The Conversation Starts Now

What is at the root of the culture wars – the divisive posturing and the Us versus Them mentality that has pervaded America so visibly in recent years? I don’t know, but two years ago I decided to find out. I was amazed by my own ability to turn neighbors into enemies over issues large and small. As I became more aware of how comfortable I was being separate from “the other” I began to suffocate. And to be honest, “the other” had grown into an embarrassingly large and diverse group including those almost identical to me save for some insignificant disqualifying flaw like quoting Bill O’Reilly or insisting that President Bush is “evil” or preferring the American TV version of  “The Office” over Ricky Gervais’ cringe inducing British version. Yeah, I was in a downward spiral of moral superiority.

Bottom line, I didn’t know how I sounded to others and, surprise, I didn’t even know how others sounded at all. I wasn’t listening. I scrambled through the teachings of Christ searching for acceptable reasons for me to dismiss those annoying brothers and sisters in my life and, uh-oh, I came up snake-eyes. Turns out there is a lot in the Gospels about how I am supposed to behave and I wasn’t doing much of it.

Now, my response to this newly acquired burden may not be your response but I offer it up as proof of God’s grace and the power of His Truth. My response was to start a conversation … with anyone who was willing to have one. I wanted to know if others had been struggling like I had been. Was it even possible to converse in a respectful, kind fashion on issues of faith and country?

I started my little experiment with five simple questions:

1) How do you think the world began?
2) Where do you think you’ll go when you die?
3) What is something that Christians are known for?
4) What is something that Jesus Christ is known for?
5) If Jesus returned today do you think he’d vote Republican or Democrat?

Then I stood back and listened. You would have been as amazed as I was. The willingness of people to engage floored me. If people believe you are willing to listen to them, and that you are not merely lying in wait to shout them down with your opinions, a conversation is possible. I spoke with young and old, meek and bold, obnoxious and gentle, intelligent and earnest, those who agreed with me and those who didn’t – and I have to tell you, I was transformed. Just being able to connect in a simple conversation seemed such a positive first step to closing this abyss that can separate us from others.  How can we love our neighbors as ourselves – as Jesus inconveniently tells us to do – if we’re not even willing to talk with them, to attempt to understand who they are as fellow children of God?

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you that when I had these engaging, enlightening conversations with total strangers on the street I was dressed up in a white painter’s jumpsuit plastered with bumper stickers representing competing ideologies. Oh, and I had a film crew with me and I was making my documentary film Lord, Save Us From Your Followers. And I’m not suggesting you need a bumper sticker suit to talk to people. Start with your co-workers, friends and family members (I know, right?) and try having a conversation instead of winning the argument. The conversation is available to us if we want it.

As further proof, we’ve been invited to screen our new movie at the least religious college campus in America, at suburban mega churches, hip urban churches, Ivy League schools and even The Today Show where a producer told me, “We don’t usually do anything with religion because it just makes everybody mad.” But it doesn’t have to if we choose outreach over outrage. The conversation starts now.

No Comments »

Nobody has shared their thoughts about this article yet. Be the first by filling out the form below and joining in the conversation!

Commenting is not available in this section entry.