Last night, Nightline examined the impact one year later of Bill Cosby’s incendiary comments urging young blacks and their parents to take personal responsibility for their lives. Speaking for the “conservative” side, author Shelby Steele said that even if fellow blacks have been victims of racism or injustice, they are not absolved of the responsibility–or, even better, the opportunity–to improve their lives.
Indeed. To one degree or another, we’ve all faced slights, barriers, discouragements, and disappointments. To nurse these wounds or internalize them is to remain a perpetual victim. But to acknowledge them and then purposefully move on is the first step to leading a fulfilling and responsible life.
About Stan Guthrie
Stan Guthrie is an editor at large for Christianity Today magazine and for the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview. His latest book is God's Story in 66 Verses. He also is author of All that Jesus Asks: How His Questions Can Teach and Transform Us, Missions in the Third Millennium: 21 Key Trends for the 21st Century, and A Concise Guide to Bible Prophecy. He is co-author of The Sacrament of Evangelism. Besides authoring, writing, and editing books, Stan is a literary agent, bringing together good authors, good books, and good publishers.
Stan writes the monthly Priorities colum for BreakPoint.org. He has appeared on National Public Radio's Tell Me More, WGN's Milt Rosenberg program, and many Christian shows, including The Eric Metaxas Show and Moody Radio's New Day Florida. A licensed minister and an inspirational speaker, he served as moderator for the Christian Book Expo panel discussion, Does the God of Christianity Exist, and What Difference Does It Make?
