THE NEWSPAPER INJUNCTION

Karl Barth, a famous and influential theologian of the modern world, once said that a preacher needs to preach with the Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other. In other words, one has to pay attention to the world and the word at the same time – and try to make sense of how they fit together.

So I would like to offer an opinion. It is solely my own. But I make it while keeping those two documents fresh in my mind.

 For the last three months I have driven some 22,000 kilometres across Canada to the Yukon and then across the United States from Alaska through to Maine. I have seen many things, but what I saw the most of is people. People with outrageous accents, people with many different skin tones, people who were rich, people who were poor, people who wore tank tops and people who wore cowboy hats. You get the idea…

What I also saw is that they all go to Tim Horton’s for a coffee, they all get a doughnut at Dunkin’s, they all seem worried about self image, and most cannot drive. In other words – there are very few things that make us different compared to the things that make us the same. I am not sure whether that is a newspaper or bible type realization; perhaps a bit of both.

But then I read comments on social networking about how Trudeau is ruining the world by bringing Syrians into Canada. Or I see news articles about how Britain is leaving the European Union. I listen to campaign speeches by Donald Trump. I see so much in the news about differences – about making sure we remember it is us versus them. Whether them is a different religion, skin tone, sexuality, or nationality… there always has to be a them.

I lived with a Syrian for a week in Ontario during June. He made me think that I need to re-think what nice, calm, and hospitable means. It was Ramadan and he was fasting, He was a corporate lawyer in Syria, and here he was working in the 35-degree sun putting up canvas tents for weddings while not eating or drinking, and still being pleasant and hospitable. I get angry when I skip breakfast.

 It was the same story over and over. I almost never met someone who was not just like me, and who was not happy and nice. And the people I met who seemed ornery, I am pretty sure it was because their dog just died, or someone else had treated them badly, or a whole slew of problems all of which I have too.

Wasn’t it Jesus who tried to help Jews, Samaritans, Roman’s and Greeks alike? Did he say to the Pharisees; no I will not heal you? Did he ever turn someone away? How about Paul who said that there are neither slave no free, Jew nor Greek, but all are one? Or the simple judge not lest ye be judged of my grandmother’s admonition.

I know that many, many people have weighed in around Brexit, Trump, Syrians and the like. I know that you have all heard the love your neighbour shtick. Even the there but for the grace of God go I statement makes most of us pause and think. But these columns have a specific audience. If you are reading them, you already are interested in religion and the faith. Perhaps you go to church or temple or synagogue. So I just want to remind you that we need to take the newspaper with a grain of salt. We need to take the Bible as a tool. We need to balance the reality of the world with the values of our faith. And we need to actually look at the people around us.

 We are all in this together