In the sermon this morning, I referred to a TED Talk video by Megan Phelps-Roper, a young woman who grew up in the Westboro Baptist Church. I thought her comments were very appropriate given the tenor of public discourse. Notice that, as Hurricane Harvey was wreaking havoc on the Gulf Coast, the divisions of race, religion, sexuality, and politics seemed to fade away into a humanity focused on the common good. Her advice is to “abandon your scorn” and engage in the following four points when engaging people who see the world differently.
- Don’t assume bad intent
- Ask questions
- Stay Calm
- Make the argument
Two of the scriptures for Sunday building upon this:
The audio of the sermon is available here [listen]
Epicurious Lutheran 