Benjamin Franklin

Recently, I read Walter Isaacson’s wonderful and well-written book about Benjamin Franklin. Isaacson describes Franklin in two specific ways. The first was as a man committed to conversation, compromise, and tolerance. He was a man who believed we were better and stronger people when we graciously and generously conversed, shared views, and had difficult conversations with others. Thus, Franklin established groups where friend and foe could discuss the big issues of life. In his view, there was always room for discussion and compromise. He was a man who refused to be dogmatic or zealous in most of his beliefs.

The second was as a founding father who emphasized middle-class values. For Franklin, those values consisted of hard work, frugality, and acts of neighborly kindness. If you read the book, you’ll note that he never speaks of Christian values or family values. It is always middle-class values.

Ultimately, Franklin believed the best way to serve God was through gracious kindness to your neighbor. He purposefully and intentionally chose to be considerate and respectful in his engagement with others. These are qualities that I admire and hope to replicate.

For many years, I served in a denomination that emphasized room, generosity, and kindness. While they had strong (some might say dogmatic) beliefs, ultimately, they valued a “big tent” or “room at the table.” These ideas were based more around continued conversation and the belief that we could disagree and yet do so with grace and kindness.

Somewhere along the way, that philosophy began to change not just for the denomination but for the country and church. The shift became clear to me in 2008 when I became the chaplain at a small liberal arts university. As chaplain, I believed, much like Franklin, that kind conversation made learning together easier. In a generous culture, we each had space to share and hold our beliefs, but we could discuss them without anger or malice.

Yet what I began to hear from other pastors, leaders, and even fellow believers was… “If you don’t believe what we believe, get out!” It was the same sentiment and statement I read on a social media platform connected to the denomination a few weeks ago. “GET OUT!!”

For me, it’s easy to move beyond those things when they come from anonymous people on social media platforms, but I remember very distinctly the conversation I had with a denominational leader: “Scott, we’re done talking with you and others like you. If you don’t believe what we say … it’s time to get out.”

Thus, I did.  While I didn’t always agree with all the statements of belief, I understood them and could articulate why the church held the belief. What I didn't agree with was the decision to emphasize doctrinal beliefs while giving less attention to the biblical values of love, grace, humility, and compassion. My values are still kindness, generosity, respect, and dignity. I believe everyone should be treated with dignity and respect no matter their beliefs.

These days we hear a lot of conversation about family and Christian values, and while those beliefs matter for a large portion of society, we can’t forget the values that inform how we view, treat, and respond to each other. May we all choose to see others as Benjamin Franklin did.