“If the salt loses its saltiness it is longer good for anything.”
Technically, salt can’t lose its saltiness. That is, sodium chloride is a very stable compound and can’t be other than it is, but it can be washed away leaving behind a white dust that may look like salt but has none of its qualities. At that point it’s only good for filling potholes. If we lose our ability to promote and preserve what is good in the world, we mustn’t be surprised when we are ignored and “trampled” on like road dust.
If we’re just as greedy, self-indulgent, violent, and arrogant as the dominant culture, we become tasteless and useless––“no longer good for anything.” Not exactly the legacy we were intended to leave! Losing our saltiness means we’ve lost our credibility and deserve to be ignored.
Let’s not let that happen. OK?
This is an excerpt from a book I hope to publish in the near future on the Sermon on the Mount called: What In The World? Some Moral, Social, and Politically Disruptive Implications of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.
As such, I’d appreciate your feedback on this post and others to come in order to make the final copy publish-worthy.
barney wiget 