Charles E. Gutenson is a church consultant and former chief operating officer at Sojourners. His most recent book is Church Worth Getting Up For.
Posts By This Author
Gun Talk
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SO YOU WANT TO HAVE a chat with someone on the other side of the gun control debate, but you’re worried that it could quickly go south, descending into interminable and acrimonious debate. Well, fear not! Here are a few simple guidelines that can help avoid that outcome.
1. Resist false dichotomies
There are a wide range of positions that Americans hold on issues related to gun control. Polls consistently show that most gun owners support some degree of gun regulation. Similarly, few of those who choose not to own a gun believe that, therefore, no one should be allowed to own a gun. Given this, why does the debate so quickly deteriorate to: “You and Obama wanna take my guns!” on the one side and “You folks just don’t care about the gun violence epidemic!” on the other? The first step toward mutually respectful dialogue is to get rid of the false dichotomies.
2. Don’t caricature the other side
It’s an unfortunate part of our everyday discourse that we often attempt to dismiss our opponent’s position by creating an absurd caricature of it. You know the drill. Someone makes a sympathetic comment about gun regulation and the response is: “Oh, so you want to repeal the Second Amendment!” This sort of caricature avoids serious engagement with the issue by recasting it in terms that exaggerate or misrepresent the other’s position. Serious engagement on this issue, or any other, for that matter, requires careful attention to what the person actually says. Resist the temptation to cheapen the discussion by caricaturing the other’s position.
Who Hijacked My Church?
Illustration by Janusz Kapusta/Getty Images.
“Church folks are just too political!”
When people are asked why they have decided to leave the church, this has become an increasingly popular response. And, sadly, it is a particularly popular response for those in the 18-29 year old demographic. That we Christians have allowed ourselves to become too political and too partisan is a major contributor to the decline of the church.
Partisanship and its corrosive effects are not a new thing to the culture at large. However, more and more that cultural partisanship is infecting the church and gnawing away at the bonds which are supposed to hold them together. In the process, the church gets hijacked and redeployed for partisan ends, leaving those expecting better from the church disappointed.
Christians and the Common Good
Taking the Bible Seriously
Too often we try to make scripture fit our own agenda, rather than the other way around.
What We Need is More Killing!
Political Meltdown
Glenn Beck: Does He Really Matter?
Glenn Beck as Theologian
The Family Research Council, Wolves, and Shepherds' Clothing
In a recent Family Research Council e-mail, in an article titled, "Rev. Wallis: Wolf in Shepard's [sic] Clothing?" Tony Perkins aligned himself with Fox News commentator Glenn Beck's recent attacks. Perkins said:
Anonymous Generosity: Go Into the Closet and Do in Secret
Absurd Health Insurance Premiums Renew Calls for Public Option
Book Sales, Best-Seller Lists, and Why They Matter
Yes, this is an unabashed request for you to buy a copy of Jim's new book, Rediscovering Values, but let me take a minute to tell you why this is so important to our mission and work at Sojourners.
Why Caring For Others Can’t Be Just the Work of the Church
A popular argument amongst political conservatives goes like this: while they grant that Scripture requires concern and care for the poor and marginalized, that concern is one to be addressed by in