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Clip 3 — begins at 46:18
Jeff Wright: Gentlemen, what I want to ask you about right now is the volatility we’re experiencing in our country between Christians. Those who are so divided by their political views that they may view friendship even within the context of Christianity as difficult to do. And now you’re asking something that some would view as even more difficult. You want me to go cross-cultural when I don’t agree with the other Christian’s politics?!? What do you have to say about that?
Clarence Shuler: Well, I think for a lot of Christians, unfortunately, they have blended their politics with their faith, which makes it really, really dangerous. And I think when our politics become more important than our faith, and being right, or our perception being right, and then the other person becomes the enemy, nothing for that to happen is almost impossible.
And so our book really is not — is non-political. It’s just talking about what the Bible talks about: building these friendships. You know, Matthew 28, verses 19 and 20 says go and do what? Make disciples of who? It says all nations. And so we — it’s not selective. And so I think when we do that which would occur in our relationship, then I think those things are possible. But if we’re always getting angry based on our politics, trying to make you believe what I believe — if you don’t believe what I believe, you’re the enemy — then I don’t think it’s ever going to happen.
Gary Chapman: You know, I think we’re basically in a verbal civil war —
Jeff Wright: — a verbal civil war —
Gary Chapman: — where if we disagree with someone, whatever it is, politically or otherwise, we do everything we can to defame them, get them fired from their position, or whatever we can to destroy them. It’s exactly the opposite of what Christianity’s all about. Christianity is about trying to take people where they are, help them discover a relationship with God, and go on to become whatever God intended them to be in life. And it’s tragic! I mean, I want to weep, sometimes when I just hear the way this group puts this group down, this group puts this group down — and a lot of it is political; there’s no question about that. But the reality is, we’re people! You know! And we’re going to destroy our culture by killing each other verbally if we don’t come to grips with this. Particularly as Christians — we’ve got to take the lead in this, and recognize [that] we don’t have to agree on a whole lot of stuff. But as Christians, we agree on some fundamental things, and one of those things is relationships with people with whom we disagree and people who are unlike us, racially or culturally.
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