I lament the loss of civility in our day. Sure, what we believe is crucial but so is how we behave toward others. Evidently, some Christians haven’t received the memo that behavior matters to God.
What initially caught my attention to Hilary of Poitiers (310-367) was his name. Every Hilary I have ever known has been female, yet this Hilary was a male French bishop. His name derives from the Latin hilarus meaning cheerful and kind. Hilary certainly lived into his name. Everyone who encountered him said the same thing–he was charitable and courteous. While a staunch defender of orthodox Christian beliefs, he was never mean about it. He listened carefully to his detractors, read their works and sought to find common ground whenever possible. During his tenure as bishop, Hilary was embroiled in fierce debates about Jesus. There was a growing movement in those days to subordinate Jesus the Son to God the Father. Hilary remained a resolute, yet considerate defender of the divinity of Christ. His opponents succeeded in convincing the emperor to banish him to a remote place for four years, but it backfired. Hilary did his homework while in exile and wrote a definitive twelve volume work on the Trinity. While his writings won the church to his side, he continued to treat his opponents with kindness and uncommon respect. One writer called it “convictional kindness.” What a memorable phrase! We need more convictional kindness in this age of rudeness.
We join with Hilary in praying: