Over the 4th of July Holiday weekend I had a chance to spend a few hours driving to Kansas City with an old friend of mine.  This friend is known in our circle of progressives to be somewhat of a conservative--her father is a Lutheran minister and she often spouts popular rightist propaganda without giving it a second thought.  In fact, she regularly takes me to task for some of my progressive/liberal ideas and challenges me to make a strong case for why I support what I support.  It is in these debates that I find myself strengthening my progressive views while further disdaining those of the right.  However, once in a while--as during the prolonged drive to KC--we found ourselves really delving into some deep theology.  Not just the surface crap that distracts us from true Christianity, but we jumped in with both feet into some very dangerous waters.  Our primary topic of discussion was predestination--does God have a plan and how does God get that plan acted out here on earth.  While I believe in a divine plan using humans to be the hands, feet and mouths to carry it out, my friend believes that not only is there a plan but there is an foregone conclusion.  She contends that God knows the outcome and we are just players.  I can not for an instant support this--but my reasons for this are not the purpose of this diary entry.  

Now, I know this is pretty heady stuff for a drive to visit old college friends, but I think it hints at part of the deepening divide in our culture.  The range of emotions that I experienced as I made my case--as I delicately danced around various dogmatic proscriptions--was overwhelming and somewhat exhausting.  Here I was traveling with a beloved friend and I the last thing I wanted to do was insult her and her beliefs.  And I could tell that she was being just as courteous to me--we have all grown so wary of even discussing theology (because of the enmity created by extreme views) that this sort of discourse even among friends becomes burdensome, even possibly not worth the effort.  Is this possibly one of the far right's agenda items?  That we don't even discuss theology?

So, my concluding thought is this--we must be brave and attempt to discuss even at the possible risk of alienation.  

Any other thoughts?  Am I making too much out of a "bull" session?  Are others having similar experiences?

Humbly yours,

Paul