By Deacon Greg Lambert

The philosopher and media theorist Marshall McLuhan. The protagonist, Alvy Singer (Allen), is arguing with a professor about McLuhan’s insights regarding the finer points of his work and his famous statement, “The medium is the message.” Just when the professor thinks he’s established the upper hand due to his academic expertise, Alvy takes a few steps, and pulls over the author himself! Doctor McLuhan then tells the professor, “You know nothing of my work.” Alvy then says “Boy, if life were always like this!”

Gentleness and Reverence

I was thinking how wonderful it would be to have Jesus nearby to settle a theological dispute in my favor. Such a thing could happen in a movie or an article, but in the real world, Scripture and Tra

In the process of evangelization, the discipline of apologetics can be very useful in explaining what we believe as Christians. We can “stand on the shoulders of giants” as we provide insight and clarification, but we must always be on guard to avoid being argumentative. As tempting as it might be to use the knowledge we’ve accumulated through Scripture and Tradition to prove a point, we would do well to follow the advice of Saint Peter when we are called to deliver God’s message to humankind:

Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that be the will of God, than for doing evil. (1 Peter 3:15-17)

The Special Guest at the Roundtable

Gentleness and reverence are in short supply in today’s media and modern culture and can easily be disregarded in matters involving carrying out the mission of the Church as ambassadors of Christ. There is a tendency to choose the path of least resistance—argument—in favor of the harder work of evangelization that involves charitable dialogue. It is a temptation to deliver a static set of facts in lieu of an exchange of dynamic ideas.

In the process of writing this piece, another example came to mind about “having the final word” in an argument. In talk shows that have panel discussions or roundtables, it is common to invite a special guest to the program. As views are expressed and exchanged among the regulars, the guest is given a chance to weigh in on the issues. A fresh perspective can add life to the otherwise predictable back-and-forth that occurs in this type of format. Sometimes, the guest panelist can make a convincing case, and tip the scales in favor of one of the two sides.

Imagine Jesus patiently awaiting his turn to speak, then offering a parable that diffuses the tension while providing insights previously not considered. When Jesus walked among us, he would often answer a question with a question, or use a parable instead of engaging in an argument. As his followers, we can do the same.

A Fresh Perspective Instead of an Argument

If anyone could possibly “get under the skin” of Jesus, it would have been the Pharisees. They would often pose questions that were seemingly impossible to answer. A rabbi who was merely mortal would undoubtedly be flustered and possibly respond in an argumentative way. When asked why the teachings of Jesus seemed to contradict the law of Moses, the Messiah offered the following:

Some Pharisees approached [Jesus], and tested him, saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?” He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” They said to him, “Then why did Moses command that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss her?” He said to them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.” (Matthew 19:3-8)

Jesus then went beyond their question and offered a teaching on Earthly marriage and how it differs from how things will be in Heaven.

Let us pray for the grace to imitate Christ in our evangelistic dealings with others, especially as it pertains to fidelity to the medium that is the message of the Gospel.

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Originally published at Catholic Stand on 17 November AD 2022.