Bootstrap wrote:I suspect I am just as against homosexuality and abortion as you are. I tend to get labelled as old-fashioned or really pious or out of touch, not as militant and radical. Over time - usually a long time - some people strongly disagree with me on these things have come to acknowledge that I am treating them with love. So far, that hasn't changed their minds. I'm not convinced that contempt would change their minds either.
For what it's worth, I don't view you as soft on those things and appreciate your stance on them, even if it's not a loud, militant stance.
But the unfortunate reality is that there's very little space to have much of a discussion with people who use those things (particularly gay marriage and acceptance of transsexual lifestyles) as litmus tests of if someone is bigoted / radical / militant / violent. And that's simply the space that most of the left wing occupies now.
I don't think we can compromise on either righteousness or love. I don't think there is room for contempt in our righteousness. I don't pretend that I always get this right in practice, but I try to live this way.
I don't think so, either, which is why I think we're best off focusing on what we should be doing. Instead of speaking against militancy and anger, focus on "you must love your enemies" and "do good to those who persecute you". There is really no way a sincere Christian can argue against those things from scripture.
It does require recognising that much of the world simply is set up as our enemies (both on left wing and right wing) and that we have to find some way to love and do good back.