Rhetoric Matters
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. --Proverbs 15:1 There aren't a lot of gentle answers today, are there? Our politicians, our news & entertainment media and our social media conversations and posts are filled with outrage and vilification. People who disagree with us, aren't just wrong, they are evil. And not evil in a Biblical sense that they have fallen short and are in need of redemption, but evil in a sense that they do not deserve the dignity or respect due their position or their humanity. In the wake of the recent shootings in El Paso and Dayton, we find ourselves asking the question again: "What could we have done to prevent such a tragedies?" Maybe nothing. Maybe there was such evil in the heart of these individuals that no matter our actions, they would have still found their way to take revenge on people they deemed worthy of death. However, at the same time, I can't help but believe that the rhetoric o