Chatting Across the Aisle

I have a good friend in Wisconsin who hosts email for me. He and I worked together in California and he has been a mentor to me in a number of areas. JJ can fix a lot of things, including computers, cars, and things around the house. However, we definitely do not see eye-to-eye on most things involving politics or faith. He is a card-carrying liberal and a member of the Unitarian church. As you know, I am not those things.

I got to talk to him today because there was a problem with getting to my email. Apparently there was a power outage at his house and he was great about getting it back up. The phone call was a great chance to catch up a little bit. We of course discussed family and he asked me about how school was going. I decided to broach the subject of politics because I’m curious about what the other side is thinking.

I asked him about his thoughts on Barack Obama. He is excited by the prospect of a President Obama. Basically, JJ is interested in making sure that the indigent have health care and that we find a way out of Iraq. Those are valid concerns. I told him about my concerns regarding the 3000 unborn that are killed each day in America. I also admitted to him that the evangelicals do a good job of championing the rights of the unborn, but don’t do such a great job with the born. We agreed on that.

It was great to have a civil discussion with someone who sees the world from a very different perspective. I hope that he thinks that about me too. I try to be civil and yet hold fast to what I believe. At some point I realize that I am going to offend because the gospel is offensive. However, I want to make sure that it is the gospel that offends and not me or my attitude.