Suspicion reconsidered

Some final thoughts on Dick Keyes' Seeing Through Cynicism: In his discussion of politics I found his distinction between "creation ethics" and "redemption ethics" to be particularly noteworthy. As he explains, "Christians must distinguish between moral principles rooted in creation and moral principles rooted in redemption." Creation ethics apply to all people, while redemption ethics only apply to those who are followers of Christ. And, one of the most eye-opening statements of the whole book, for me: "Many of the disasters in Christian history and much cynicism about Christian political involvement have been caused by Christians who have ignored the distinction between creation and redemption ethics." (218) I think this is a very good framework by which to understand how the political actions of Christians have contributed to breeding such resentment and cynicism.

Finishing a book is a good feeling! Especially a book that I find to have significantly challenged me to evaluate my own attitudes and assumptions. Keyes' overall distinction between "suspicion" and "cynicism" was very helpful to me. The basic message of the book was that while suspicion is often a necessity as we live in this fallen world, the discerning Christian should beware of falling into long-term cynicism because it is not in line with the Christian virtues of faith, hope, and love.