Ils ne comprennent pas

The phrase is Latin and it means, "they don't understand." I get so frustrated by the self-righteous. Brennan Manning says this, "Two curious phenomena dapple Christian life in America today. The first is our tendency to criticize more than compliment...the target may be the national government, the local police force, or the coffee shop waitress. It matters little. The focus is on the limits of reality, on what a person or institution is not. Shortcomings and character defects are cause for celebration because they allow us to feel superior and even noble." The evidence is everywhere. Read any overly harsh critiques of Rob Bell's new book? Every heard this: "They're a good writer/teacher/leader, BUT...(insert negative comment here)." Ever heard anyone say anything good about Bill Clinton without a qualifier? Anyone jump at the chance to gleefully poke at Pat Robertson? (to understand the full self-depreciating nature of this comment, you probably need to read this previous post.) I stand convicted, and resolved: to praise more, criticize less, and when I do need to speak out, to do so in the most graceful way I possibly can, and to always assume that other people's motives are as pure as my own! Thank you Brennan Manning for speaking deeply into my soul! (The extended quotation is from the book The Importance of Being Foolish: How to Think Like Jesus, in the chapter entitled, "A Heart of Forgiveness."