CIVAL DISCOURSE–SURVIVABLE?

WHEN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT Emily Jashinsky wrote about the death of Charlie Kirk, she asked the question, “Can civil discourse survive in an era of escalating political violence?” An excellent and thought provoking question. I wish I had an answer for her. (I never read her total response because I would have had to pay money to see it all. Too cheap, I guess.) 

From my first good job after high school (one I was on for 6 months and was let go because they knew I didn’t fit in banking,) I was very aware of “political discourse.” A discourse is a formal but singular conversation, either oral or written, upon a certain and specific subject in which all parties seem to be knowledgable to their purpose. 

In that particular job for several weeks leading up to the election of John F. Kennedy as President in November of 1960, I worked in the Trust Dept. of an Indianapolis bank. The department was made up of 10 men of varying levels of financial expertise as concerns trust: I knew nothing, all the way up to Licensed CPAs and the 11th man, a 30year experienced banker. 

One man was a young Democrat and quite proud of it; two men would hardly ever invoke themselves at all; one was a German immigre, and me, who knew nothing except what my Dad had said. The rest were vehement Republicans—6 of them. In those days one had to be 21 to vote, so I was not courted as to get my vote for VP Richard Nixon. John Kennedy was very popular in the Republican held state of Indiana, so the “hotshot” Democrat lost most arguments. Nixon won in Indiana, but Kennedy won the presidency.

Each day in the trust dept., we had time for discussions about politics. There was much vehemence! There were many fuming-walk-aways! But, I never saw or heard of anything near a threat of danger in any form, just arguing the points made. Of course, being outnumbered, the brash young Democrat lost most days, but he never declined to get involved—he came for the fight every day. My witness of it was just that—they all knew I couldn’t vote and so never tried to get me to side, one way or the other. It was a good seat at a fair fight.

The next exposure to politics was about 4 years later when I met and spoke with Lee Hamilton as he was running to become my U.S. Rep. He showed up at our work-place to talk with us (the employees in all the stores of a shopping center in Columbus, IN.) He won that election in 1964 and was a Democrat in the House until the end of 1999.

Lee was in favor of liberal spending and national debt found no place in his discourse. I questioned him about the foreign policy spending of (then) President Johnson and he asked me which I thought should be stopped. I fumbled a retort back about some Southeastern Asia spending and he said, “But, Jerry, doesn’t this seem to you to be the “Christian”  thing to do?” I didn’t know what to say, so since his opponent never came around, I voted for him. Many times over the next 17 terms of office he held I wished I had not. But, I was not informed enough to give a discourse-able amount of information to either assuage his popularity or even cause one person to change their mind and vote against him. He won Columbus, IN, a republican city, by a landslide. 

When Nixon lost to Kennedy in 1960, he told the press he was going to go to California and that “they,” the press, wouldn’t have him “to kick around any more!” Most people who read that wondered when or where he had been kicked around. But, after Johnson was elected in 1964 and seeing as how he escalated the war in Vietnam, when Johnson announced he was not going to run in 1968, Hubert Humphrey became the Democrat selection and bang! Then, here came Nixon to be the Republican opponent! He knew he would beat HHH, because his louder, bolder and more politically savvy discourse would just plow Humphrey into the ground. And it did, Humphrey was too nice a guy to win. No fighting, no squabbling, no dirt, not even the dirt Nixon had accused the press of previously.

Nixon finally ended the Vietnam debacle but not without a nation wide rapid descent into argumentative discourse which left some going after Nixon and virtually waging war against him till they won and he resigned. Civil discourse took the hit. Looking forward from the 1976 elections to today, it is hard to remember Civil Discourse.  There was some in each election: 76, 80, 84, 88, 92, 96 (both of the last 2 even had a strong 3rd party candidate), 2000 got rougher, 04, 08 first black President, and 12. All of these had fits and starts of less and less civil tongues. So looking back, from Nixon’s resignation to today Civil Discourse has been under attack. Such attacks never start on an even keel. They must by nature build to a loud crescendo and fault into outright Civil Disobedience. The horribleness that we just suffered with the painfully saddening death of young “Voice of discourse for the future” Charlie Kirk shows us Civil Disobedience.

The day John Kennedy was shot and the day Charlie Kirk was shot created in me the exact same emotional condition. So terribly saddened, and yet so vehemently angry that such a thing would happen — both emotional upheavals — why did I see these two things in my time here on earth!? I cannot explain what this feeling is. It is a foreign, yes, alien feeling in me. I want: I don’t know what. Should I be able to express this better? Should I rage at somebody to do something? Should I just beat down this feeling to let it die in my heart and mind? Or should I find a better Civil Discourse to spend my time on? I don’t know, oh my, I just don’t know. 

My Bible tells me who is the lover of chaos. It is Lucifer, the “god of this world” and the “liar, and the father of it.” He is also know as “the prince of the power of the air,” a phrase not often mentioned of him, but clearly in Ephesians 2, and yet a power so obviously being used against us today! He is known in Bible language by 17 other names, all of which represent a certain edge of chaos in people’s lives, whether they be children of God (saved people) or children of the wicked one (lost people.)

So, he is the kingpin of all the chaotic issues between people. Question is, can we stop his attacks? No, the bible clearly shows that his demise comes about one day and we’re just not there yet. Might be today, might be 40 years, might be another 1,000 years. It isn’t our plan. It is the Lord’s!

I am so very thankful the Lord Jesus Christ is in charge of the finish of our faith. (“Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”) How He said He would finish it, He will do. We praise His name for the plan! And we want it right away.

Thanks for reading, the Elder