This is the last of a three-part series. Click here for Part One, which lays out Parker Palmer's description of how we "kill" people. Part Two talks about how anonymity fosters killing. More than a decade ago, as I was just beginning to imagine shifting from “lawyer” to “pastor,” a fellow layperson dared to say some true words that I’ve never forgotten. He said I must pay more careful attention when someone spoke to me. “What?” I said (because I hadn’t been listening very well). He explained that sometimes, when he was speaking to me, it felt like I was distracted, … [Read more...] about The People I’ve Killed: the church as a no-kill zone (Part 3 of 3)
killing
The People I’ve Killed: never read the comments (Part 2 of 3)
This is Part Two of a three-part series that will wrap up next week. Look back at Part One for how Parker Palmer said we "kill" people. Stay tuned as we continue this conversation about the people we’ve all killed lately, and how we might stop. The anonymity that allows us to “kill others off,” as Parker Palmer puts it, is never more evident than in the comments posted on the web. It happens on news reports about strangers, and even on each other’s social media sites, within much smaller degrees of separation. With my work at the prison, I read a lot of news … [Read more...] about The People I’ve Killed: never read the comments (Part 2 of 3)
The People I’ve Killed (Part 1 of 3)
This week’s post is Part One of a three-part series that will continue over the coming weeks. Stay tuned as we continue this conversation about the people we've killed lately. If that imagined mini-trial at the pearly gates is real, mine will surely include the following exchange: Saint Peter (well into the interrogation): And did you love your neighbor as yourself?Lee: Yes. I tried, anyway.SP: Your permanent record says you spent a lot of time with those women in prison.L: Yes, by the grace of God, I loved them a lot.SP: You did pretty well with your … [Read more...] about The People I’ve Killed (Part 1 of 3)