Greg Koukl:
If you’re placed in a situation where you suspect your convictions will be labeled intolerant, bigoted, narrow-minded, and judgmental, turn the tables. When someone asks for your personal views about a moral issue—homosexuality, for example—preface your remarks with a question.I like where Greg goes with this but it only goes so far. Backing someone into a corner intellectually is probably important in many cases but for each person that finds themselves unable to argue out of the predicament you have placed them in, would they also say that you love them?
You say: “You know, this is actually a very personal question you’re asking, and I’d be glad to answer. But before I do, I want to know if you consider yourself a tolerant person or an intolerant person. Is it safe to give my opinion, or are you going to judge me for my point of view? Do you respect diverse ideas, or do you condemn others for convictions that differ from yours?” Let them answer. If they say they’re tolerant (which they probably will), then when you give your point of view it’s going to be very difficult for them to call you intolerant or judgmental without looking guilty, too.
This response capitalizes on the fact that there’s no morally neutral ground. Everybody has a point of view they think is right and everybody judges at some point or another. The Christian gets pigeon-holed as the judgmental one, but everyone else is judging, too. It’s an inescapable consequence of believing in any kind of morality.
We should be able to defeat false ways of thinking but in the process carry ourselves with such a winsomeness that those who disagree with us will walk away saying that we really care about them and not just about being "right".
3 comments:
Is someone who is trying to paint you into a corner going to necessarily recognise that love?
Maybe, maybe not, but at least our starting point should be to carry ourselves in such a way that it could be recognizable.
If I “have not love, I gain nothing”
If the situation calls for a softer approach, maybe one could say something like this before answering:
"You know, this is actually a very sensitive topic and I’d be glad to answer, but before i do, i just want to make sure that it's safe to answer if i were to have a different view than you...”
Post a Comment