Return Civility to Christian Discourse

Centrists / Current Affairs

Well, looks like a desire to change the tenor of our discussion is starting to spread:

“Dr. Frank Page, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, was elected as an outsider candidate partly because of his stance on turning down the rhetoric within the convention. The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, Katharine Jefferts Schori, has endorsed the same sentiments of stepping back for reflection and reasoned dialogue.

The movement started with the publication of a small booklet by Dr. Mitch Carnell, Say Something Nice; Be a Lifter. Mayor Keith Summey of North Charleston, South Carolina, declared June 1st of each year as Say Something Nice Day. The idea of a Say Something Nice Sunday is a natural outgrowth of that and a response to the hostility within religious groups. First Baptist Church where Carnell is a member took the lead quickly endorsed by the Charleston Baptist Association, the Charleston Atlantic Presbytery and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of South Carolina.”

I love the idea of a “Say Something Nice” Sunday. We ought to choose an appropriate liturgical event and do the same thing in the Episcopal Church too.

Read the rest here: Return Civility to Christian Discourse

The Author

Episcopal bishop, dad, astronomer, erstwhile dancer...

1 Comment

  1. I think civility is one thing. I’m not so sure about “nice”. Church folks tend to have a problem with “nice” even as we treat one another like garbage behind each other’s backs or fail to deal honestly with disagreements except by excising the one pointing or signifying a problem from the conversation. “Nice” is a part of our problem rather than part of the solution. Civility, on the other hand…

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