April 2008

Dear Reconciler Family,

            “The revelation of controversial comments made by the longtime pastor of Senator Barack Obama, and the equally hot aftermath from the general public that led to the junior senator from Illinois delivering a strong speech/sermon on race in America has opened anew the explosive connection between three of the most volatile issues today.  If a poll were taken, there is no doubt that race, faith and politics would be the most emotional”—CNN Contributor Roland S. Martin.

            In spite of all the rhetoric and emotional arguments that we see in the media daily on these and other issues, it’s comforting to know that the answer is fairly simple, though the application of the answer can be more difficult: “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12).  If we practice love we realize that a “soft answer turns away wrath” (Proverbs 15:1).  We also realize that we “can all get along” despite opposing viewpoints.

            I’m encouraged by the results of a survey taken recently by American high school students, published in the March 2008 issue of The Journal of American History, on the top ten list of famous Americans.  It was conducted between March 2004 and May 2005 of 2,000 high school juniors and seniors in American public schools in all 50 states, based on a Sam Wineburg and Chauncey Monte-Sano survey.  The results follow:     

            Amazingly, a large number of white students chose blacks among the top three!  I believe that a lot of this has to do with good fair-minded, clear-thinking teachers from the baby-boomer era in particular, including whites, blacks and other ethnic groups.

            God bless the day when we will all be able to look beyond race, faith and politics and truly love one another!  Thank you for helping to advance this love.

Curtis May