The Paul Principle

When we speak the truth, we may be praised or criticized. For those who understand the Paul Principle, it makes no difference. Praise, blame; it's all the same as long as God is glorified.

A great cultural prophet once wryly noted that "no good deed goes unpunished."

"Doing the right thing" sometimes seems like the surest way to get a slap on the hand -- at the very least. The city of Cincinnati recently took it upon itself to prosecute a Good Samaritan who had slipped a quarter into a parking meter that had expired as she passed it by. The do-gooder faced a hefty fine plus actual jail time for her good deed. (Cincinnati also recently prosecuted a blind man for using his white cane outside the designated crosswalk area, so it just may be a particularly punitive place.)

Again and again, over and over, it seems that only those who stick their necks out get their heads chopped off. And people wonder that we are cocooning in an increasingly cloistered and anonymous society?

Technology is making it easier than ever to keep everyone at arm's length -- for the sake of our own safety, of course. Instead of attending a party or risking a "blind date," we meet prospective...