The Color Purple

Why are followers of Christ willing value RED ideologies over folks who think more BLUE? ... Fox News over CNN or NPR?...conservative opinions over all others? Maybe we would do well to remember elementary school and art class as we go about our mission?

The primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. When mixed properly, these colors yield the secondary colors of green, orange, and purple. Carried into the context of mission in a country that seems to prize the political colors of red and blue, PURPLE may be a better option.

Perusing Allelon today, I came across an article that merits a read. Here’s an excerpt:

Sadly, in my experience, the red and blue kingdoms of America produce far more loyal subjects than the kingdom of God. That’s one of the reasons why I’m purple. Being purple is not a political statement. It’s a pastoral one. It has more to do with the Sermon on the Mount than the State of the Union. Though it certainly influences my political perspective and shapes my vision for our world, being purple is not a way to strike a balance between liberal blue and conservative red, whether in politics or theology. It’s not an avoidance tactic either, a strategy for sidestepping political activism or theological debate. I suppose that being purple is a contemporary adaptation of Paul’s passion to “become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some,” which doesn’t mean that I’m an ecclesiastical doormat looking for opportunities to shed my orthodoxy and tweak the ancient creeds and practices that have sustained Christian communities for centuries. It just means that I’m with Jesus, hopefully not in a self-serving, rebellious way, but in a way that is different enough to notice. (Ward, Thomas E, Jr. "A Passion for Purple." Allelon. 29 May 2006.)