Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

For at least another day, I depart from wondering about the scoundrel running for president, Donald Trump.  A worthy respite.

Sam Skillern is a friend of mine here in Salem, Oregon, and he has done a superb job leading Salem Leadership Foundation (SLF) even now as he heads toward what I assume will be well-earned retirement.

But, I forgot that Skillern and I share a background in journalism.

This came through in a missive from Skillern early this week.

I reprint it here in my blog because it is, (a) well written, and (b) calls us to live out our faith in Jesus, even as we face a presidential election that could elevate Trump again to the Oval Office, perish the thought.

Here is Skillern:

For God has not given us a spirit of fear – but of power, and love, and a sound mind.  (2 Timothy 1:7)

There is no fear in love.  But perfect love drives out fear …  (1 John 4:18)

As a journalism major (OSU ’82), I’m a student and a consumer of news.  I was fortunate to learn the craft in the post-Watergate era of journalism, when facts were king.  No accusation or quote could be published/broadcast without at least two (better yet three) independent confirmations. 

Also, there was the News department and the Editorial department:  One for facts, one for opinion, with a firewall between them.
 
Of course, journalism wasn’t perfect in that era … but oh how things have changed! 

Today, thanks to social media and smart phones, virtually everyone is (or thinks they are) a journalist.  But the lines have been blurred – actually, obliterated – in those two important areas:  Facts and opinion.  Just the facts, ma’am?  Cross-checking facts?  Truthfully telling the story without spin?
 
With my degree and through my work with SLF, sampling a wide variety of media outlets is something I do.  I listen and read on both sides of the dial – not to become a disciple of any one outlet, but to know what’s being said and what impact it’s having.  

My heart is troubled.  It’s not merely the disregard for facts and the glorification of opinion … it’s the fear-peddling!  Especially from talking heads and outlets that claim to be God-centered. 
 
Fear is not from the Lord.  Fear is the opposite of Love.  It’s in the Scriptures (above).
 
I’ve been engaging a little experiment.  I want to make sure my impressions are accurate and not fake news.  So I’ve been analyzing and prayerfully discerning many news sources.  Again, on both sides of the aisle. 

There’s a glut of fear.  Name-calling.  Slander.  Fear, Insinuation.  Gossip.  Fear.   Repeated lies.  Conspiracy theories.  Fear.

 
Both science and faith contend that such behavior is unhealthy.  For individuals and community.  So why do we persist?  Especially the Christ-follower? 

With a contentious election nigh, we can’t control what others say.  But we can control – based on facts – what we believe, say and do.  And even if the facts are hard and harrowing, we don’t need to peddle fear.  Just the opposite.