Os Guinness has been reminding Christians of the need for civility in the public square. He made that case in his previous book, The Case for Civility. And the theme surfaces once again in his new book, The Global Public Square. He talks about the concept of “soul freedom” and laments the loss of the first liberty (religious liberty) here and around the world. He sets forth a constructive vision for how society can address the issue of human dignity and justice for all.

In the course of the radio interview, we talked about the need for civility in our public discourse. I added that often people think civility means that we must be “wimps for Christ” and never make a strong, robust argument. We talked about one illustration that Os Guinness uses to illustrate how a robust but civil debate can and should take place.

Up until the 19th century, boxing was a brutal sport. In 1867 the Marquis of Queensberry lent his name to regulations that today are known as a Queensberry rules. Boxers touch gloves to begin and don’t punch below the belt. They still fight until someone loses, but the rules changed the sport.

During the interview, Os Guinness used the example of William Wilberforce. He entered the ring in 1787 by arguing for the abolition of slavery. He was defeated every year for 20 years. But he was willing to continue to enter the ring of political opinion and fight with everything he had to persuade until he was able to prevail.

Through it all Wilberforce was gracious. He was humble and loving. Twice his opponents attacked him in the streets of London. Nevertheless, he remained strong but gracious.

Wilberforce is a model for speaking truth in love. He had strong opinions. He was an eloquent debater. But he was also gracious and civil. We need to adopt Wilberforce’s model of civility today, especially since so many in the political arena have become shrill and contentious.