Devout Christians and thoughtful people of all worldviews are aware that there is genuine conflict between good and evil in our world. At the same time, these forces find their way into human hearts and we see contradictory impulses in ourselves and others. Compassion for the downtrodden can devolve into control over too many areas of life. Freedom can become anarchistic hedonism. And good and evil are often veiled by political ideology and impulses toward power.
Hypocrisy is an ugly trait. It is one thing to fall short of one’s ideals and humbly aim to do better; it is quite another to profess virtue while willfully doing the opposite. It is not hypocritical to fail at times, if there is repentance and resolve to improve. It is hypocritical to present oneself as a paragon of compassion and then recoil when called upon to act in accordance with one’s ideals.
About 1,960 years ago, The Gospel of Matthew was penned, offering collections of the words and works of Jesus of Nazareth. Central to all the teachings presented are the Beatitudes found in Chapter 5. They constitute foundational dispositions and disciplines for followers of Jesus the Christ. One of these pithy and profound sayings is found in Matthew 5:9: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” The “blessed” (happy, to be congratulated, under divine favor) actively pursue peace (concord, harmony, end of conflict, enemies becoming friends).
In such volatile times, prudence is a special virtue. The moment the words gender and sex are used, accusations start flying and anger overtakes reason. In this essay, I am going to share some principles for a new civil consensus on sex and gender issues, especially in public education and public square debates.
If we managed our family checkbook like the federal government, we would all be bankrupt. It is one thing having deficit spending in wartime or particular crises. It is quite another to simply print money, sell T-Bills and leave $30T for future generations to manage. It is immoral, unconscionable, and terrible economics. We have tried to be a warfare and welfare states since the 1960s and we must alter course.