May 28, 2001
EDITORIAL: As American as Ford & Firestone
___Who erred first, Ford or Firestone?
___We're about to witness finger-pointing, name-calling and blame-throwing in epic proportions. Billions of dollars in profits, not to mention potential lawsuits, are on the line.
___A few years ago, Ford Explorers began experiencing suspicious rollovers. Investigators searched for clues and found apparently faulty tires, made by Firestone. Ford demanded a tire recall. Firestone claimed the tires failed because Ford specified improper inflation in an attempt to cover a design flaw in the vehicle. Now Ford is recalling even more tires, and Firestone is citing design changes in the new Explorer as evidence the SUV, not its tires, was at fault in all those wrecks.
___All this from the closest of American companies. For 95 years, Ford made cars and Firestone supplied tires. Their synergy produced abundant success. They were so close, even their founding families intermarried.
___But now billions of dollars are on the line. Partnerships and traditions, even family relationships, apparently matter little when fortunes weigh in the balance. This is the bottom-line America of stock prices and quarterly earnings, not the assembly-line America of Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone and friendship.
___All this should matter to people of faith. Not for the usual reasons, such as what it will do to our stock portfolios or how it will play out on the nightly news. It matters because it represents a morality play for our times.
___Almost as soon as the first ill-fated Explorers rolled over, Ford and Firestone ditched more than nine decades of relationship. Fearing stockholders and/or litigators, managers began shifting blame, positioning themselves to "win." Never mind that the real losers were victims of rollovers and vehicle owners driving around in potentially dangerous Explorers. Rather than seeking to solve the problem, they sought to assign blame, setting aside the best interests of their customers and the public at large.
___If you think this is only a picture of corporate America, think again. We live in an age when culture influences the church more than the church impacts culture. The scenario of blame-naming, fault-finding and responsibility-avoidance describes far too many congregations across the nation.
___For example, congregational leaders meet in crisis session after learning their pastor had an affair. They are sweet-spirited, caring people. Their first impulse is to reach out to the family of the woman as well as a tight circle of others most drastically damaged by sin and irresponsibility. But on the advice of their attorneys, who act on the best of intentions to protect the church from litigation and financial calamity, these Christ-following, compassionate people leave their meeting resolved not to discuss the issue, much less offer redemption to hurting souls.
___Another congregation agonizes over declining attendance and dispiriting fellowship. But rather than unite to seek renewal and creative opportunity for ministry, they choose sides and wage war. One camp blames the pastor, another tags the minister of music, and still another faults everyone connected to the youth ministry. Once they assign blame, their positions harden until reconciliation becomes impossible.
___If you've been around churches for almost any time, you've seen similar scenarios: Churches split over the color of the sanctuary walls or the selection of worship music. Ministers fired over the topic of sermons or the priority of budget items. Relationships estranged over the roster of the church softball team or the decoration of a Sunday School classroom.
___However, we are not to be conformed to this world, but transformed by the gospel. Christians are not doomed to fall into the blame-game trap that threatens Ford and Firestone. Here are some lessons we can learn:
___Do your best all the time. No matter what else has happened, if Firestone had been trying to make the safest tires and Ford had been intent on making the safest SUVs, victims would be alive and the companies would be prospering.
___Jesus taught us the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), telling us we are to remain diligent and faithful. If we are doing our best to build up Christ's church, we won't have time or energy to fight and divide. What's more, the problems that plague us will be less pervasive, because we will have done right the first time.
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___ Jesus said, "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32). He spoke of divine truth. But all truth is liberating, for it enables us to see the way ahead, to glimpse options for correcting our faults and improving our performance. And although sometimes truth is painful, it also shines light into our relationships, helping us to see the path toward reconciliation.
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___Ethicist Glen Stassen calls these "transforming initiatives." When we contrast bottom-line selfishness with selfless love, we not only do godly work, but we also often shock others into loving in return. And love is better than war, whether the sign out front reads Ford, Firestone or First Baptist Church.
___ Marv Knox
E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com
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