Recently there has been some discussion on the topic of respect (or lack there of) on Signposts.

Lance had written:

“First of all you don’t demand respect…you earn respect”.

Bec had replied:

”Lance, with respect - that’s bullshit. … That kind of respect is something that should be shown to everyone, irrespective of whether or not you like what they have to say. Nobody has to earn it. We respect others because it provides space for dialogue. We respect others because they too are made in the image of God. We respect others because they have inherent worth”.

I have been pondering these statements in my own mind over the last week - because in many ways both seem right.

Last weekend, I saw an excellent film, “Coach Carter” about an inspirational man who takes a position coaching a losing Basketball team in a tough high school through to enter the finals in the State Championships.

In his first coaching lesson, he had to deal with the issue of respect and made the following statement:

“Each of you has my respect ― until you abuse it!”

Some of the members of the team did abuse the situation and lost the Coach’s respect and their position on the team. Others did not, and as well as retaining the Coaches respect, they also grew in terms of their own ‘Self-respect’.

I thought that summed up the situation, pretty damn well, and consequently - I have changed my own thinking on Respect.

I now see Respect as a ‘Privilege’ and not a ‘Right’.

Deep down, I think we all inherently know this to be true.

People begin with respect, and make deposits or withdrawals to their own “Respect Bank Account”, because as Bec says “they have worth”.

It is written “A man will sow what he reaps”.

And as a consequence, I do think sometimes the lack of respect shown to Contemporary Church leaders on this site by people who once trusted them is entirely understandable.

Or am I wrong-headed?. Should the Concept of Grace always overwhelm this notion? What do you people think?.

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 7th, 2006 at 12:38 pm by Lionfish and is filed under challenges for the church. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.