Context is Everything.

Monte Cox said that to our New Testament Survey class in the Fall of 1993. My brother, Eric, says, "Language is the only game in town." Those pithy truths are two profundities that drive my epistemology.

As this election cycle intensifies, after following it for more than a year, engaging in the rites of debate and discourse, alienating and being alienated by friends and colleagues with different points of view and party preferences, I am getting worn out.

My beautiful wife stumbled upon an old friend's blog, probably the smartest individual human we have ever know, and with whom I am proud to have been censored by a eldership of the Lord's Church. Richardson has a link to an account of a conversation between two ministers in the emergent church movement and a pastor at a Reformed Baptist Church. The pastor insisted on talking about doctrinal, propositional truths and categories, a model modern. The emergents insisted on talking about relationships, friendships, social justice and the Ministry of Reconciliation, model postmoderns. Although they left the lunch in peace, they did not leave in accord or in partnership.

I am grateful for the piece and its lucid, stark example of many conversations we've been having with people we love and with whom we disagree this year. I am learning that we do not disagree on outcomes very often, although we very often disagree about the language, assumptions, propositions and processes we use to get there. We disagree but do not know why, and because we are speaking different languages, probably won't on this side of Jordan.

Thank God for his mercy to all of us ignorant, presumptuous human beings who are stumbling around in goodwill mostly getting it wrong. He must love us a whole lot.