In Political Discussions, Could AT Give Some Attention to the Other Side?
26 April 2019 |
I want to commend you for taking on a very difficult issue in “Why Adventists Can’t Talk About Politics.”
Overall, I think that I agree with your main point. But there is a missing piece, at least from my perspective. So this letter is not intended to discourage you in any way from the good work that you are doing. Please KOKO!
Yesterday I was watching Fox News Sunday with a friend. In the first segment Chris Wallace was aggressively interviewing Rudy Giuliani, President Trump’s attorney. My friend, who is politically conservative, was uncomfortable and asked me, “Is Chris Wallace a Democrat?”
“No”, I replied, “he is a very good journalist. Wait and see how he handles the next interview.” The subsequent guest was a Democrat, Congressman Adam Schiff, and this time Wallace did his best to push him just as hard as he had the Republican in the prior segment.
It is that balance that I still find missing in Adventist Today. You have done a very good job again of listing President Trump’s sins, which are many; but why is it that over the years I have never heard the editors make the “Chris Wallace shift?” Is it because you have limited your political news sources so that you aren’t even aware of the other side? When you do venture into the “political sphere,” why do we only get Democrats’ talking points?”
May I offer a suggestion? You or one of your editorial team could do an article responding to the Attorney General’s recent testimony on 4/10/19: “I think spying did occur” and “I think spying on a political campaign is a big deal.” That could be a basis for addressing the concern which many of us have for the growth of government intrusiveness. You might even do an interview with Judge Andrew Napolitano, a highly respected Libertarian.
Perhaps the vast majority of your current readership is monolithically coming from the Left, both theologically and politically. However, I think it would strengthen AT’s base of support to broaden the tent a bit to include those of us who are more politically conservative. As you know, for quite some time I have found that to be missing. My 11/13/16 letter, which you have referenced in the beginning of your article, did raise a concern for AT‘s venturing into the difficult waters of political controversy; but I also attempted to make another point as well, which you still seem to be overlooking. I observed that during the 2016 Presidential campaign in America, nothing was ever referenced regarding Clinton’s many transgressions, only Trump’s.
Jere Webb
Eagle, Idaho
