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Moral Man and Immoral Society
Reinhold Niebuhr, a brilliant 20th Century American theologian, wrote a book called Moral Man and Immoral Society. Groups, he argues, are notoriously selfish and have limited capacity to step outside of their own interests and see the world from another group's standpoint.
The television commercials have already begun for the November campaign; already I am sick-and-tired of them. Not only do both political parties bear false witness, but they seem incorrigibly opposed to honest cross-aisle conversations. We have a bundle of problems: an unpopular war that nobody wants to discuss, flawed entitlement programs that are going broke, and a 'financial cliff' hovering at year-end. Our politicians for the most part are decent, caring, hard-working, moral people - but in groups they are notoriously selfish and govern without the capacity to see beyond their own agendas. Year after year, we send moral people to Washington and year after year we have a failed government - go figure.
We are in trouble. We don't listen to one another. As Atticus Finch, in Harper Lee's classic (To Kill a Mockingbird) said, we need to step into other people's shoes and walk around in them.
The result is that I don't know that it makes a whole lot of difference who I will vote for in November! And I am surprised to see myself write that last sentence.
Do you see a way for us to go forward?
In faith,
Pastor Tim
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