UM Men
INSIGHTS
Disputes can be settled without violence and hatred By the Rev. Walter Albritton
The media remind us daily of the abhorrent political divisiveness that exists in America. The division is so ugly that one wonders if “a more perfect Union” can be achieved in our lifetime, though the hope for it does persist in the minds of many peace-loving citizens.
A lesson from the 18th century Political dissension, however, is not a new phenomenon in America. Historians remind us that our first president, George Washington, was so “bruised and disillusioned” by his critics that he said to a friend during his second term in office, “No man was ever more tired of public life, or more devoutly wished for retirement, than I do.” Washington spent an inordinate amount of time “refereeing” the fierce and continuing quarrels between two of his cabinet members, Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. Each man was the primary spokesperson for the two major political divisions of that era and constantly vilified each other. The good news is that America slowly became a great nation despite the schism that threatened to throttle the birth of a new nation. Somehow, men and women of goodwill found a way to let unity prevail. Perhaps this can inspire hope that men and women of our day can resolve their differences and work together in the pursuit of “a more perfect Union.”
The Rev. Walter Albritton is pastor emeritus of St. James UMC in Montgomery, Alabama.
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A lesson from the first century An inspiring story in the 15th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles provides an example of how disputes may be settled amiably for the common good. There arose in the church in Antioch a dispute about circumcision. As more and more Gentiles began embracing Christ as Lord, some of the Jewish converts insisted that Gentiles could not be saved unless they were circumcised. This resulted in a sharp dispute in the Antioch church so they sent Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem to seek a solution from the apostles and elders. In Jerusalem the matter was hotly debated. After much discussion, Peter got up and pled with the
