Driving in the Fog: An Advocacy Metaphor

Recently as I was driving to work I was surprised by the fog in-between the towns along the way. After a long, dry, often hot summer, it reminded me that the weather is changing and one aspect of fall driving in the Northwest is fog. We hear a lot about the hazards of winter driving, but honestly when we have a snow or ice “event” most people around here just stay home. What you hear less about is the danger of driving in fog. Experts suggest a number of things we can do to improve safety when we have to drive through fog. After reading a number of these lists of safety tips and driving directions I have discerned a metaphor…that may help us as advocates and ambassadors for Christ.

Advocating for/with others is in many ways like driving in the fog.

In any given situation, we may not know everyone’s backstory or cultural conditioning. It also seems that we rarely hear both sides of the story, or systemically analyze all the contributing factors. Our understanding of the situation is actually far more limited than we realize. Sometimes when we might not know what to do, we follow others who seem to have a clue. Unfortunately, they might be just as blind as we are. In such situations, our hurry to do something might cause more damage than not doing something. Let’s take a look at the common safety suggestions for driving in the fog, but let’s be thinking about how our advocacy could benefit from such an approach.

Slow Down

The consensus “#1 fog-driving safety tip” is to slow down. As the range of our vision decreases, so does the time we have to react and adjust to curves, cows, and other cars. We will also need to keep an eye on the speedometer since “we may lose visual cues as to how fast we are going.” This is true for ministry leaders as well as for driving. In seasons of cultural fog and reduced understanding of what is going on and what lies ahead, we need to slow down. Just as driving into a ditch or running into another car won’t get us where we need to be any faster, so too our rushing ahead with our plans without asking the hard theological “Why-type” questions will not save us time in the long run…and may be quite dangerous.  If we are going too fast we risk collisions—even with those going the same direction who might have been our greatest allies.

    “The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer,
         but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.” (Proverbs 15:28)

    “Before destruction a man's heart is haughty,
         but humility comes before honor.
    If one gives an answer before he hears,
         it is his folly and shame…

    The one who states his case first seems right,
         until the other comes and examines him.” (Proverbs 18:12-13, 17)

Use Our (Low-Beam) Headlights

It is important to make sure your headlights are on in foggy weather for two reasons. First, we want to see where we are going. Second, we want others to be able to avoid running into us. However, our temptation when visibility is limited is to turn on the high-beam lights in hopes of seeing farther. However, with low thick fog, this will actually impair our vision as the light is reflected back off the fog into our eyes. High beams also make it harder for other cars to see where they are going. The low-beam headlights will not reflect as much glare back into our eyes, nor blind other drivers.

This high-beam temptation is like when we think too much of ourselves and our opinions during a time when we do not have a clear picture of our context or the path forward. Such confusing times come to us all, perhaps more frequently than we would like to admit. However, when we begin to consistently apply the Word of God to the situation we should be able to make slow steady progress. The Bible teaches that we are not to think too highly of ourselves…for pride, like high beams can tend to make us blind to potential dangers as well as endangering others. Instead, we are challenged to consider others more highly than ourselves, to bear one another’s burdens, and to follow the low-beam attitude of Jesus Christ as described in Philippians 2:3-11,

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Use Fog Lights… If You Have Them

Some vehicles are equipped with special fog lights that are low to the ground and are designed to better reveal the lines on the road and not add to the glare in your eyes. Such lights help us to find our way not by seeing a mile down the road, but by helping us to see the next few yards. King David wrote, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105) The type of oil lamp this refers to doesn’t provide light to see far away but gives illumination for us to see where to place our feet and take our next steps. In times of fog, we need to stay in the Bible allowing it to illuminate not only our path but the condition of our heart (James 1:22-25; Heb. 12:12-13).

Follow others, but not too closely

Just as drivers in foggy conditions might “be tempted to drive more closely to the car in front of you to keep it in sight” the advocate can begin to rely on the experience and methodology of another, the preacher can become reliant on podcasts of other preachers instead of developing a listening ear for the contextual clues the Lord gives when we slow down and listen. It helps to have mentors and inspirational people that speak into our lives and ministries, but following too closely without being able to see the road for ourselves may end up with both of us in the ditch (Matt. 15:14).

There is one person to follow closely in our fog and that is the Lord himself. As we draw near in prayer and in reading his Word, the Bible, he will lead us and turn the darkness to light.

And I will lead the blind

    in a way that they do not know,

in paths that they have not known

    I will guide them.

I will turn the darkness before them into light,

    the rough places into level ground.

