Osler's Razor

Yesterday morning, Baylor President Ken Starr gave a speech in front of my house. (Believe me, that sentence is not one I would have expected to be writing 15 years ago). By all reports, he and his wife Alice were very kind in attending the neighborhood's 4th of July parade, staying long after nearly everyone had left to talk to people in the community-- all while wearing a sport coat and tie as only a native Texan can in the heat of July.

Months ago, when President Starr was first hired, I was very happy to hear the news. He has a unique skill set that is perfect for Baylor. He didn't come at an easy time; on his first day, the Big 12 was crumbling and with it Baylor's stake to big-time athletics. With many others, however, President Starr worked to keep the Big 12 (in slightly smaller form) together, and that effort succeeded.

That hasn't been his greatest accomplishment, however. That feat has been quieter, but deeper. Uniformly, I have heard from people on all sides of various Baylor disputes that once they have met Ken Starr they come to have a genuine appreciation for him and to a belief in his work at Baylor. Many of these people seem surprised to find themselves saying this, but are happy that they can. In short, something seems to be healing here, and Ken Starr has a hand in it.

I'm not quite sure how this recipe works: Take one of the most controversial figures in one of the most divisive debacles in American history, add him to a too-often bitterly divided campus, and let simmer over the high heat of a Texas summer. What I do see is that it has worked, thus far, and something real and nourishing seems to be resulting.

Grace sometimes surprises us. Not only the grace of God, but the grace that we sometimes have for one another. I have seen many people here show grace to this new President, and have watched him graciously listen and engage with people who sometimes have probably been hostile. There is a long road ahead, but at least that journey has begun, and a journey that begins with grace carries with it the hope and light of the world.