Editor notes
By Daniel J. Lehmann Civility coming
up a bit short Vitriol derails honest debate
T
ake a look at the “Letters” pages (48-49) in this issue. Things are a little different. As we did in the August issue, we included a “Picture this”
photo as well as a “My view,” leaving just one page for letters. There are a couple of factors at work.
First, letter writing appears to be a dying art form. For decades The Lutheran
received scores of letters (first in hard copy, now overwhelmingly via email). They were, more often than not, quite long and sometimes complex in the sub- jects addressed. It was a major task to wade through the missives to get the select few suitable for publication and edit them to a readable length. Then the Internet brought about at least two major changes: more venues to discuss topics of con- cern than just letters to the editor and an increase in angry content that renders a large number of correspondences unusable in a religious publication. Be it discussion boards, blogs, Facebook, reactions and opinions about topics
tackled in the magazine can and are discussed in other ways than letters. Disheartening, however, is the rudeness if not downright hostility found in
commentary directed at the magazine and the ELCA via email. Rational argu- ments increasingly give way to rants. It’s OK to disagree, and to say so. Exchang- ing ideas and debating the same are signs of a healthy community. What isn’t OK is one-upmanship and angry put-downs that have worked their way from current secular discourse into that of the church. Many have commented on the phenomenon of growing rudeness, even Sci-
entific American magazine. While its article in 2012 on Internet anger focused on virtual anonymity and thus lack of accountability, physical distance and the medium of writing (monologue vs. verbal dialogue), it went after another source of the problem: “Mainstream media have made a fortune teaching peo- ple the wrong ways to talk to each other” through programming that stresses con- frontation and aggression. “People understandably conclude rage is the political vernacular, that this is how public ideas are talked about. It isn’t.” The piece concluded that communication is about taking someone’s perspec-
What isn’t OK is
tive, understanding it and responding—civilly. That’s not to say The Lutheran is perfect. We do, by inclusion and omission,
display our biases. I hope we keep those to a minimum, but no amount of assur- ances will please those who see our lapses as intentional and lambaste the maga- zine in no uncertain terms. My predecessors lamented letter writers’ negativity in their day. It is a part of
the job I will not miss when my duty here is done. In the meantime, we’ll keep the letters and other content as encouraging and respectful as possible.
4
www.thelutheran.org one-
upmanship and angry put- downs that have worked their way from current secular discourse into that of the church.
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Editor Daniel J. Lehmann
lutheran.editor@thelutheran.org
Section editors Julie B. Sevig Congregations & Community
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The Lutheran magazine belongs to the people of the ELCA in all our diversity. The magazine: • Nurtures awareness of Christ’s presence in our lives and the world. • Shares stories of God’s people living their faith. • Connects us with the global Christian community. • Provides an open forum for discussion. • Challenges us to bring God’s grace and care to all.
MICHAEL D. WATSON
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