Elihu: The Original Triangulator

In politics Bill Clinton made triangulation famous. Triangulation is the process of pointing out the weakness in two opposing positions so you appear to be above the frey and the wise one in the situation. In Clinton's case 'appear' would be the key word. He did this with welfare reform, balancing the budget, stem cell research, gays in the military and on and on. It was the key to his political success. Phil Jackson used triangles to win championships in Chicago - Clinton used them in politics.

But the original triangulator was not Clinton or Jackson. It was a man named Elihu. His triangulation is found in Job 32-37. With all of the debating going on between Job and his friends this is a pretty safe road to take. Elihu in essence says, "Your all wrong". This is the easy way out. It's the one we are all tempted to take. When we take the middle road we become hard to criticize because the other two positions look so extreme and we look so sophisticated and smug sitting there in the middle of the road. The problem is that's not where God has called us to be. He has called us to proclaim the truth. Sometimes that truth makes us stand out like a sour thumb in a world that prefers to embrace everything that doesn't intrude on what someone else may believe. God has not created us to look good but to be good and that means speaking truth even when it's not what people want to hear.