Histrionic Grace
We’re experiencing a goodly bit of hot, hurt feelings via email and around our blogging circles about one Ms. Nancy Grace and her journalism. She said that she had been doing some “research” on the Churches of Christ and invited a Baptist minister to expound on her efforts. She baited him into characterizing the Church of Christ in broad strokes as a cult, as exclusive and theologically backward.
I’ve written elsewhere that I think she’s a sensationalist hack and that surely most mildly critical viewers would recognized the shaky pillar of her research.
Even so, I’m reminded of one of the great injuries suffered on our Lord. More than physical torture, more often than death, more often than humiliation, Jesus was misunderstood. He was misunderstood by His rivals, by His best friends, by His family and by His church ever after. As a finite writer who is often misunderstood, I fight the constant urge to explain, explain and explain to petulant readers and students and congregants with vehement agendas. We want so badly to be understood clearly, yet Jesus suffered constant, nagging, irritating, caustic and ubiquitous misunderstanding. He countered the misunderstanding without more rhetoric, but with much love and action.
I’m reminded of a quote that Michael Card attributes to one of his mentors, as he complained about the injustice of contemporary life, business, industry and chronic misunderstanding:
“Let the excellence of your work be your protest.”
If we want to convince Nancy Grace and her loyal Headline News audience that we’re not what she thinks we are, then we must show it and prove it, in love and compassion and power and strength and real grace, not just rhetoric, outrage and apology.
UPDATE! From Mike Cope:
"This afternoon I was invited to go on CNN live tonight on the Nancy Grace show. Apparently someone tore into Churches of Christ as a cult–related to the shooting of Matthew Winkler. I couldn’t work it out timewise, since CNN couldn’t arrange a satelite feed in Abilene, so I think Rubel Shelly is going to do it. That’s probably much better anyway!"
I’ve written elsewhere that I think she’s a sensationalist hack and that surely most mildly critical viewers would recognized the shaky pillar of her research.
Even so, I’m reminded of one of the great injuries suffered on our Lord. More than physical torture, more often than death, more often than humiliation, Jesus was misunderstood. He was misunderstood by His rivals, by His best friends, by His family and by His church ever after. As a finite writer who is often misunderstood, I fight the constant urge to explain, explain and explain to petulant readers and students and congregants with vehement agendas. We want so badly to be understood clearly, yet Jesus suffered constant, nagging, irritating, caustic and ubiquitous misunderstanding. He countered the misunderstanding without more rhetoric, but with much love and action.
I’m reminded of a quote that Michael Card attributes to one of his mentors, as he complained about the injustice of contemporary life, business, industry and chronic misunderstanding:
“Let the excellence of your work be your protest.”
If we want to convince Nancy Grace and her loyal Headline News audience that we’re not what she thinks we are, then we must show it and prove it, in love and compassion and power and strength and real grace, not just rhetoric, outrage and apology.
UPDATE! From Mike Cope:
"This afternoon I was invited to go on CNN live tonight on the Nancy Grace show. Apparently someone tore into Churches of Christ as a cult–related to the shooting of Matthew Winkler. I couldn’t work it out timewise, since CNN couldn’t arrange a satelite feed in Abilene, so I think Rubel Shelly is going to do it. That’s probably much better anyway!"
posted by JRB at 1:38 PM
4 Comments:
Jeff, here's an interesting sidelight to this story. After wondering if I should be offended at all (is my offense growing out of too strong an allegiance to my tribe, or is it out of a concern for Christianity?), I went ahead and found Tom Rukhala and e-mailed him. I figured an e-mail to the show would do nothing. So I sent a thoughtful and (I think) gracious response, asking his forgiveness if he has ever been treated shabbily by CoC'ers, and then a little about the autonomous and independent nature of the group, and that there are those attitudes out there, but they are a very small minority, and not representative of the whole fellowship at all. It was a piece of literature worthy of the greats, like Oliver Wendell Douglas or somebody. (Or even his pig, Arnold Ziffel, who was quite intelligent, by the way.)
Anyway, I sent it to him and to his sponsoring congregation (he's a missionary in Finland). I got no response, and a bounce back from his e-mail, but not from his sponsor. I sent another e-mail to his sponsor, asking him to forward the e-mail to Rukhala, and it went through okay. A co-worker also sent a nice e-mail to the sponsor, and got a response saying that this is not the same Tom Rukhala (It is, without a doubt, the same Tom Rukhala) The co-worker then sent another e-mail delineating our three proofs that it was the same guy, and asking for clarification if we have misunderstood, and THAT e-mail bounced back--undeliverable!! They've actually canceled the e-mail accounts instead of taking responsibility for the statements!
Quite humorous, to be sure, but it sort of shows the mindset of our accusers. I say just let it go....
In the interest of fair play, and to not be accusing anyone of anything unethical, I will let you know if this situation changes. Unitl then, that's my story, and I'm stickin' to it.
I wrote another post about NG tonight after watching the show.
When it does come time for CNN-HN to yank her from the air, it won't be because of the consternation of a few wierdos that are the CoC cult. It will be because she is a poor interviewer and host.
Keith Olbermann is now beating her for viewers in that timeslot among 25-54 year olds.
Nancy Grace is quite possibly the worst person in the world. I wouldn't be suprised if she eats puppies and kicks grandmas.
Hmm, I wonder if that was too much.
She was on GMA this morning talking about child porn trafficing on the internet. Unfortunately, I think she made me more sick than the topic at hand. (Note: the topic at hand made me EXTREMELY sick.)
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