I have received hundreds of letters from Southern Baptists who live around the world. In some of these letters I have been given some great quotes for encouragement. On this Lord's day I thought I would share with you a few of my favorites.
"There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest." Elie Wiesel
"Truth often suffers more by the heat of its defenders than the arguments of its opposers." William Penn
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!" Benjamin Franklin
"May we never confuse honest dissent with disloyal subversion." Franklin Roosevelt
"The dread of censure is the death of a genius." William Gilmore Sims
"Policies are many, principles are few. Policies may change, principles never do." John C. Maxell
"Laws are like sausages. You sleep far better the less you know about how they are made." Otto Von Bismark
Which is your favorite?
Wade
10 comments:
I would say Franklin Roosevelt...
Just so very fitting.
"Truth often suffers more by the heat of its defenders than the arguments of its opposers." William Penn
I heard it once put this way: "The truth told, with ill intent, is worse than lies that you invent".
Probably the most frustrating thing, for me, in the ongoing matters is the lack of insight into why people do things. It takes time for real motivations to manifest themselves. That's one thing that makes the Blog so relevant: your heart shows through clear over time.
Myself, I think the King's way is absolute honesty and complete forthrightness and transparency in everything. I try to be tolerant but it really does bother me that, on those occasions I've heard numbers exaggerated, and things of that sort, I've been told it told that it was "ministerially speaking".
What a tragic comment.
Perhaps an unintended effect in all this will be a move to change that.
Actually, my all-time favorite is:
"There are three kinds of people in the world: those who are argumentative, and those who aren't."
I just got through seeing for the first time the film "Luther", and was deeply moved. I certainly don't want to imply that the Trustees in this case are the counterpart to the Roman Catholic authorities of Luther's time, nor that the issues involved are parallel. But I do think that the spirit and thought behind Luther's famous quote at the Diet of Worms does have some relevance for us still today...
“Unless therefore I am convinced by the testimony of Scripture, or by the clearest reasoning, - unless I am persuaded by means of the passages I have quoted, - and unless they thus render my conscience bound by the Word of God, I cannot and I will not retract, for it is unsafe for a Christian to speak against his conscience. HERE I STAND, I CAN DO NO OTHER; MAY GOD HELP ME! AMEN!”
~ Martin Luther, at the Diet of Worms, April 18, 1521. (D’Aubigne’s History of the Reformation; 1846; page 245.)
...nice....
"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat."
THEODORE ROOSEVELT
(Paris Sorbonne,1910)
I don't know who said it but, "all that is necessary for evil to prevail is that good men do nothing" is my favorite.
Hiram,
I will be very interested in what you write regarding blogging guidelines.
I agree with what you wrote, and believe you could be a great help to many of us.
Hiram, who was it that turned Baptist Press into promotion rather than a free press?
Another favorite of mine was voiced originally (according to the sludge of my memory) by Leo Durocher (or was it Yogi .. no ..wait .. it makes too much sense for Yogi).
"The loudest boo's come from the cheapest seats".
That doesn't apply to the IMB, that I've seen, but I like it anway.
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