Civil Conversation

On Being Podcast
Krista Tippet has been doing a series a shows on how to bridge the gap from liberals to fundamentalists. Her approach is unique in that I don’t think she comes out completely with her own beliefs. She expresses concerns, or says she has been thinking about something for a long time, then lets the guest give their point of view. This non-confrontational approach can be frustrating sometimes because the interviewee can easily avoid clarity. For the careful listener, who is willing to do some follow up, what it does accomplish is to demonstrate their lack of substance.

In this interview, Richard Mouw uses a passage from Jeremiah about “seeking shalom” in the city where he finds himself in exile. You need to search a bit because most Bibles use “peace” or “welfare” instead of “shalom”, but read Jeremiah 29:8, the passage immediately following that one, telling Jeremiah not to listen to those same people. Not sure how that jives with “seeking shalom”. The rest of Jeremiah is considerably worse, with God telling of the curses and killing that he will be doing.

I’m pretty sure Krista knows this. Unfortunately if you don’t do the follow up, you could be left with the impression that this guy is really trying to find reconciliation. Kind of like going to church on Sunday, but skipping the Bible study. He is obviously more liberal than many evangelicals and the show is a decent overview of the divide that exists within that denomination. Although I appreciate the approach that On Being is attempting, in the end I’m just left unimpressed by this guy and with little hope for true civility.