Venerable to Vulnerable

Ancient, opinionated evangelical pastor Pat Robertson stirred up a storm this week by commenting that it’s ok for spouses of Alzheimer’s patients to divorce them and pursue new relationships.

What about ’till death do us part?’ Robertson said that Alzheimer is “this is a kind of death.”

Amid the predictable recoil of other evangelical pastors was a voice of both compassion and common sense. As reported in the New York Times:

But Beth Kallmyer, senior director of constituent services at the Alzheimer’s Association in Chicago, declined to question Mr. Robertson’s remarks.       

“This is a challenging, devastating and eventually fatal illness, and it affects everybody differently,” Ms. Kallmyer said. “The most important thing is that families get help.”       

Perfectly framed and delivered! Kallmyer makes three short, powerful points and draws a clear-cut conclusion.  In a discussion about  a difficult, wrenching issue in which others want to frame in pure black and white, she distinguished her message as clearly compassionate.

 

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