, poise and lack of scandal that former President Obama and his
family have shown in their time in the White House and disagree
strongly with some of his policies. I can be concerned about the
damaging fall out of some of President Trump's immoral statements and
actions, yet still recognize the authority of the office and pray for
him. I can see government propaganda and press spin
and know that true information and power is not as much in the people's hands as we'd like it to be. These concepts are not MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE: which means being related such that each excludes or precludes the other; incompatible; not both true. I
can support police officers yet be against police brutality and mass
incarceration. I can support the quality of 'All Lives' yet understand
that particular emphasis might need to be on 'Black Lives' because of
high abortion, murder and mortality rates and systems that steal away
quality of life in a myriad of ways for those at the bottom of the US
economy. I can desire equal pay and opportunity for women who have been
disenfranchised without agreeing with the entire 'feminist' platform. I
could go on and on. This reality poses dilemmas and sometimes internal
wars. We were taught critical thinking skills in school, but the
palpable emotions of this atmosphere make them difficult to use and
acknowledge.
We can look at the Bible and shop for the Scriptures that suit our particular platforms and try to rank sin or God's
heart if we'd like. I'm not sure how He feels about that though. The God that cares about the unborn also cares about the living: the poor, the prisoner, the brokenhearted, the widow, the stranger and the orphan. (Matt.
25, Lev. 19:34, Luke 4:18-19; James 1:27) The God that tells us to pray
for and respect governments, kings, and those in authority (Rom. 13; 1
Tim. 2:1-2) also made Nebuchadnezzar bow (Dan. 4), and tells us not to
be conformed to this world's systems (Romans 12:2), not to be greed
filled lovers of money (1 Tim 6:10), and that ultimately the
kingdoms of the world will become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His
Christ and He will reign forever. (Rev. 11:15) It's important for us to understand the Bible from whole to part - not part to whole.
Jesus was a lover, a savior and a teacher, but He was also a defiant
insurrectionist to the religious and political systems of His day. So as we engage others before we become arbiters of our perceived 'truths,' maybe we should ask "How true is this?" and "Is it mutually exclusive?"
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We can look at the Bible and shop for the Scriptures that suit our particular platforms and try to rank sin or God's
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SUNDAY Worship
11:00 AM Worship The Great Room Sunday Class
9:30 AM Youth Room Basement
at Wyoming Presbyterian
225 Wyoming Ave., 45215
For information 513-212-1131
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