no food fight
in the presence of my enemies
The Japanese theologian Kosuke Koyama, who died in 2009, tells us, “The table that God prepares for us culminates in the eucharistic table of the Lord. This sacrament is the ultimate symbol of God’s hospitality, demonstrated in full view of the enemy.” I don’t care who we consider our enemy to be. When we dine together at the table “prepared by the very life of God,” enemies become friends.
We (amazingly!) find it within ourselves to reach out to those we once considered repellent.
The above thoughts are from a sermon I preached on Psalm 23. “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.”
I noted whoever “we consider our enemy to be.” I wonder, how willing are we to listen to our enemy? How willing are we to think our enemy has something constructive or meaningful for us to hear? As for “those we once considered repellent,” I trust that really is past tense. How often do we hear statements — when we don’t know the source — we might consider on its own merits? And then… And then when we know who said it, is automatically accepted or rejected? That is a form of the ad hominem (“to the person”) argument, in which a position is judged on the basis of who proposed it.
I must confess my own participation in those fallacious assessments if I deem the one producing them to be “repellent.” That’s been especially true in the world of politics and the media.
Is it possible for the government to create such a body which would, deliberately or not, serve that purpose?
The Disinformation Governance Board, started by the Department of Homeland Security, seems to fit the bill. Among others in Congress, Representative John Katko from central New York, noted for his leadership in bipartisan behavior, has raised serious concerns about the activities of this agency.
The DHS website describes the Board as “an internal working group” to monitor disinformation such as Russian interference in elections, human trafficking, and international criminal organizations. It is difficult to oppose targeting those bad actors! Still, once the foot is in the door… The nebulous nature of this group has earned it — fairly or unfairly — the nickname, “The Ministry of Truth,” from George Orwell’s 1984.
Being labeled as a security risk really depends on one’s definition of “security.”
When we break bread at the table of the Lord, no one is suspicious, and no one starts a food fight!
