Conservative Christians told to ‘be nice’
Scores of Arkansans gathered in Little Rock this month for a Christian worldview conference organized by the Arkansas-based Family Council.
The two-day Foundations of Truth Summit featured a number of local and national speakers.
Joseph Backholm, senior fellow for biblical worldview and strategic engagement at the Washington-based Family Research Council, spoke about “What it means to have a Christian worldview.” Owen Strachan, provost and research professor of theology at Grace Bible Theological Seminary in Conway, focused on “Empowering change: Equipping the pastors and leaders.”
Worldviews are neither new nor exclusive to any particular group, according to Jerry Cox, the Family Council’s founder and president.
“Every one of us has a worldview that we make decisions based upon,” he said. “We are urging people to look at the worldview part of life through a biblical lens.”
During the summit, Joseph Kohm, director of public policy at Family Policy Alliance and a Virginia lawyer, offered the audience tips on “taking action locally,” whether that be school board meetings or legislative hearings.
The alliance, founded by James Dobson’s Focus on the Family in 2004, works to influence public policy in states across the country.
“I have one upfront message for you all. It’s the theme of this session. You ready for this? ‘Be nice,’” Kohm said.
As he spoke, a photo flashed on the screen behind him of Patrick Swayze in “Road House,” a 1989 film about a head bouncer (Swayze) who stressed the need to “be nice” whenever possible.
A few in the evangelical Christian audience who had seen the movie chuckled knowingly.
For “the saints in the land” unfamiliar with the ’80s pop culture
reference, Kohm provided a more timeless source of truth: Proverbs 16:21-24. It states, in the English Standard Version: “The wise of heart is called discerning, and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness. Good sense is a fountain of life to him who has it but the instruction of fools is folly. The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious and adds persuasiveness to his lips. Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.”
Rather than offering tips on how to “own the liberals,” Kohm provided pointers on how to change hearts and minds in a way that is not only effective but Christlike.
“The last two years have shown that our public discourse
has taken a nose dive in terms of incivility, rage, mania [and] just craziness,” Kohm said. “This is a golden opportunity for Christians because this is what we are commanded to do. It’s the standard set [for] us by all the prophets, all the New Testament writers and advocates and by Jesus, especially. It’s a huge opportunity to live our faith and to show that we are the sane ones. It’s one of the best messaging lines we have.”
Giving sermons, he warned, won’t be an effective use of time, particularly when addressing a secular audience.
To drive home the point, he played video of an actual minister giving an actual sermon during an open forum.
The camera captured not only the preacher’s delivery but also the eyes glazing over in the background, a few heads shaking, faces grimacing.
Quoting the Bible is more persuasive, he noted, when the decision makers in charge revere the Scriptures in the first place.
While addressing a school board, “I’m going to encourage you to be judicious about how and when you bring up your faith, if at all,” he said.
Speakers are often limited to just three minutes. “You want to make that time count,” he said.
Also, he encouraged people to address the points the opposing side is raising, rather than shooting holes in arguments that haven’t been made.
Given the state of today’s public discourse, “there are going to be people that come in here and act like idiots. There’s just no other way of saying it. On both sides,” he said.
Be someone who lifts the level of public discourse rather than lowering it, he urged.