Dixie Divas: A scolding that turned into a scalding

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Boy, can people be mean. I’m thinking

particularly of a reader named Samantha, whose scolding of me turned into a

scalding.

By the time she was finished with her vicious tirade, I was

skinned, boiled and over cooked. It didn’t make me mad, though. It didn’t even

hurt my feelings. It made me sad. Real sad.

She wrote to point out a factual error I had made in a column

about the King James Bible when I said it was the first English translation. I

was wrong and I apologize for my mis-information. It was not the first English

translation. The column, though, was not about that, it was about the

commonality of phrases we use today that comes from the King James Bible and

the beauty of the language. It mainly was a whimsical piece, entertaining more

than anything. It was not a scholarly piece. Most of my columns aren’t.

Oh, but did she get riled up. She wrote two pages and the

longer she wrote, the meaner she got. One of the kinder things she said was, “I

pray that people will stop worshipping a translation and start worshipping

God.”

A few sentences later, she continued, “God didn’t send his

son to die for the English-speaking people. He sent his son to die for all

people of all tongues.“

I understand. But I can’t read Korean or Italian so I have to

read the English versions. I certainly wasn’t espousing the King James Bible to

be the final word in international Biblical translation. I even own a NIV and

NLT and a couple of others but I prefer King James.

But here’s what makes me sad: This is how a “Christian” acts?

Maybe it’s just me but it certainly didn’t seem to be good public relations for

Christianity. If I weren’t rooted deeply in the ancient principles and

teachings of the Bible, if I didn’t already have that commitment in my life, I

wouldn’t want any part of a religion where someone talks to another person like

that over a mistake. A Biblical mistake.

It made me think long and hard about the smart mouth I have

sometimes. But my problem tends to come in one or two sentence tart come-backs

or a tone that can be somewhat sharp. I don’t do mean, lengthy, condescending

sermons. And I especially would not do it when representing myself as a person

of faith.

Here’s the trouble with some Christians (I said “some”, not

“all”) is they believe that the authority of the Word of God gives them the

authority to annihilate those who do not share their exact same beliefs. Wrong.

The Word of God commissions those who believe to go forth with love and

kindness to friends and enemies alike. It tells us to stand brave for what we

believe but “be ye kind one to another.” We can disagree civilly.

As you might expect, the majority of my friends and family

are people of faith and like-minded values. But two of the best friends I have

in the world are not Christians yet they are two of the finest people I have

ever met. I love and admire both greatly.

Both are men of integrity, ethics, moral uprightness,

compassion and kindness. One, particularly, has given away millions of dollars

to help those less fortunate and he has never turned his back on anyone in

need. Once a man, who had double crossed him in a business deal, was in

financial dire straits. My friend, the non-Christian, called up and asked, “How

much do you need? I’ll send you a check today.”

Back to Samantha. I responded briefly to her to say what I

said above. And you know what? She proved she truly is a Christian. She humbled

herself and asked sincerely for forgiveness of her unkindness.

Now, if the rest of us could just practice the same thing.

Ronda Rich is the best-selling author of There’s A Better

Day A-Comin’. Visit www.rondarich.com to sign up for her weekly newsletter.

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Dixie Divas: A scolding that turned into a scalding

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