Clanging Cymbals/William F. Buckley

William Buckley died last week. I found two quotes from a 1995 interview with him when he discussed the role of religious conservatives.

“They’ve, (meaning religious conservatives) figured that our foundations need restoring and I have never doubted that those foundations are religious”.

And,

“When Christ said, “Go to the world and preach the gospel, he put a very high cost, not on sacrificing principle, but on tuning your instrument in such a way as to arrest attention and persuade.”


All religious conservatives would certainly agree on the first quote.

The second quote invoked some soul searching. How is one to interpret, "tuning your instrument" so as to arrest attention? This may be the question for Christians. Perhaps it can only be resolved individually.

Anyone who has been to the Symphony has observed the musicians tuning their instruments before beginning the program. The sounds are cacophonous, discordant; then, as the lights dim, ethereal sounds waft through the air, effortlessly uniting with chords deep within. It's as though the music merges with some inner truth. It can be a transcending experience. Truth, in all forms penetrates the soul, as we are made in God's image. The more perfectly tuned the effort, the more efficacious the response.


Given that Christians must take an active part in the "public square," must stand up courageously for absolute truths, must take up the fight against the devaluation of traditional values, etc., how do we assure our presentation is nothing more than clanging cymbals?

One idea is to make every attempt to discover the spirit of the law, rather than the letter. Christ said, "there will come a time when true worshipers will worship in spirit and in Truth." The Pharisees commanded the "letter," because that's all they could control; in so doing, they lost the truth entirely. In the media or sometimes in the pulpit, we see churchmen (again, universal context here,) pontificating, in absolute terms, as to the salvation of others, could this be clanging cymbals?

For example, the following words have been used consistently by "pontificators," of all Christian traditions, to mean millions will not be saved: "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one can come to the Father except through Me;" "Clanging cymbals?"

Let's look at this statement with just a little more depth. Yes, Jesus said it, yes, He is Truth, therefore, He speaks truth. However, He is also the Truth. With this in mind, what do His words really mean, at least as we are capable of perceiving it, through our intellect and heart?
Since He IS Truth, it has to mean, wherever truth is, it is He.

Let's say, a very holy person, a Buddhist, in India, for example, gives up his life to save a friend. Or, say, there is an atheist somewhere in the world who is ultimately charitable, honest and humble in all his doings. If we don't look deeper to see what Our Lord is really saying, we risk condemning these souls in our thoughts, perhaps our words.

In fact, wherever there is truth, it has to be 'of Christ' because that is the only "truth" there is! The "Good" cannot belong to evil, Jesus cannot be less than perfect truth, therefore, goodness is always aligned with Truth, it cannot be otherwise. I would argue, these words can only be interpreted through the spirit of truth, no other way would be rationally consistent, and,
God is not irrational.

As long as we adhere to our higher nature, to that which is the Good, for the sake of the Good only, seeking always the spirit rather than the letter, we shall be more perfectly tuned, more efficacious in our efforts to "fight the good fight."

WFB was strident, ardent and effective, not withstanding his intellect, it was probably because he walked humbly before his God.