Deus Caritas Est
Interesting op-ed piece today in the NYTimes written by a Catholic priest. He writes about the connection between love and truth as expressed in Pope Benedict's first encyclical. I've spent a lot of time pondering over the years how it is that we've come to the place where making a truth claim is considered inherently intolerant. What has really vexed me is the inconsistency of friends and colleagues who are intolerant proponents of "tolerance." Any statements even appearing to make universal truth claims are rejected out of hand because "all truth is relative." And yet that claim is to make a claim of universal truth. This op-ed piece talks about how the connection between love and truth allows truth claims to be made without our falling into a polarizing and warring fundamentalism. Sadly, I think that even if many of the "fundies" with whom I share many common theological understandings were to read this piece or the Pope's encyclical they still wouldn't have a clue. And neither would those whose teeth are set on edge with every breath breathed by a Pat Robertson or Jerry Fallwell.
posted by Wake of the Flood at 7:22 AM
1 Comments:
I love the fact that now I've even got you using the term "fundies." I'm spreading slang and joy the world over! :)
I particularly liked this passage from the editorial you linked to:
"It's worth noting that in the second part of the encyclical, Benedict says that the charitable mission of the church is informed by the belief that human and divine love are inseparable. This is why believers and nonbelievers can come together to fight poverty and injustice — and why the church can be trusted not to impose its social teachings on "political life."
It is for this reason that believers and nonbelievers alike should welcome Benedict's reflection on love. In a time when we are rightfully suspicious of the power of religion to stir violence, Benedict has sent a clear message: No one has anything to fear from a God who is love."
I read recently that a VP at Focus on the Family said something along the lines of "Most evangelicals today are much more the issues of marriage and family," when asked why his organization was not more concerned with poverty and injustice, and I was so saddened by his response. The focus on issues like gay marriage and abortion (important issues on both sides to be sure) when one in every six American children lives in poverty. And while there are both secular and religious groups attempting to deal with these problems, they're being drowned out by the "culture war." I wonder how our political landscape would look if the most vocal members of any church today were more like Martin Luther King, and less like Pat Robertson.
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