Some Wise Words

This from Bishop N. T. Wright, who has endured much criticism from the blogosphere, not that he minds criticism, but he minds misrepresentations, gossip, and slander from those who hide behind the anonymity of the internet. I find his words worth pondering:

It really is high time we developed a Christian ethic of blogging. Bad temper is bad temper even in the apparent privacy of your own hard drive, and harsh and unjust words, when released into the wild, rampage around and do real damage. And as for the practice of saying mean and untrue things while hiding behind a pseudonym — well, if I get a letter like that it goes straight in the bin. (Justification pages 26, 27

It is too easy to type in a passion and hit ‘send’ or ‘post’ without thinking that what you have written impacts a person on the other end. I know. I’ve done it and regretted doing it. Bad temper is, indeed, bad temper, and it is ill fitting to human beings, much less to Christian human beings.

The Rare Grace of Humility

Public figures caught in the wrong normally are able to string together a few words which sound like an apology, but aren’t. To say, “I’m sorry if I let the public down” or “I’m sorry if anyone was offended” is not to take credit for an offense. To say, “I’m sorry if…” is to leave open the possibility that one did nothing offensive in the first place. Better far to say, “I’m sorry that I did this, and I ask your forgiveness for it.” That is to own it.

Frank Gehry is an architect who spoke recently at an event called the Aspen Ideas Festival. James Fallows who was in attendance at Gehry’s presentation commented publicly on Gehry’s response to a questioner, a response which seemed to be unseemly.

Gehry’s response to Fallows is printed here, and concludes with the line “I apologize for offending you.”

What do you think? Does this make the cut? Does it reflect the sense of humility and ‘owning wrong’ which is part and parcel of true sorrow for wrong?

If so, learn from it, and with your spouse, children, family, and friends, go and do likewise.