Honest Conversation, part I

Happy Father's Day, PDX!

Well, it was yesterday, of course. Time to ponder this important role. And repair it. But on to the point.

My old military colleague plans to write a book. He lives in an upscale community on the West Coast, but his roots are in the rust belt of Pennsylvania. He's interested in social trends and what has happened to his place of origin: white flight, decreasing population, increasing poverty, increasing crime. He notes that so-called liberal interests have sought to bring low income housing to the area he now lives in but have been prevented from doing so by strong opposition (from folks like himself). He notes that the difference between where he now lives and where he used to live in PA is the absence of low income people of a certain race. He wonders "when we can have an honest conversation" about this without eliciting cries of racism.

I put on my thinking cap and replied with four questions for him to ask himself:

1. Whis is/are "we"?
2. What is conversation?
3. What is "honest conversation", as opposed to the dishonest variety?
4. What is my expectation of the conversation?

These questions made me think about them also. I'll share my thoughts tomorrow.

Shalom,

Pastor Roger