It is unfortunate the truly great\nstories in life start and sometime live in hardship. To truly be a great man of\nGod, when fighting injustice, means that tragedy, pain and isolation become\nyour traveling partners. Few of us, myself included, have the perseverance. But\nthose who do, leave a lasting legacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today I was reading about the passing of John Lewis. I am not a fan of much of John Lewis\u2019 politics. We differ on issues which do not impact salvation. But one must separate the man for the issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
John Lewis was from Alabama in\nthe 60\u2019s. Those were my formative years and I remember them well. Living in a\nsmall farming community in Illinois, far from the violence of desegregation, I\nfelt its touch. I didn\u2019t grow up around any African Americans, but I felt the\nsting of their conflict. It wasn\u2019t the riots and protests that left a lasting\nmemory, it was the anger on men\u2019s faces from the picture on the news. It was an\nextreme, visceral, fanatical anger. It was terrifying. I feared it would rock\nmy world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What separates the man from his ideology is character. John Lewis graduated from American Baptist Theological Seminar in Nashville. He then received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion from Fisk University. At age 21 he was one of the original 13 freedom riders that travel from Washington DC to New Orleans to protest segregation in busing. He was beaten, bloodied, arrested and jailed (sounds a lot like Paul) for his efforts. Lewis was one of the few to make the complete journey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHold only love, only peace in your heart, knowing that the battle for good to overcome evil is already won.\u201d \u2013 John Lewis<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n By age 23 he was one the\norganizers and speakers at the 1963 March on Washington. By 25 he was standing in\nthe oval office for the signing of the Voting Rights Amendment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a people, we should always\nstrive to separate the person from the politics. Politics are complicated by\nenvironment. We do not all walk in the same shoes. We don\u2019t experience life the\nsame way. Much of that experience crafts our positions. John Lewis was a man\nwho stayed true to his character when fighting for what he believed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I think of this quote often when\ntrying to separate a man from his issues:<\/p>\n\n\n\n