Tuesday, February 20
A dialogue...
I’m a big fan of ESPN Radio, especially Mike & Mike in the morning. Even though Knoxville is ‘anti-ESPN’ (It has to do with Peyton Manning not winning the Heisman Trophy…don’t ask) I am finally able in the last few weeks to listen to Mike & Mike, Colin Cowherd, etc. on 1180 AM each day, at least during the daylight hours.
Last week one of the biggest stories in sports involved two former NBA players, John Amaechi & Tim Hardaway. One recently came ‘out of the closet’ to reveal his homosexuality (Amaechi), and one came ‘out of the closet’ to reveal how he feels about the issue (Hardaway)
Last Wednesday, Hardaway said the following… "I hate gay people and I don't like to be around gay people. I am homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States."
My point of this post is not to necessarily talk about Amaechi/Hardaway. It’s to point out how Mike Greenberg addressed the issue the next morning on Mike & Mike.
He was great. He spoke not about the issue of homosexuality but of the issue of hate and responses like Hardaway’s. How Amaechi’s declaration has done many things, not the least of these being opening up a dialogue about a multitude of issues. He emphasized the fact that when you open yourself up to dialogue you open yourself up to discussing every angle of any given issue. He went on to focus on the idea that dialogue is an amazing thing and an incredibly difficult thing all at the same time and in some ways, you should expect responses like Hardaway’s when you begin a dialogue.
The word ‘dialogue’ is defined this way: A discussion between two or more people or groups, esp. one directed toward the exploration of a particular subject or resolution of a problem.
Ultimately, when I think about Crossings being a place of people finding their way back to God I think that in many instances it begins with a dialogue. An in many ways, our Sunday gatherings are one door to open up a dialogue about God and faith.
Some will look at the ‘idea of dialogue’ as a compromise of the Truth. I don’t. My resolve to the Truth of Jesus and the Scriptures is stronger and more powerful than ever. Because I believe in the midst of all the talk and all the that the Truth always rises to the top.
Mark Nelson at 10:29 AM 0comments