This Post Points to a Page
The purpose of my post today is to direct you to a page in the column on the right titled “Forgetting Reinhold Niebuhr”. I decided to create this page because Mr. Niebuhr was a powerful influence on my intellectual development, and thus he sheds some light on who I am. In fact, if you have had any ongoing conversations with me you will likely see shades of Niebuhr in things that I have said on any number of issues. Beyond how Niebuhr contributed to my becoming, I also thought this page, which is comprised mainly of an article written by Arthur Schlesinger, sheds light on the problems of Bush’s stance regarding “the war on terror.” Before you click the link, I would like to give you a brief word of warning: the page is somewhat lengthy. However, I also would like to give you a word of encouragement: the reading is well worth the time. If you have any comments, leave it on this post as I don’t think you can respond to the page.
Wrote the following comment on September 12th, 2007 at 7:55 am #
Either I’m having a blonde moment here Anthony or you had one when you wrote this post. 🙂
Wrote the following comment on September 13th, 2007 at 1:10 am #
Uhh… What?!?!
Wrote the following comment on September 15th, 2007 at 6:22 am #
This article highlights well the constant tension of what it means to be a Christian. We are both entrusted with the Word of God and called to genuine humility. We are called to live out and proclaim biblical values and to acknowledge our limited understanding of how these are to be lived out. I respect Bush’s commitment to his faith and his desire to see that faith lived out publicly and in his presidency. I am deeply concerned about his apparent lack of humility in doing so. On the other hand, while I respect those on the left who are humble in the sense of acknowedging that they cannot know the whole truth, I get fed up with the relativistic morality they end up with. I like the example of Lincoln. Clearly he lived out his value that slavery was wrong and could not be swayed from this position despite the horrific war that ensued. Yet it is clear from his inaugural address and other speeches/writings that he was a profoundly humble man, aware that he could never fully comprehend the mind of the Creator. May God give us the grace to have that same mind, walking that fine line between Truth and Humility.