Scrolling through my facebook news feed this morning and reading our morning greetings to the world around us I wondered what our Lord must think of the things we say and write. I know that the political environment in which we find ourselves is not what so many of us want for our country. Many of my dear friends are frightened, concerned, and, yes, angered by policies being established for us.
But I feel that I must speak out on an issue that concerns us and the way we represent Christ in the public square.
As an American I have the right of free speech granted to me by the first amendment in the Bill of Rights. This must be treasured, protected, and defended.
However, as a Christian, my highest authority of belief and conduct is not the Constitution of the United States. It is the Bible....and the Bible specifically puts limits on my freedom of speech. As an American, I have the right to be rude, offensive, disrespectful, and obnoxious. As a Christian, I do not.
As a Christian, the following boundaries are placed on my speech:
1. Spreading slander is not part of the Christian's freedom of speech.
Proverbs 10:18-20
He who conceals his hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool. When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.
Proverbs 12:17-19
A truthful witness gives honest testimony, but a false witness tells lies. Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.
Colossians 3:8
But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.
FOLKS, LISTEN! Starbucks has not refused to send coffee to Marines. Barack Obama was not sworn into office with his hand on the Koran nor has he sworn to replace the National Anthem with "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing." Parents who lost their children in the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary were NOT paid actors carrying off an elaborate hoax. These are all SLANDEROUS lies....and when we pass them on with either our mouths or our keyboards we are involved in SINFUL behavior. Careless use of the "share" button does not please our Lord.
2. Coarse joking is not part of the Christian's freedom of speech.
Ephesians 5:4
Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.
Proverbs 26:18,19
Just as damaging as a madman shooting a deadly weapon is someone who lies to a friend and then says, “I was only joking.”
I love humor and I agree with many of you that "political correctness" has gone too far. But I also must remember that humor does not excuse rudeness. As Christians, many of us would be offended at a post objectifying beautiful women's bodies in a tacky manner for entertainment. Good for us! But we will then post unflattering pictures of Hillary Clinton or Michelle Obama and say something like "Sure glad I don't have to go home and look at that every night." Yes, I know that you are "only joking" but funny or not, posts like that are rude, distasteful, unhelpful to our cause, and unChristlike. What must Natasha and Malia Obama think of Christ after the way Christians have spoken about their parents? Are they laughing along with us? Probably not. Let's not make Christ and Christianity unattractive and then excuse it by saying "it was only a joke." I'm not sure God is laughing.
3. Disrespectful and hateful words are not part of the Christian's freedom of speech.
Proverbs 15:1-2
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.
Ephesians 4:15
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
Ephesians 4:29
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Speaking disrespectfully (such as making fun of a person's name or the way they look) will not win anyone to our cause. It does not make us look clever. It makes us look mean. Words like "faggot, nigger, dyke, slut," etc have no place coming out of the mouth or the keyboard of a Christian. If we want to make people angry at us and turn off any chance of hearing what we have to say the best way to accomplish that goal is to start off by calling them rude names.
(Side note: Did Jesus use "name-calling" in His speech? Such as "hypocrite, viper" etc? Yes, He did. He used these names as reflections of the character of those with whom He was speaking. But before we follow Jesus in this practice we need to make sure of three things: 1. We are able to read as accurately as Jesus did the genuine character of people. 2. We do not use these names in malice. 3. We do it directly to their face and not in a back-handed way on social media.)
4. "Tit for Tat" conversation is not part of the Christian's freedom of speech.
Proverbs 15:28
The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.
1 Corinthians 2:13
This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.
1 Peter 3:9-11
Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it.
We have come to believe that someone else's rude behavior justifies our own. But, according to the Scriptures, we are not free to just gush out words based on our emotions. We are to weigh our words - thinking about how their weight will affect the person on whom we are pouring them. We do not respond with the same tactics as those who do not know Christ. They are not bound to Christ and, therefore, have some freedoms in speech that we do not. They are free to call us vulgar names, slander us, and mock our beliefs. We are NOT free to respond in like fashion because we are bound to Christ. When we carry His name by claiming the title "Christian" we are bound to represent Him in word and action....even on social media.
5. Blessing God while cursing men is not part of the Christian's freedom of speech.
James 1:26
If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.
James 3:9-10
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.
Posting a status update ragging on the people who work with me and then following it up with a post that says "I have the joy of the Lord today!" just rings shallow to people. It doesn't work. I shudder when I think that one day I will stand before God knowing that I "will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word" I have spoken. THIS knowledge of my own accountability before God concerns me WAY more than President Obama's policies and legalization of same-sex marriage.
In summary, Titus 2:10 tells me that I should live in such a way that I "will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive." Since I take the title "Christian" and my name is connected with that of Christ I am under obligation to make Him attractive by the way I present Him through my own life. This has caused me on many occasions to have to ask forgiveness for the way I have behaved and spoken.
I want my words to "sustain the weary," "nourish many," and "instruct in righteousness." Because of that I cannot refrain from speaking what I believe from God's Word to be true. After all, "he who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor than he who has a flattering tongue" but I must, somehow under the influence of the Holy Spirit, learn to do it in such a way that my conversation is "always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that (I) may know how to answer everyone" in a way that will cause them to actually listen rather than shut me out because I'm acting like a jerk.
Yes, as an American who has the privilege of having a facebook account, a blog, and a Twitter feed I have full freedom of speech. But, as a Christian, that freedom is limited to the boundaries of Scripture which instructs me in Titus 2: 7,8 that I must "set an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us."
Will people say bad things about me even if I try to speak as a biblically minded Christian? SURE! But when they do I want it to be because they are taking issue with the Truth of my statements and not just because I'm acting like an idiotic nitwit. (Hmmm....I wonder if that would count as name-calling.) :)
Anyway, let us remember today that "the power of life and death is in the tongue"....and in the keyboard. :)
Love you, guys...we're all in this together!
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