May is Arkansas History Month. Like our nation and every family, there have been good times, really great times, times of tragedy and times of misguided thinking. There have been courageous men and women that have been leaders in their homes, churches, businesses and politics.
While it is helpful to look back and remember the past, there is always the temptation to make the past the highest point in our life. Joan Chittester wrote, "We can become fixed in one place and fail to move on beyond that moment."
One such Biblical moment was when the people on the desert walk with Moses came to him and bitterly complained about the menu. Forgetting that they were slaves and their daily ration was gruel, they had confused Pharaoh's menu with their own. They cried out for all the meat and vegetables they could eat at every meal. That wailed for the good ole days that never were.
Our God-given responsibility is to honestly tell our life stories to current generations. "They look to us for wisdom, for courage, for proof that life in all its forms is not only a possibility but is wonderful" (Chittester).
Two of the honest and courageous Arkansas leaders were Senators J. William Fulbright and John McClellan. Both Democratic senators were elected shortly after World War II and for 30 years they served their country. They placed America's interest above that of any party affiliation. Both of them are said to have worked hand-in-hand with members of both parties and the current president, be he a Democrat or a Republican. They did not always agree with one another, but they never resorted to name-calling or worse. They provided important leadership in their home state and supported the rise of such business giants with the last names of Walton, Jones, Hunt, Tyson, and Cooper.
Beginning in 1950, Senator Joseph McCarthy began his infamous red-terror rant, seeking "the Communist under every bed" -- hearings that destroyed the lives of many patriotic Americans. It was McClellan, supported by Fulbright, that led the walkout by the Committee that ended the inquiry and resulted in the censure of McCarthy.
Today, younger generations are looking to us for courageous leadership in the name of our loving God. We must look at one another as neighbors and "walk out" on all those angry, bitter voices that seek to dehumanize faithful Americans. There is a ninth commandment that warns us about lying, and false witness is still a sin, even for politicians. In recent years, this practice is called "Limbaugh" after the radio shock jock that is infamous for creating such names as "fema-Nazis" as a demeaning reference to any American-woman activist. Donald Trump has taken up this practice by crafting dehumanizing names like "Lying Ted."
In a recent newspaper article, the Rev. Lowell Grisham quoted a prayer written by William Sloan Griffin. "May God give you grace not to sell yourself, grace to risk something big for something good, grace to remember that the world is now too dangerous for anything but the truth and too small for anything but love."
Amen. Amen.
• • •
Ken Parks is the former rector of St. Theodore's Episcopal Church in Bella Vista. He can be reached by email to [email protected]. The opinions expressed are those of the author.
Religion on 06/15/2016