A Call to Character and Proper Protocol
Originally published:
In his General Orders of 2-May-1778, George Washington noted that there is a higher calling to that of being called a Patriot, and it is that of being called Christian.
Part of being an observer and student of history, we need to learn among other things to observe reactions, cause and effect, protocols for different environments as well as where Divine grace tends to give a hand.
What is most evident through all this is, is this…
humility always begets respect which always begets honor
Which is something many of our founding fathers, but not all, adhered by, even when dealing with the Church of England, the very bastion of their discontent along with King George.
It can be easily observed that most of those that didn’t follow this protocol in the Colonies ended up becoming turncoats, giving their allegiance to ‘a’ king instead of ‘the’ King.
This protocol of being humble when addressing, or talking about, a man of God was observed even when they disagreed with the viewpoint of such.
Washington’s own notes are full of such protocols and he addressed his grievances directly with the person as opposed to being public about it.
Today?
That righteousness has been replaced with being right, and many times at any cost.
Both the Bible and secular history provide ample examples
of what happens to those that are critical of any man of God,
especially publicly,
no matter how misbehaving a man of God may be.
The relationship between David and Nathan and the protocol David used whenever in Nathan’s presence are probably the best example of the observance of this protocol.
All this means whether a man of God’s critics are left or right, Christian or not, breaching that protocol does not and will not fare well for the offender.
Something that would be wise for all to remember in this day where righteious character, for the most part, seems to be second to being right at any cost.
If a man of God is mistaken on his viewpoints and research, this will become — and truthfully is becoming — evident.
What is being overlooked and mostly ignored is the grace at which most men of God will to correct himself…
And what is being amplified is the criticism to which his work is incorrect without even conferring with the offender privately in the first place.
To that end, I will not support such actions by honoring these critics any of my time into their research, no matter how right they are — that does not mean however what they share is not of value.
As Aldous Huxley so succinctly summed it up,
“The end cannot justify the means,
for the simple and obvious reason
that the means employed
determine the nature of the ends produced.”
We don’t need to be replacing Progressive and callous means with means that are just as unrighteous as well as self-righteous…
What we need to be doing is raising the standard to which we debate as well as live.
This includes social platforms where the cream of the crap loves to hide behind the wall of anonymity…
Qualifying our resources is just as important as qualifying our information…
Whose voice they listen to, who they consider to be a hero, and whose counsel they seek will tell us more than they would care to admit.
Differentiating those that strive for perfection from those that want to be owned by perfection always help us separate the rice from the chaff.
As for the critics of any man of God, they should be strong enough to talk with them, even on air, though proper protocol calls for this to be done privately — any lack of humility towards by a man of God towards his errors, as well as his character, is a red flag for the wise…
And the wise would best observe and note what is happening and focus elsewhere, all the while praying for an enlightenment for those in need.
