16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.
18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
Verse 18 underscores the importance of pursuing peace. In an age of polarization, that can certainly seem like a tall order, but God gives us the principles and will grant us the demeanor in Him to accomplish that. We can be careful to set an example, not demonizing or denigrating people with whom we disagree or who have different backgrounds than we. The path of peace is paved with meaningful dialogue that reflects the character of Christ.
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In 1st Corinthians 10, we read about our liberty in Christ, but also the importance of Godly restraint:
23 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.
24 Let no one seek his own, but each one the other's well-being.
Looking back at the weekend, I would hope that being in God's house, hearing His Word, fellowshipping with His people, and enjoying great worship were some of the most memorable components. And, of course, fall Saturdays mean college football, and hopefully cooler temperatures across the South.
And, what occurred this past Sunday was memorable, as well. Many have been following the headline: President Trump visits Huntsville, Alabama to campaign for Luther Strange, who is running to fill the unexpired term of Jeff Sessions; he is being opposed by Roy Moore, and today is the election.
But, there was a component of that speech, as you know, that has sent off shock waves. The President stated, according to the Family Research Council website:
But, on Sunday, the protests transcended racial justice - it seems to me that NFL players said that they had one another's backs, and the owners and league stood with them. Consider the thoughtful comments of Ravens wide receiver Benjamin Watson, who is a Christian and a real leader in discussing matters of race. He said on Good Morning America yesterday, according to the ABC News website that the President's words "cut deep" for his team, saying, ""We felt as many others did that this was a direct attack on our brotherhood." Watson also said, "Obviously, the name-calling is something we don't [stand] for but even to imply that we don't have the right to express ourselves in that way is something that we really took to heart." He said he agrees with Kaepernick's concern about the same racial issues.
Watson stood arm-in-arm with his teammates at the Ravens' game on Sunday. He did add a caveat - he pointed to the skies, because, as he said in the GMA piece, "...I really believe that the Lord will really have to have His hand on us when it comes to reconciling our differences."
According to CNSNews.com, the Ravens receiver stated on social media, “Dialogue can be constructive when entered with humility and respect,” adding, “In the best and worst of times He is still on the throne!”
Another high-profile believer, Tony Dungy spoke out in the studio show of NBC's Sunday Night Football - before the President's comments, he had interviewed two Miami Dolphins players who had knelt during the Anthem last year. He said, according to the Palm Beach Post:
A couple of questions I had: where is the Church on these matters? And...what are some principles we can apply to our own lives?
Where is the Church? Well, I believe that it is where it's always been - we should be engaged in loving God and loving one another, regardless of race and cultural background. I think the Scriptures contain powerful, effective answers on matters of race, predicated on expressing the love of Christ. And, when you have people who want to respond in anger when they are facing conflict or feeling disrespected, we can be strategic in pointing the way to peace.
I think we can learn several things from this storyline. First of all: Matters of race are sensitive; when you deal with issues with a racial component, choose your words wisely. We cannot afford to just speak off the top of our heads - and we have to be understanding of the perspective of a person who is from a different background than we. The President said that race is not an issue here; you would hope that he would understand that there is and take steps to be a leader in the area of racial harmony and reconciliation. We need to pray for our leaders! And, we can also see ourselves as leaders in this critical area of culture.
We can also see that the message is getting muddled - I think there is a lack of understanding that can cause one to think whether or not Mr. Kaepernick took the best course of action. Many are seeing the kneeling during the anthem as disrespectful to our country and those who have served it in the military. A significant number of fans is apparently put off by the protests. A July article on ESPN.com related information about a J.D. Power survey:
23 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.
24 Let no one seek his own, but each one the other's well-being.
Looking back at the weekend, I would hope that being in God's house, hearing His Word, fellowshipping with His people, and enjoying great worship were some of the most memorable components. And, of course, fall Saturdays mean college football, and hopefully cooler temperatures across the South.
And, what occurred this past Sunday was memorable, as well. Many have been following the headline: President Trump visits Huntsville, Alabama to campaign for Luther Strange, who is running to fill the unexpired term of Jeff Sessions; he is being opposed by Roy Moore, and today is the election.
But, there was a component of that speech, as you know, that has sent off shock waves. The President stated, according to the Family Research Council website:
"Things will stop. Just pick up and leave. Pick up and leave. Not the same game anymore anyway... Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that [expletive] off the field right now. Out. He's fired. He's fired."The website continued:
Trump got the League's attention alright. Immediately, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and owners across the NFL blasted the president for his "lack of respect for the NFL." But respect isn't earned by disrespecting those who defend our freedoms. And while I think President Trump could have delivered his message more artfully, I agree with his sentiment. As someone who was willing to fight for the very freedom these players are exercising, I don't dispute their right to protest. But they'd do well to remember where those rights were earned: under the same flag they're disgracing.This act of protesting the National Anthem started when Colin Kaepernick, then with the San Francisco 49ers, sat during the anthem, then modified that to a kneel. Other players followed suit. Now, here's Colin's original intent, from NFL.com:
"I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color," Kaepernick told NFL Media in an exclusive interview after the game. "To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."That's the original issue, the reason, if you will. Now, think about the messages sent on Sunday - yes, there is that racial component, and while Trump insists it's not racial, truth is, for many, it certainly is, and that was the motivation behind Kaepernick's actions in the first place.
But, on Sunday, the protests transcended racial justice - it seems to me that NFL players said that they had one another's backs, and the owners and league stood with them. Consider the thoughtful comments of Ravens wide receiver Benjamin Watson, who is a Christian and a real leader in discussing matters of race. He said on Good Morning America yesterday, according to the ABC News website that the President's words "cut deep" for his team, saying, ""We felt as many others did that this was a direct attack on our brotherhood." Watson also said, "Obviously, the name-calling is something we don't [stand] for but even to imply that we don't have the right to express ourselves in that way is something that we really took to heart." He said he agrees with Kaepernick's concern about the same racial issues.
Watson stood arm-in-arm with his teammates at the Ravens' game on Sunday. He did add a caveat - he pointed to the skies, because, as he said in the GMA piece, "...I really believe that the Lord will really have to have His hand on us when it comes to reconciling our differences."
According to CNSNews.com, the Ravens receiver stated on social media, “Dialogue can be constructive when entered with humility and respect,” adding, “In the best and worst of times He is still on the throne!”
Another high-profile believer, Tony Dungy spoke out in the studio show of NBC's Sunday Night Football - before the President's comments, he had interviewed two Miami Dolphins players who had knelt during the Anthem last year. He said, according to the Palm Beach Post:
“These are guys who care about their community, they care about their country, they want to do something positive. I talked to both guys last night and they said their teammates were very angry and they’re coming at them and they said, ‘Hey, we’ve got to keep this cool, we’ve got to be under control. Let’s stand together unified.’ But they didn’t know how it was going to go. I talked to them both this morning and as of 9 o’clock this morning, everybody was going to stand unified. But they said there was a lot of emotion, a lot of energy, a lot of tension. And it didn’t turn out that way.”
Dungy, on Stills’ decision to kneel during the national anthem on Sunday: “I asked Kenny (after the game) what changed and he sent me a text. He said, ‘Deep down inside, I did not want to allow the president to intimidate us or keep us from using our right to protest. We had a couple guys kneeling for the first time and we had our teammates all locked in arms. We were still all together and that’s powerful.’ ”
Host Dan Patrick asked where things go from here.
“Their owner, Stephen Ross, listened to those guys,” Dungy said. “What are your concerns? And they went forward with a plan, and got some things going. Crime rates decreased because of this ride-along that they had with the police. That’s what we’ve got to do going forward. We’ve got to listen to each other and go forward with a plan to make it better. That’s what leaders should do, including, in my opinion, our president.”Challenging words from the Coach, whom you can hear on Faith Radio weekday mornings at around 10:10 on his Uncommon Moments feature.
A couple of questions I had: where is the Church on these matters? And...what are some principles we can apply to our own lives?
Where is the Church? Well, I believe that it is where it's always been - we should be engaged in loving God and loving one another, regardless of race and cultural background. I think the Scriptures contain powerful, effective answers on matters of race, predicated on expressing the love of Christ. And, when you have people who want to respond in anger when they are facing conflict or feeling disrespected, we can be strategic in pointing the way to peace.
I think we can learn several things from this storyline. First of all: Matters of race are sensitive; when you deal with issues with a racial component, choose your words wisely. We cannot afford to just speak off the top of our heads - and we have to be understanding of the perspective of a person who is from a different background than we. The President said that race is not an issue here; you would hope that he would understand that there is and take steps to be a leader in the area of racial harmony and reconciliation. We need to pray for our leaders! And, we can also see ourselves as leaders in this critical area of culture.
We can also see that the message is getting muddled - I think there is a lack of understanding that can cause one to think whether or not Mr. Kaepernick took the best course of action. Many are seeing the kneeling during the anthem as disrespectful to our country and those who have served it in the military. A significant number of fans is apparently put off by the protests. A July article on ESPN.com related information about a J.D. Power survey:
The pollster said it asked more than 9,200 people who attended either one football, basketball or hockey game whether they tuned into fewer games and why. Twenty-six percent of those who watched fewer games last season said that national anthem protests, some of which were led by Colin Kaepernick, were the reason.Also, "After that, 24 percent of those surveyed who said they watched fewer games said they did so either because of the league's off-the-field image issues with domestic violence or with game delays, including penalties."
I would say that you have an important message here, but the method is flawed, as is the messenger. I like what these Dolphins players did - one might disagree with their kneeling, but they did go out into their community and attempted to build bridges with law enforcement in the area. I think we have an idea with some positive aspects, but it has not carried out in the best way, and people have become alienated.
Finally, we hear a lot about free speech. And, it seems to be universally agreed that these players have the right to protest. Is it the best way? That's unclear. But, it does remind us of a principle that I think is consistent with Scripture: Just because you have the freedom to express an idea doesn't mean you should. Paul said that to him all things were "lawful," but not necessarily "helpful." And, keep in mind, when you represent an employer, free speech has its limitations.
For each of us, we can make sure, as ambassadors for Christ, that our message is clear, and it is delivered in the right way - that can include tone, circumstances, and other factors - we want what we say to be taken correctly. We can also seek to be good messengers - if our actions or other words contradict what we are saying, then we become a discredited messenger.
Finally, we hear a lot about free speech. And, it seems to be universally agreed that these players have the right to protest. Is it the best way? That's unclear. But, it does remind us of a principle that I think is consistent with Scripture: Just because you have the freedom to express an idea doesn't mean you should. Paul said that to him all things were "lawful," but not necessarily "helpful." And, keep in mind, when you represent an employer, free speech has its limitations.
For each of us, we can make sure, as ambassadors for Christ, that our message is clear, and it is delivered in the right way - that can include tone, circumstances, and other factors - we want what we say to be taken correctly. We can also seek to be good messengers - if our actions or other words contradict what we are saying, then we become a discredited messenger.
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