The lost art of civility

In 2007 on the Fox News Channel, Bill O’Reilly and Geraldo Rivera went head-to-head in a debate over the deaths of two Virginia Beach girls, the result of them being hit by a drunk driver who was an illegal alien. The confrontation between the two men is now legendary as they heatedly shouted down each other with fingers aimed in faces.

This example, I believe, is indicative of a growing problem in our nation. We have grown so divided and so suspicious of those who are on “the other side,” that we have largely lost focus of the issues, centering more on inconsiderate taunts or the belittling of our adversaries. Terms such as “left-wing whacko” or “right-wing fascist” have become commonplace, and they ultimately get us nowhere in terms of achieving real social/political resolutions.

This is not the way people should be behaving in a civil society.

In fact, a dear friend of mine has grown so concerned with our divided and polarized culture that he has reached out to people from various political, racial and religious backgrounds to see if they can join hearts and minds in calling others to civility.

The result of this effort is The Civility Project – a collection of liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans, blacks and whites, and people of various faiths (or no faith) – who agree that even in sharp disagreement we should not be disagreeable.

The Civility Project is the brainchild of Mark DeMoss, president of the DeMoss Group, a public relations firm that serves Christian organizations and causes. Mark is a conservative Southern Baptist who is not timid in his viewpoints. Nevertheless, he believes those viewpoints should be offered respectfully and in the spirit of constant respect to those across the proverbial aisle.

In this effort he has joined forces with his friend, and early endorser of The Civility Project, Lanny Davis, a liberal Democrat of the Jewish faith and a longtime associate of Bill and Hillary Clinton. Two people could not be more dissimilar in their political views, but these men believe it is time for a new level of courtesy to come into play as the issues are debated.

Mark tells me that other endorsers of this project are persons closely aligned with President Barack Obama, while others worked for a Republican successor to President Bush.

“Our respect for one another and our debate with each other,” he says, “is marked by civility, and we simply want to encourage it across the country – and around the world.”

Mark is inviting people from all walks of life to take the Civility Pledge. It simply says:

• I will be civil in my public discourse and behavior.
• I will be respectful of others whether or not I agree with them.
• I will stand against incivility when I see it.

I see this as a biblical concept. Consider 1 Peter 2:17: “Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king” (NKJV). (Notice that this verse does not say, “Honor the king, as long as he’s a pretty good guy,” nor does it say, “Honor all people, as long as they belong to your political party.”)

I want to note that The Civility Project is not a call for people to surrender their personal beliefs or convictions, nor is it a call to limit free speech. It is simply an appeal to reason and respectful behavior among conservatives, liberals, moderates and all those in between as we debate and deliberate on the issues that face our nation.

If you are tired of the hostile and often petty social/political environment in which we find ourselves today, I encourage you to join me in taking the Civility Pledge by visiting this website.

In closing, I would like to employ the words of President Abraham Lincoln, which I believe can inspire us in this effort. Mr. Lincoln concluded his second inaugural address with these words: “With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan – to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves, and with all nations.”