This piece first appeared on the Thoughtful Christian’s Gathering Voices blog. It also ran on the Huffington Post

By now you may know that Ron Schiller, a fundraising executive for National Public Radio, said a few things that got him into trouble. He suggested that the right flank of the Republican party, particularly that which is affiliated with the Tea Party, is affected with a serious case of Islamophobia, racism, and xenophobia.

Since the video went public, Schiller, who was unaware that his comments were being videotaped in a sting operation meant to discredit NPR, quit his job early, NPR apologized, and NPR’s CEO resigned.

The whole affair has caused introspection on my part, because as far as I can tell, Schiller said what is merely obvious, what I’ve said more times than I can count in my work as a preacher, writer, and activist. Do I also deserve an angry response? Should I resign from my job? Continue reading →