Watch Your Language
In Christian culture there are some social taboos about cussing or using vulgar language. Today some younger Christians make a point of cussing to be hip. Many older Christians see an occasionally curse word as always sinful (and deeply so). So which side is right?
Curse words are cultural things. In America or Canada we have our set of four letter words that make your mother blush. In other nations they have other words that are vulgar to them (I was shocked to watch Irish and British TV).
Vulgar just means common. Earthy language carries emotional power. That extra 'oomph' helps to convey strong feelings.
Jesus isn't silent on our choice of language.
Matthew 12:36: "I tell you, on the day of judgment men will render account for every careless word they utter"Paul spoke about our choice of words also:
Matthew 5:34-36: "But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black."
Ephesians 5:4: "Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving."However we see Jesus use vulgar offensive language. He calls Pharisees "white washed tombs" (extremely vulgar for 1st century Jews).
We see Paul use crude terms for bodily functions in Philippians 3:8.
Do "uptight Christians" think Jesus sinned? Do they rip out Philippians 3:8 from their Bibles?
I think we see an important distinction between vulgarity and obscenity. Vulgar language can be occasionally appropriate (we see Jesus and Paul use vulgar language). Obscene language is NEVER appropriate.
It is not appropriate to casually use graphic sexual terms to convey a non-sexual idea. It's NEVER appropriate to blaspheme God. Graphic language is never appropriate for humor.
This is extremely counter cultural in secular America. This is also different from the legalism many Christians throw up when someone let's a "bad word" slip.
I was a Sunday School teacher a few years ago for a group of 20 somethings. Many of them had little background in Church and instinctively cussed. I had to walk a tightrope with these folks ignoring their instinctive vulgar language and disapproving of obscenity. I also had to be careful handling the class members around older people in the Church.
For all the talk about cussing, the most evil language I've ever heard in a Church involved no cussing or vulgarity.
We're ordered to watch all of our language, not just to avoid cussing. I often pause before I speak. I realize how dangerous my tongue can be.
2 comments:
I think we need to look at the root of the problem. While some may be in the category you presented - the unchurched - many know exactly what they are doing. The root seems to be a lot of hostility and anger and "in your face-ism." I am becoming more and more alarmed with the anger I see in our younger Christian adults. We saw this in the secular society in the 60's and early 70's but not really with the younger Christian adults. This is a whole new ballgame for the church and I think we need to address the root problem, not just throw Scripture at them about using nice language. And frankly, many don't care about those verses anyway.
I've seen the same attitudes in young adults brought up in evangelical Churches.
In those cases you have young adults who are either lost or confused. That's a separate problem from cussing among Christians with rough backgrounds.
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