Transpartisanship

I just recently saw the word 'transpartisanship' in an article in Utne magazine. It's a term used by Michael Ostrolenk, a licensed psychotherapist and 'center-right' conservative. He is president of the Transpartisan Center which hosts conversations between people of various viewpoints. It is an attempt to talk about different politcal points of view without having shouting matches. Ostrolenk says we have too much in way of character attacks in political arguments. We need a more humanizing process of discussion.

He sees our shouting matches as a symptom of fear that happens when our institutions are falling apart. In this situation, people tend to "go tribal, to surround themselves with like-minded people."

I agree. I think fear is at the heart of our present Town Hall Meetings fiasco. There is a lot of paranoia out there these days. The election of a black President and the anxiety produced by our economic woes tend to bring out the fringe groups and those who feel close to them. Paranoia shouts or slumps. What is needed is neither shouting nor slumping, but rational discussion without personal attacks.

From my point of view, paranoia is connected with the fundamentalist mindset. Fundamentalists tend to stir up fear and catastrophize. The end of the world or some such crisis is always just around the corner. Big Brother or big government is always the Bogeyman. Paranoia blurs reality.

The Greek word for 'repentance' is metanoia. And what we need is for metanoia to overcome paranoia. Turning to God takes away paranoia because love overcomes fear (see 1 John 4). The more we come to know that we are loved, the less irrational fear we have. Love begats love. Fear begats fear.

I believe we need good, strong debates about health care and foreign policy and theology, etc. But a civil, reasonable tone is more helpful than shouting one's fears.

I'm not against gun ownership. But carrying a gun into an emotional situation is not helpful. Sure, it's our right, but we do not have to act on every right in every situation. Carrying a gun into a hyped up meeting is not a smart use of one's rights.

To transcend partisanship does not mean that we don't hold strong views or stand up for our views. It means that we treat each other as human beings; and that we each acknowledge the limits of our knowledge. Wisdom admits ignorance. Even in the church, we need to watch out for the temptation to arrogantly 'read God's mind.' Yes, we have the Scriptures. But none of us has a perfect understanding of the Scriptures. Only when we forget our humanity do we end up like the snake--"Go ahead, eat the fruit--then you will be as gods."

If we've already eaten the fruit, let's spit it out.


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