A Shout out to Richard Cizik.

As of late, I have been tweeting up a storm about a certain Reverend Richard Cizik. Some of you may be familiar with him, others may not.

Rev. Cizik, back in 2008, had been the spokesperson for the National Association of Evangelicals, a post he'd held for 10 years. Generally, one might have automatically categorized him as a traditional Christian conservative, perceived as closed-minded by those on left. However, this is precisely the type of closed-off partisan division that Cizik was so strongly against. I myself am a strong hearted liberal standing way on the left, and yet, I still have a found a deep amount of respect for this man.

In early December, Cizik did an interview with Terry Gross of NPR's Fresh Air program. Although this interview was focused greatly around global warming and Cizik's views on the environmental issues of our time, Cizik also spoke of his views on other issues such as gay marriage and abortion. He also spoke of a strong want for cooperation and compromise, as well as change. Without these, he seemed to feel that neither side [the conservatives or the liberals] would get anywhere with there policies. This is a view with which I can strongly agree.

However, in this interview, Cizik mentioned that a few of his views were changing, including that of his stance on gay marriage. This, in turn, sent him to a discussion with the president of the NAE, which the resulted in his resignation from the position of spokesperson. It has been said that this was because he was no longer the best representative of the views of the NAE.

However, reading this interview, I was moved by all that Cizik had to say. I am not a conservative Christian in the least. I am a liberal and an agnostic to the core. I am gay, and I am pro-choice. An antithesis, almost. But reading this interview, I discovered a certain open mindedness and an acceptance of the world and its changes that most people can only hope to achieve. Many talk of how conservatives are closed minded because of their religious beliefs. And I find that many liberals try so hard to be open minded, that they are closed minded to everyone who does not share their beliefs. But Cizik has managed to by pass this closed-minded trap. He seems to view the world with a vision of love, and a hope for the God's peace that he so strongly believes in. He cares for the earth and the people in it, simply because they are the creations of his God, and he lives this belief and this care in his everyday life. In my opinion, he is truly trying to follow the footsteps of Jesus, as is required by those of the Christian faith.

Cizik, along with David Gushee and Steven D. Martin, has started the New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good. It is a newer version of the NAE, with the outlook that one must change and adapt along with the culture of the world in order to best govern it in the best interests of the people. The organization is still Christian based in it's beliefs, but it is also based around the care of the earth and the people living here. It speaks to the love and devotion that God may feel for the land. Reading through their initiatives and their description of the organization, I could almost return to the Christian faith, if all preached this strong love and acceptance.

Reading Cizik's past interviews, and reading about his new feats and organization, I can help but respect him more with every article. I see in him the love, care, and open-minded acceptance that I wish the whole world could see and use. Just think - if we all attempted to use this cooperation and this compromise; this love and care - how much better off the world would be? We would have to need for war and arguments, for violence and pain, for destruction. We could all just...get along. A dream that I know is still a long time coming. But a girl can dream, and she can hope, and she sure can fight for it, right?

Let us all put our efforts into understanding today. Listen to someone you may not normally agree with or understand, and really try. See their side of the story. You might find that you get along.