Foul Language Is Not What You Think It Is: A Biblical Look at Bad Words and Heart Intent
Bad Words, Part Six
Have you ever stopped and wondered when and how certain words ended up on a list of that Christians or polite people should never use? Has it ever seemed arbitrary that a word that might convey the same sentiment is deemed acceptable? The Bible tells us not to take the Lord's Name in vain, but it never instructs us to create a list of other words to avoid, but that is what we have done as a culture. We also take it seriously. Part of our rating systems for TV, movies, music, and games is to warn us about "foul language" so we can avoid it if we choose and help parents protect their kids.
How much protection are the ratings? Obviously, ratings also warn us about violence, gore, sexual situations, and nudity, but if we look just at language, are they doing their job? Let's say I am a movie scriptwriter, and I just found out that my rating was going to be more restrictive because of the following situation:
Gathered around a makeshift table, Chloe says, "I don't care how hungry they are. We are going to f*** them up for taking what is ours." Pete and Liam nod in agreement.
I want it to have a lower rating, so I change it to:
Gathered around a makeshift table, Chloe says, "I don't care how hungry they are. They are going to wish they were never born for taking what is ours." Pete and Liam nod in agreement.
The context of both versions is identical. They both suggest an unlawful and violent retaliation for another group who took some food. The reason someone would use the first version is that it has a larger shock value, but that is the cultural lie. A disciple of Christ should be equally shocked by the hatred and violence suggested in both versions.
We should not have a list of words that are arbitrarily profane words. I have long believed it is just another form of elitism. You might have a self-righteous Christian look down on someone who uses these words. You might also have someone who considers themselves an educated cultural elite looking down on someone as lower class.
The other problem with this arbitrary list is that it is a distraction from a better and more biblical definition of good and bad language.
The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:45
If what comes out of your mouth comes from a sinful heart, there is no way to clean it up. Here are a few examples to think about:
"You look nice today." (Said to a woman by a lust-filled male) It is still sexually suggestive and creepy.
"Of course, you would think that you are a woman!" (the context makes 'woman' as bad as referring to her as a b****)
"I was just trying to help." Can be made to sound condescending.
"I'm just being honest." (Used as an excuse to deliver a cruel or hurtful observation.) Honesty without empathy is just cruelty disguised.
"They're just different, you know?" (Said with a subtle sneer, masking prejudice.) The vagueness allows for deniability, but the implication is clear.
Any word spoken in hate, regardless of its dictionary definition, violates Christ's teachings. For instance, you can be racially offensive without using a word that is typically viewed as a racial slur.
The reason there is no 100 percent consensus on political correctness is because it is impossible to confine hateful language to a list of specific words or expressions. It is similarly impossible to make a list of words that are always safe to say when referring to another person. With the right context, inflection, emphasis, and body language, you can make anything offensive.
You might have noticed that I have still masked the "bad" words, even though I am using them for teaching. The reason for that comes from Paul's lesson on being a stumbling block in 1 Corinthians 8:7-13. Even though I believe that biblically, all words that come from a heart condition (good or bad) are the same. As long as there is a cultural notion of specific profane words and that supposedly good Christians should not use them, then I should not be heard using them.
A disciple of Christ is called to a higher standard of communication.
If it is not clear by now, if you asked me for a list of all the potential bad words, I would hand you an unabridged dictionary with over 476,000 entries in it. You could not talk at all, but you might still communicate something sinful through gestures or body language. So, the challenge is not simply to avoid certain words, but to work with the Holy Spirit to transform our hearts so that the way we talk is loving, honest, peacemaking, wise, used to build people up, encourage, supportive in times of trouble, and humble. Even when we need to warn people, they are on the wrong path, it should be done as an act of love.
Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. Colossians 4:6
If we are going to communicate with each other the right way, we need to stop fooling ourselves into believing a cultural lie. We all have work we need to do with the Holy Spirit. I also encourage you to get the right amount of rest and look for ways to reduce your daily stress levels. Jesus often withdrew and rested.
Scripture used or considered in the writing of: Foul Language Is Not What You Think It Is: A Biblical Look at Bad Words and Heart Intent by RD Montgomery. All Scripture quoted is in the ESV format unless otherwise specified.
Exodus 20:7
1 Samuel 16:7
Proverbs 12:1, 18
Proverbs 15:1, 7
Proverbs 16:33
Proverbs 26:2
Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28
Matthew 12:33-37
Matthew 15:10-11, 18-19
Luke 6:45
Romans 12:14, 18
1 Corinthians 8:7-13
1 Corinthians 13
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
2 Corinthians 10:5
Galatians 6:1
Ephesians 3:14-19
Ephesians 4:25, 29, 32
Ephesians 5:4
Philippians 2:3-4
Philippians 4:8-9
Colossians 3:8
Colossians 4:6
1 Thessalonians 5:11
2 Timothy 2:23-24
James 1:19, 26
James 3:3-12
1 Peter 2:17
1 Peter 3:10
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