Miss Manners and Mr. Goodwrench

Thankfully, most of us do not deal on a daily basis with the most profound issues of morality and ethics. What we do face every day, however, are small matters of manners (should I keep my word? should I honor my commitments.) Caught up in the big newsmaking issues (murder, abortion, war) of ethics, these small matters sometimes go by the wayside. The church needs to be aware that its role is as the one "hosting the Host," and act accordingly.

Post-modern society moves at an incredible pace. It bombards our senses all at once with befuddling amounts of stimuli. In a world so shrunken by satellite feeds that we are capable of simultaneously feeling a part of events in the Mid-East, the Soviet Union and the American West, it is hardly surprising that such small amenities of courtesy and consideration are in danger of becoming casualties of technology.

Yet most often it is precisely those seemingly minute matters of manners that determine the quality of our lives, the integrity of our existence. Few of us personally confront on a daily basis the issues of murder, or political corruption, or nuclear responsibility. We do, however, continually face such ethical questions as, "Shall I keep my word?" or "Can I honor my commitments?"

As Christians we should be able to reflect a distinctive attitude which sets us apart and distinguishes us from the rest of society. We should hear Jesus over and over again asking his disciples:...