More of an accusation than a question, the mindset behind this phrase is exceedingly popular. Think of Christ’s timeless words: “Judge not, that you be not judged. (Matthew 7)” The awkward fact remains: Judgment is unavoidable; we can’t not judge. So, how do we learn to make wise judgments, and avoid becoming a judgmental person?

In this episode, I suggest that love is crucial to understanding not only persons, but also ideas and concepts. I’d love it if you joined me: I’ll stop saying “love” now.

C.S. Lewis says, “But in reading great literature I become a thousand men and yet remain myself. Like the night sky in the Greek poem, I see with myriad eyes, but it is still I who see. Here, as in worship, in love, in moral action, and in knowing, I transcend myself; an am never more myself than when I do.” Without exhausting its theological depths, this assertion would seem to form an ideal compliment to the apostle Paul’s admonition to “become all things to all men.” If Lewis’s assessment is accurate, literature offers us an unprecedented opportunity to inhabit a multitude of perspectives, which in turn fosters not only greater empathy and understanding, but also offers the possibility of reconciliation and even transformation. I hope you’ll join me. I also hope you don’t find the idea of “myriad eyes” too off-putting.

The issues dividing us in the United States are complex and multifaceted. Campaign slogans, political rhetoric, bold bumper stickers, and catchy sound bites are created to foster solidarity, not sympathy. In the midst of this charged atmosphere, how do we speak across cultural dividing lines? In this episode, I argue that Christian intellectuals are in a unique position to be able to do so. I hope you’ll join me: The episode is sound-bite-free.