Caricatures

You know those goofy cartoon drawings where certain features are overly prominent? Like maybe a Jay Leno cartoon drawing where his chin is the size of Texas or something. Those are caricatures, and they are funny. They are funny because they draw attention to the less than flattering features of a person by super-sizing them.

In the arena of discourse and debate it is much easier to attack a misconstrued representation of the beliefs of others than it is to deal with what they actually believe and what you actually believe. In politics and sports and stuff this is to be expected. People want to win the debate. But is this the way that Christians should discuss their faith? Should Dispensationalists say that Covenantalists are antisemitic? Should Calvinists say that Arminians believe in works based salvation? Should Amillenialists accuse Premillenialists of a theology purely in reaction to current events? These are all caricatures of these beliefs. They distort a certain aspect of these beliefs and make the whole argument about that distorted misunderstanding. Does this demonstrate a desire to learn together? to grow together? Does it demonstrate Christian love and charity? I know I am guilty of this all the time, and I know that it is because I want to be right and I want the other person to look ridiculous just like in a caricature.

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