Written by Tracy Sheehy
Iam Tracy Sheehy, aka the “mysterious caller.” I have written this letter to you to set the record straight.
Your response to me in the article was both unprofessional and upsetting. I am not only older than you but also older than you in Christ, and at your age I would never have written the way you did about a spiritual conversation I had with another adult. Even if I had disagreed with them I would not have been rude, demeaning and sarcastic.
I also need to point out several instances in which you were incorrect about what was said in our conversation. I find it troubling you would even go ahead with writing an article about a subject you were so shaky on memory about, that you didn’t even remember who you talked to. You said in your article that I accused you and the other reporters of compartmentalizing your lives. That is not what I said.
What I said was that as Christians, we have put God in a box and we, meaning all Christians, have compartmentalized our lives. I definitely did not accuse you and your fellow reporters of that, as you stated. You completely proved my point in your column. You said, “If you want a sermon, go to a preacher, if you want a lecture, go to a teacher. If you just want the basic who-what-when-where-why so you can make your own decisions, then find a journalist with some objectivity.”
That is a great example of compartmentalizing your life. God is in everything. I do not need to go to a preacher to get a sermon. I can step outside my home each morning and see and hear a sermon from God, the earth declaring his glory. I can listen to a Christian teacher and hear a sermon. I can read an article and hear a sermon. God is in everything and everything is God’s.
Another misquote from your response was that I wanted the Bison to refute what President Obama said in his speech using scripture. I didn’t ask you to refute Obama’s speech with scripture. I asked you why the Bison had not printed opposing views. For instance, where was the governor of Virginia’s speech, which was the Republican party’s response, or anything that was an opposing view to what President Obama spoke of during the State of the Union address?
I also definitely didn’t ask for more “amens” in the columns in The Bison. Just so you know, this was a very sarcastic comment. This is one of the areas in your column where I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you simply forgot our conversation (which further calls into question why you would write an article on a subject or conversation that you couldn’t clearly recall).
The reason I called was to talk about the Bison presenting more of a Biblical worldview in the articles written rather than a secular worldview. A Biblical worldview doesn’t mean that you put more “amens” into the articles. It means approaching life from God’s perspective. It is not our opinions, it is what God views as truth! Everything goes back to God. A great place to start with developing a Biblical worldview besides the Bible is the Truth Project by Focus on the Family.
One basic, foundational truth that you definitely did not reflect in your response was “love for your neighbor.” When you have the means, via your own article, to characterize a conversation you had with someone in any way you want to, and that person doesn’t have the same opportunity to point out where you were incorrect, you’re not showing much integrity. The next time you are dealing with anyone who has a differing opinion from yours, it might be wise to look to the life of Jesus to see how you are to respond to them.
Thank you,
Tracy Sheehy
Harding alumnus 1995