These are the things I do,

    and I do not forsake them. (Isaiah 42:16)

Turn On the Wipers and Defrosters

Always use your windshield wipers and defrosters in fog to help you see and reduce glare from the headlamps of oncoming vehicles. Sometimes we don’t notice that our vision is not as clear as we think until the lights of another car reveal it. Running the defroster will clear the fog on the inside of the window and the wipers will help clear the outside. In this part of the country, the wind usually scours out the fog but it is in times of cold and calm that the fog thickens. Similarly, a kingdom advocate should regularly allow the Holy Spirit to blow the internal fog away and wipe the outside in honest confession and repentance in response to the Scriptures. It is the internal fog that makes us ineffective and unfruitful.

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. (2 Peter 1:5-9)

Roll Down the Windows

Some say that if you roll down the windows, at slower speeds you will be able to hear what’s happening around you (if you turn your music down), which is important when your visibility is reduced. If you hear any suspicious noises—such as squealing or crunching—safely brake and pull to the side of the road. If you have a passenger, rolling down their window may help them better see the fog line and edge of the road. It is all about using all your senses to help stay on the road and avoid hitting others who may have stopped. As ministers and advocates, we will need to be spiritually attuned "watching in prayer" and not merely mentally engaged (Eph. 6:18-19; 1 Peter 5:7-9).

Follow the Fog Line (the Right-Side Pavement Line)

When visibility is reduced, use the white line on the right-hand side of the road to guide you. It is natural for our eyes to be drawn towards the lights of oncoming cars, but we must resist this for it impairs our vision once they pass and it will tend to draw us closer to the oncoming traffic. The fog line is on the right side of the road for just such a time as this. When we are unsure of the future, remember the clear boundaries for our lives and ministries that the Lord has given to us. There are lots of Biblical lists that are very clear, and then there is Colossians 3:17 (look it up) which, if understood, basically says that Jesus’ attitude, character, and teaching should be the fog line of our life. The question is not, “Where did that car in front of me go?” but “Where does that white line say I should go?” 

“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 

 Let all that you do be done in love.” (1 Cor. 16:13-14)

Don’t Stop On the Road

One of the most annoying things about winter driving in Portland is that when it snows, or there is ice on the road, hundreds of people abandon their cars right in the middle of the major roads. This is crazy, right? At least in the brightness of our light snow, you can usually see the stopped cars, but in the dark fog, stopping on the road can be disastrous resulting in being rear-ended and causing a multi-vehicle accident. Some of the largest and most tragic freeway pileups happen in fog or smoke. Experts suggest that if we have to stop that we pull over to a safe area, completely off the road, and turn on our hazard lights.

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, 

for in due season we will reap, 

                          if we do not give up.” (Gal. 6:9) 

In advocacy, as in all ministries, we should not just quit and walk away for that will potentially harm us and others. Better to consider the needs of others and get out of the way and wait until we can, in faith, move forward again (Gal. 6:2).

Turn On Your Hazard Lights

If we need to pull off the road, multiple sources remind us to “turn on your emergency flashers or hazard lights.” We need to do this “so other drivers will know you are parked and won’t try to follow you.” There are times when we just need to be honest and say, “Don’t follow me…I have no idea where I am going!” Such an attitude is much better than leading other people into a ditch.

It is not a cultural value for ministers to admit that they can’t see and need to “pull over” due to either the fog of changing culture, the dust of swirling circumstances, or the blinding smoke of systemic burnout. It may take courage to pull over and turn on the hazard lights, but it is an act of kindness and is helpful to others. When was the last time we stopped and let Jesus advocate on our behalf?

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. (1 John 2:1)

No Road Rage

Is there impatience or hate that has crept into our advocacy? It is easy for this to happen. When we are dealing with people who have been objectified or oppressed we may begin to desire the worst for their oppressors; yet if our love for one person turns into hate for another, then we are in a blinding fog and don’t realize our own danger.

“But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” (1 John 2:11)

Few things could be scarier than to continue in such self-deception as that which Jesus called out in the Laodicean church, “For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” (Rev. 3:17) Instead, may we cry out like Bartimaeus, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” (Mark 10:51).

Bringing It Home

Simple advice for driving in the fog is remarkably applicable to the life of an advocate whether personal, governmental, through a non-profit agency, or even in a church setting. Go slow, assume that you see less clearly than you think you do, communicate well with others both about what you are doing and what you are not doing, ask for help, don't neglect the spiritual dimension, stick to your core values, and don’t be afraid to pull over and wait for your vision to clear.

