We can't even be civil about civility!

"Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, 'Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.'"  - Matthew 12:25

You won't often find me commenting on politics, unless it is an observation on the process itself.  I'm not a Republican or a Democrat or member of the Tea Party.  I'm just an American who, right now, is very disappointed in the leaders of our country.  All of them.

I don't know how I missed this story when it initially broke, but I suspect few people saw it at all.  (Enter disappointment in the media, as well.)

On the eve of Barack Obama's inauguration, Mark DeMoss and Lanny David launched The Civility Project.  Their aim was "to call people from all races, walks of life, and religious and political persuasions to graciousness, kindness, common decency and respect—civility—toward all people, and particularly those with whom we may disagree."

In May 2010, DeMoss and David sent a personal letter  to every member of Congress and sitting governor—585 letters—inviting them to sign a simple pledge of civility as we headed into mid-term elections.  The pledge read as follows:

1. I will be civil in my public discourse and behavior. 
2. I will be respectful of others whether or not I agree with them. 
3. I will stand against incivility when I see it.

Only 3 members of Congress - and no governors - signed the pledge.

After spending thousands of dollars and countless hours investing in this project, DeMoss shut it down in January.  In doing so, he expressed surprise, disgust and concern for reactions to the project.  DeMoss said, "Perhaps one of the most surprising results of this project has been the tone and language used by many of those posting comments on our website and following articles on various media websites about the project. Many of them could not be printed or spoken in public media due to vulgar language and vicious personal attacks."  As a country, we can't even be civil about civility!

This attitude is not limited to Washington, D.C.  It is spilling over into evangelical faith (think Rob Bell), state government (think Wisconsin), and our youth (walk through any school).  Read Facebook or Twitter for about five minutes; you'll see it.  Or will you?  I'm beginning to think we've either become numb to it or have accepted it as some sort of higher intellectual plane.  

In the words of Patrick Henry, "Let us trust God and our better judgment to set us right hereafter. United we stand, divided we fall. Let us not split into factions which must destroy that union upon which our existence hangs.” 

For more information about The Civility Project, visit www.civilityproject.org.