I used to have a brother-in-law who was (still is) unsaved and who would try all sorts of
sneaky to hook and draw me into a ridiculous theological debate that would always end in a mockery of Christianity. I finally said to him, "If you ever want to have a serious discussion about what the Bible teaches, and who Jesus is, let me know and I will be delighted to talk with you. But until then, I am not willing to go into details." With folks like that, you have to get so direct that it can seem rude at times. He, of course, tested me on it and I left him standing on my front porch the next time he tried it, saying, "I'm going to go make a cup of tea. If you are still here when I return and still want to have a noncombative conversation, then you'll be welcome to come in."
He never did that to me again.
I still pray for him, though.
Some liberals are like that with politics. If they want to have a truly meaningful discussion of issues, you'll know it. If they just want to bash you over the head with their candidate, well, what's the point?
Excellent post, Gretchen. I'm printing it for future reference...
Re: your post 271. That's exactly the way my friends are about politics. Their hatred of President Bush is so unfounded and vitriolic that we can't talk politics at all. And I'd love to be able to share information with them.
Not talking about it is still easier than losing my friends, though.