Darwin, Dawkins, & the Darkness in my Soul

This post is an assigned response (in a course on Christian Advocacy) to Social Darwinism, Richard Dawkins, and Down syndrome by Paul Louis Metzger 

In his post, Dr. Metzger treads dangerously close to the swamp of misunderstanding by writing semi-favorably about Darwin and Dawkins. He could be misunderstood by those on either side depending on their biases. However, in the process, he makes one very good point. He writes,

Why all this fuss on the need to understand Darwin and Dawkins on their own terms?

Charles Darwin

Generally, conservative Christians do not show much love for Darwin or Dawkins. Still, we need to practice the Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12) and do to others what we would want them to do to us. We should try and interpret their claims in keeping with their intended aims rather than with how we might wish to interpret them for partisan purposes, just like we would want others to interpret our positions as we intend them. Take for example the accusations and misperceptions of others concerning the early church, where the church’s critics falsely claimed that Christians were engaged in cannibalism and orgies in their love feasts. Such accusations and misunderstandings hurt the church’s witness. Conservative Christians who take seriously the Golden Rule yet who are critical of Social Darwinian thought should be especially careful about not distorting the positions of others, including an atheist like Dawkins. After all, Christians committed to biblical absolutes don’t believe anything goes for the sake of the survival of our particular Christian species.

Do we interpret the claims of those with whom we disagree “in keeping with their intended aims” instead of how they best fit into our talking points? I hope so. Metzger’s appeal to “the Golden Rule” carries more weight than we might want to acknowledge. As with the freedom of speech and the freedom of religion, there needs to be equality under this rule. We need to exegete their work within their actual context no more, no less.

While I disagree with many of Darwin and Dawkins’ presuppositions, conditions, and conclusions I see no need to demonize them. We should live by an ethic such as that tweeted recently by Glenn Burris, "Never express hate on behalf of the God of love."
I would do well to consider their stories, to listen to them in their own words, to hear their own stated purposes. In addition, I am thankful for the added understanding of their positions that Dr. Metzger's post supplies… but in the end, Darwin’s theory and available evidence fail to adequately answer questions about the transitions of “life from non-life” and of one species to another (macroevolution). Dawkins’ utilitarian approach to morality is also inadequate in caring for the marginalized and powerless…for whom a utilitarian ethic—no matter its root—will always bring oppression and further powerlessness.

I appreciate my friend Becca McMartin’s comment on the original blog,

While Dawkins' utilitarian standard of happiness sounds good at first, it seems to create more problems than it solves. What is happiness? How is it judged? Who decided? Is it possible to predict the amount of happiness and act preemptively? Is happiness really the point of life? There are no easy answers.

It seems that...

Richard Dawkins

• One man replaces God the Creator with time and chance and hopes for the best. 
• The other replaces God the Judge with his own subjective matrix of happiness and suffering and judges as he feels fit. 

Both academic considerations are tragic and have led to untold suffering through the application of their ideas to policies and processes that have real-world consequences. Yet, to be honest, are we any different? Do we not all too frequently do the same things in our own hearts and lives? Do our closet motivations and classroom ideas come with significant collateral damage for others?

• Do we call God Creator and then treat resources—both environmental and human—as though they were our own possessions?
• Do we speak of a Righteous Judge and a Coming King, yet sacrifice the happiness and increase the suffering of others for the sake of our own comfort and convenience? We are inherently selfish, and apart from a completely hedonistic motive might settle for a utilitarian approach that validates our collective ego and those in power rather than truly valuing everyone. But to set aside our own happiness for that of another is indeed a challenge.

I hope not, but know that too often this is the case. In our hearts, we turn away from God and seek to build a framework to sustain us in our darkness and rebellion instead of abiding in the love of God. Sometimes it is in a macro (very public) way, and other times it is in a micro (private and internal) way. No matter, the darkness is shockingly real. 

Be appalled, O heavens, at this;
    be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the Lord,
for my people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken me,
    the fountain of living waters,
and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
    broken cisterns that can hold no water. (Jeremiah 2:12-14)

Yes, I am thankful for this opportunity to better hear others’ thoughts in their own words. But even more, I am thankful for the opportunity they provide for me to search my heart for where I manifest such fallen thinking and actions…so that I might repent of my hewing and seek God who alone is good to all.

The Lord is gracious and merciful,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
The Lord is good to all,
    and his mercy is over all that he has made…

The Lord is righteous in all his ways
    and kind in all his works. (Psalm 14:8-9, 17)

And without faith it is impossible to please him,

                for whoever would draw near to God 

must believe that he exists

              and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)