Who Would Want This?
The Accuser and Accused Deserve To Have Claims Investigated
by Eric Elkin
“Establish justice for me, Lord, because I have walked with integrity. I’ve trusted the Lord without wavering.”
The Senate confirmation hearing for Brett Kavanaugh is much more complicated than merely left versus right politics. It reaches far beyond conservative and liberal; or Democrat and Republican. The healthiest road forward is to move beyond the political opinions and accusations and simply deal with the facts.
I’m only writing about it because this morning we read a psalm which asks, no begs, for the Lord to search out the psalmist’s integrity. After watching the proceedings from the sidelines, I’m forced to ask, who in their right mind would want their integrity examined?
For both the accuser and the accused, these proceedings will open up every facet of their life to scrutiny. Even public figures like to have some part of their life be private. But, this is impossible when an examination is a public affair. 300 million Americans will leave these proceedings with an opinion about the two central figures. While each person will have supporters, the negative voices will most likely be the ones to endure.
“We will only attain freedom if we learn to appreciate what is different and muster the courage to discover what is fundamentally the same.”
Peggy and I talked about the confirmation hearing over dinner. We both were left wondering, how much can a person be held accountable for stupid, alcohol influenced decisions from their youth? At the same time, if those decisions and actions were destructive to another, how can you not be held accountable? Or at the very least, acknowledge and ask for forgiveness.
An article Peggy read referenced the movie, Sixteen Candles. It talked about how many popular films in the ’80’s promoted rape. However, at the time, we never saw it that way. In Sixteen Candles, Ted, a freshman nerd, has sex with the most popular senior female on campus while she was in a compromised state. And, we cheered for the nerd. The culture is changing and rightfully so.
Who wants the sins or the wounds of their youth on public display? Who can stand as righteous or blameless under the scrutiny of millions? I imagine at this time, Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford feel the same way. Except, an investigation might just be the path to healing for both.
Ronan Farrow, who broke the story about Harvey Weinstein’s treatment of women, made an interesting comment when asked about Rose McGowan coming to him with the story. Farrow did not say he believed her story. Instead, he commented on how we owe it to victims to investigate with authenticity their claims. An examination offers a greater sense of justice.
I do not know what it will produce, but I was very thankful that President Trump ordered an investigation of the accusation. Obviously, the integrity of the investigation will be critical to reconciliation. We owe it to both people to examine the truth of their statements, for them and for us as a nation. Like the psalm says, it will allow us all to stand on level ground.
Click to read: Psalm 26
Reflection Questions:
What does integrity mean to you?
How do you measure up to your own standards?
How can an examination of the truth bring healing to both the accuser and the accused?
What would you do in this situation?
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