06 10 12 What I Should Have Said

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,            1 Peter 3:15

It was one of those moments when I wished I had responded better. 

Steve Heimel, host of Alaska Public Radio Network’s Talk of Alaska, was bringing Jonathan Haidt onto the show to talk about Haidt’s new book, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided By Politics And Religion.  Haidt is a “moral philosopher” and an atheist.  Haidt believes religion developed as a natural, but accidental response to other evolutionary forces, but also believes that religion has served humanity well in developing moral codes that strengthen societies.  

Heimel asked me to sit in, because I am a part of One People-One Earth, an interdisciplinary group trying to make a moral case for a more disciplined effort to address climate change.  Heimel hoped to give focus to Haidt’s rather academic book by talking about climate change, and probably hoped I would add a counterbalancing voice to the conversation.

 At one point Haidt asked me a question, to which I should have given a better answer.  He asked me what I thought the role of religion is in society.  I don’t remember exactly what I said, but I know it was a rather lukewarm response that I was not happy with.  I am more familiar with responding to the question of why I am Christian, or what role Christians play in the world, than religion.  Asking about religion in general threw me off for a bit, and I am sorry.

What I wish had said is this:  The role of religion is to help people recognize their contact with the divine, and then to help them to live, both individually and collectively, as faithfully as they can.  As a Christian I have come to understand God most fully through the revelation that comes through Jesus, who is unique because he embodies the perfect, unified presence of both God and creature in one person.  In Jesus we see that God is engaged in history—the real happenings of life; and in Jesus we see that God is also at work through human faithfulness—through the real actions of the faithful.  The Christian religion teaches that God makes it possible for each person to really live well in the world—to make a difference—because of their relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

However, on live radio, one does not have time to carefully craft a response.  Because we were talking about the moral divide in politics and religion, I talked about how churches provide the perfect place for liberals and conservatives to be drawn into meaningful relationships, and to work out moral responses together.  I fully believe what I said, having worked on this very issue through Café Conversations and other efforts in churches.  However, I don’t believe I spoke well of the role of a living faith, and I am sorry.

1 Peter tells us to always be ready to give an answer for the reason that we have.  Matthew 10:19-20 tells us to “not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, ²⁰ for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”  In my case, I regret that I was not as ready for that question as, perhaps, I should have been.  My hope, however, is not in how quick I am on my feet in such situations, but in God, who is Lord of all things.  Indeed, God uses even our poor efforts to point people to the real and living hope, Jesus Christ, our Lord.