Larry King this Sunday morning, December 26, 2010, was discussing the ending of his twenty fine year career as the CNN “Live” show host. King said that he would miss the show but he had no regrets for the years invested. A factor in the decision to move on was the slumping rating polls over the last few years. The competitions in his time slot, Sean Hannity and Rachel Maddow, are admittedly more popular but King would not conform to the popular expectations of a cable show. “They are preachers not learners”, says King, who sees himself as a listening learner looking for a few life applications.
Preaching seems to be increasingly in vogue. There will always be a few of us arrogant enough to claim that they have the answers to life’s many challenges. Preachers of a multitude of denominational strips, cable personalities, as well as our politicians want their opinions heard but have little patience for listening. Career and financial concerns seem to occupy the same space in these quarters. The arrogant parrot with an increasingly popular lip-sync is squawking to gain an audience. Once established with a malleable audience, these birds become marketers of themselves in books, theologies, coffee cups, philosophies, politics, T shirts and paraphernalia.
Every preacher responding to the call of God is both a learner and a parrot. Every preacher needs a bit of both gifts and graces but the call to pontification seems to be the road more traveled. The parrots will protest that their motivations are saintly and are meant to advance a better faith, a better people and a better America. They claim that so many institutional demands are dumped upon the clergyman there is little opportunity to “own” a theology or a philosophy of life. Parroting the thinking of others allows focusing of available energies upon the immediate. The rational is understandable but shortsighted.
This is the long history of Christianity. Our time is different for no longer can we distort the Glory of God by dividing the people with sectarian hostility. The internet has transformed our human reality. While stumbling through a computer magazine in the doctor’s office, the truth of this new world was illustrated by an article entitled, “8 Things Killed by the Internet”. For the sake of a truth and a little humor they are: (8) Encyclopedia Salesmen, (7) Newspapers, (6) Bulletin Boards, (5) Video Rentals, (4) Faxing, (3) Yellow Pages, (2) Checks, and (1) Stamps. The steamroller of change doesn’t stop with these truths.
We are being forced by the internet to discuss life’s challenges in the broadest possible context. For the first time, all of us have the tool to be a part of any world wide discussion. This liberty does have an evil downside which is impossible to avoid. But even evil should be allowed to speak for all evil is in the eye of the beholder and there are no adequate filters. The parrots of every strip will also use the internet. The point is that the individual opinion of every person has an opportunity to be heard. No longer is “legal standing”, an appropriate degree or career path a prerequisite to speak. Free speech is finally here.
About now you are asking, what makes free speech good speech? When is speech worth listening to? It would seem the individual will have to answer that question. Politicians and preachers are not scientist’s and philosophers. Looking from the outside, the professional politician and the professional preachers commit themselves to parroting a narrow ideology or theology. This is not to demean their thinking for it has been layered by exposure to a professional mental assent. Very few politicians ever change parties let alone change to conservative from liberal or visa versa. People’s thinking stays fairly consistent.
Thinking speech is most able to engage our hearts and minds to focus on listening. Any attempt to communicate a universal truth based solely on dogma, the thinking of others, will squawk of parrot speech. As thinking amateurs we know of few voices that have blazed this trail. If we are looking for them, they have been with us and are here now but their voices are so very rare. Ronald Reagan was such a politician who broke the professional mold. As has been noted previously, C. S. Lewis did the same for theology.
What is unique about these thinkers is that they had a rational ideology or theology little influenced by parrot speech. One was an actor compelled to voice a common sense conservatism and the other was a writer and university literary professor compelled to voice a common sense theology. We amateur thinkers owe them a great debt. We are trying to think like you. Thanks.
G.Goslaw
Victorville, Ca
