Balancing Jay

One soul ponders Jay Phelan's writings.

Jay Phelan pens a regular article, Markings, for The Covenant Companion, the Evangelical Covenant Church's monthly magazine.   Dr. Phelan is President of North Park Theological Seminary.

I respect Dr. Phelan (we've never met).  I appreciate the way he challenges my thinking, beliefs and conclusions.

But sometimes I feel he doesn't adequately address the reasons behind some of my beliefs. So I'm compelled to respond: to scrutinize, add perspective, and challenge. To bring balance.

The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him. —Proverbs 18:17

Thanks for visiting. Click on comments at the end of an article to give me your two cents—or balance me!

Monday, June 13, 2005

Red and blue (June, 2005)

Jay gives us a very personal glimpse at his own family as he dissects the "Red State/Blue State" rhetoric.


There is more to my parents than the caricature of Red State fundamentialist. And there is more to many others I love and respect who would be called "Blue State liberals." People are always more rich and complicated than simplistic labels.


I hope the Covenant will continue to be that place where Red State and Blue State people can meet in love and conversation. I hope we will not demonize, scapegoat, and name-call, but listen. Perhaps very few will change their minds--but perhaps "enemies" can embrace. Perhaps we can each humbly acknowledge to the other that we don't have all the answers.

Amen.

By The Scrutinator, 6/13/2005

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

This month's editorial is awesome. He's right...I'm mean left....anyways...I heartily agree with what he wrote. It's next to impossible to have a healthy political debate these day, and I hope the Covenant will continue to cherish diversity within unity. Had to laugh at all the hub-bub he caused in the letters to the editor. He definitely makes the Companion a must read each month in our home.

9:32 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home