Something good seems to be coming out of the controversy caused by Rep. Todd Akin's (R - Mo) comment that liberals hate God. (See my last posting on the Akin controversy [
here]). According to an editorial posting entitled, "
Liberalism rooted in faith, celebrating diversity," by the Rev. Kevin Cameron, a resident of Rep. Akin's district, Rep. Akin is planning to meet privately with a group of clergy concerning that remark. Cameron writes,
"I am confident that people labeled conservative and liberal share many of the same core values. The question, then, is not about how much we differ and what we should call one another, but about how we can move calmly into potentially difficult conversations rather than being stuck on the things that separate us.
"I am delighted and encouraged to be part of the group of interfaith clergy who have been meeting, emailing, planning ahead so that when we do sit down with Mr. Akin, we choose our words wisely and faithfully. We do not want to offend, ostracize or disregard. We know what that can feel like. We do not want to draw more lines in the sand but want to draw the circle wide."
The posting is dated yesterday, Friday, July 15th. Given all of the rhetoric that's gone before, this is an unlooked for development. May it lead to better understanding. Amen.
