02/27/06

Wells talks about accepting and blocking in chapter 7. This is in reference to a game in which each person in a group says one word at a time to make a story. Accepting would be taking what the last person said and adding a word to keep the story going – making an offer. Blocking would be saying a word that puts an end or leads toward an end to the story. Wells then compares this to Christian Ethics, as usual. This block may be done out of fear of what is unknown and a desire for security. The three main terms in this chapter are offer, accept, and block. I have already mentioned some aspects of these terms. An offer made can be a block or an acceptance. It is the action that proposes the next move to the next person. To accept is to take what is given and keep it going in the same or similar manner. To block is to take what is given and attempt to slow it or put an end to it. To accept all the time or block all the time is not right. Each can be a defense mechanism. A balance is needed. Wells then goes on to explain blocking in more detail. It can be both passive and active. If one puts a block up as a guard then it is passive. If one does it to act against what was said or done, it is active, which is often violence.

As a church, we need to learn to accept and not be so closed-minded. Wells says that we need to learn to use the word “And…” This would show that we are not always attempting to put up a guard or an end to a story. There are times when we need to be vulnerable. I believe that it would help us all to be more appealing, human, and accepting of others. Christ used “And…” He used this when it came to His death. His death was not the end. He rose from the dead and kept the story going. When we feel bogged down by confusion, stress, persecution, or a number of other things, we need to say “And…” and make the story go on to bigger and better things. For instance, there are many times that I have been confronted on religious issues by someone trying to sway me from my beliefs. I had to take what they dealt me and learn from it. It was important not to be defeated but rather to learn from every situation. This is something that the church needs to work on on both ends – conservative and liberal. We all think we are the right ones. Is there always an end to the story?