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Christianity Today, November (Web-only), 2007 |

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Righteous Priorities

Not everyone who says 'Lord, Lord'—or avoids slurs—will enter the Kingdom of Heaven

Mark Galli | posted 11/15/2007 08:55AM

A thought experiment: Is it worse to call former secretary of state Colin Powell a racial slur, or to call him a liar?

We now live in a society where it is impermissible to call a person a name that does ...

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James

Posted: November 27, 2007 11:20 AM

I believe I understand the point Mr. Galli is making in his article. Nevertheless, words are important because it can reveal a person's heart condition. Just because someone gives money to a Black college or a special cause or lives a righteous life style outwardly still does not mean a person's inner person is in order or whether that person loves the Triune God of the Bible. Lying and using hurtful language toward an individual or a whole group of people surely is not Christ-like. Yes, we all have lapses at one time or another. The individuals you mentioned Dog the Bounty Hunter (a professing Christian with need of sound doctrine) and Don Immus (clearly a non-Christian) are clearly public figures who have definitely some persuasive power over their listeners. The bottomline: true followers of Chirst (called out of darkness by God the Father and placed into Christ Jesus by the Holy Spirit) should have more self-control especially for those in which much have been given.

Rick	Posted: November 20, 2007 9:14 PM

The level of frustration and disappointment in America has reached the point many people are lashing out. I wonder where it will end. Many individuals are afraid of what they see and hear and feel no one or no institution is providing the leadership to lead us out of the pit we continue to dig. Perhaps it is out of our arrogance or belief in self, belief in government and institutions we find ourselves in this situation. God repeatedly in his word and throughout time has reminded us, have no fear, place no idols or false gods before him, trust only in him. A major mistake by the people of God was when Israel demanded a king, and what God said would happen did happen, and continues to happen. Having said that, we deserve good leadership in our government, our church, and our institutions and in our companies, and I believe the harshness of our voices reflects the grief of the failure of our leaders. It is time for change and for every Christian to communicate to our leaders and

D.Mitch

Posted: November 20, 2007 2:49 PM

I think I have never heard a racial slur used so often as between members of that race, it is this taking that identity and enclosing it that gives it power over oneself, I was veiwing a documentary about life in prison and one part was of the womens prison where they would call out to one another, "Hey Criminal," and yet again in a recovery house for drug addicts the use of "Hey Dope Fiend," the absorbtion of a particular identity will alter your perception of the world in way's that cannot be healthy, We continue to try and undermine the good works of our leaders by picking on them in way's we know would hurt us, and until they fall from position so we can walk away saying, see I told you there was fault, we will not feel good enough within, this is the illness of the human condition that makes us frail and vulnerable,

Craig R in IN

Posted: November 20, 2007 8:30 AM

Both character attacks and racial slurs malign another's character. The first may have some truth in it; the second never does. The first says, "You are less of a person because of what you did." The second says, "You are less of a person because of what you are, or, more specifically, what God did when He created you." Which is worse? I vote for #2. Certainly, if person has an ongoing character issue, it needs to be addressed. But we must speak not to the character ("He's a liar!"), but to the behavior ("You lied.") If the error occurred in private, deal with it in private. If it occurred in public, deal with it there. But the racial ancestry of a person is never a cause for evil talk, but rather for celebration and joy. If one -- especially one who purports to be a Christian -- speaks evil of another because of his race or culture, he needs to be asked if he would be comfortable in an eternity filled with people from every tribe, language, people and nation.

Mary	Posted: November 20, 2007 6:43 AM


The article makes a good point, but I think it uses a bad example. If Colin Powell lied, then he is a liar, at least in this circumstance. This is not necessesarily an empty derogatory slur. Perhaps saying "You lied" would be better, since he is not a complete liar in all instances.

heavenwoman

Posted: November 16, 2007 11:33 AM

The article is right on target. Jehovah's Witnesses-I call them JFW's for Jehovah's False Witnesses,since they are false teachers- claim to serve God. The men wear suits, and ties, and the woman wear dresses,and panty hoses all the time. They knock on doors and pass out their Watchtower literature, they read the New World Translation which takes away from the deity of Christ, and adds other stuff in the place of this (violates Revelation 22:18-19), and think "good works" get people to heaven. They have a form of "godliness" see 2 Timothy Chapter 3, "but without power" that is they have no real connections to God. They deny the virgin birth of Jesus, the Trinity, the deity of the Holy Spirit and various other things in the Bible. They are "religious" but lost. Pray for them to come to know the truth! The Mormons think they can become God. They are decieved by Satan, for no one can become better than God or become him. There is One God, Jesus Christ!

Ephrem Hagos

Posted: November 16, 2007 4:33 AM

In prioritizing righteousness, let us not forget to make some effort to know personally and firsthand who Jesus Christ is. No amount of what we, otherwise, call "faith" (or plain easy-believism) will get anyone into heaven! It is because the easy-believers and do-gooders did not know Jesus, as prescribed, that He will say to them, "I never knew you. Get away from me, you wicked people! (Matt. 7: 21-23). If we want to prioritize righteousness, we know what to do! There is time.

Anonymous

Posted: November 15, 2007 8:10 PM

As a black person myself I would be more worried in most modern socities if a person called me by a racial slur than if they called me a liar. This is because in today's world people's prejudices often cause you more hurt than any concerns they may have about your character. I have found that the person calling you a liar is usually merely disagreeing with your argument or position. When however, they call you a racial slur they are often saying that they do not like you, and in some places racial slurs have been known to be accompanied or followed by rage and/or violence. Colin Powell should not be too surprised by being called a liar. After all, is this not the the way most people feel about politicians, that they say things they do not mean and make promises they do not intend to keep? This is simply taken for granted and people do not necessarily hate them for that. But racial slurs often speaks to an ignorance and animus that is far more dangerous.

Anna	Posted: November 15, 2007 8:09 PM

Jesus once said that if you called a guy "fool" it's the same as if you murdered that guy in your heart. Since then, we've introduced newer, "better" insults like racial slurs. Call me crazy, but I think if you aren't supposed to call someone "fool", it's safe to say racial, gender and ethnic slurs are off limits. The problem isn't in the language, it's in the heart. It's hard to call someone something insulting without holding hostile feelings for them. I suppose these normally harsh words can be used affectionately among folks who express their feelings in contrariwise fashion (as in "kiss me you fool" and so forth), but usually not in public. I guess our Lord sees the heart. I'll be doggoned if I can understand, though, the need for anybody to tell us racial slurs aren't so bad - they're bad enough. Especially if you happen to belong to the group being slurred. It almost feels like a heaping helping of those "deep-seated injustices and oppression" if you're one of that group.

Bert warden

Posted: November 15, 2007 7:53 PM

Yes !!! Yes !!! Sadly, we believers are much closer kin to the scribes and Pharisees than we care to admit. In one of his books, Phil Yancey comments on their being scandalized because Jesus ate with publicans and sinners, and asks his readers when was the last time we were so accused. In a similar vein when was the last time in your church or mine that we were faced with the dilemma that James talks about. how to treat "a poor man in filthy clothes" entering our assembly? Mostly our churches are so prim and proper, so overwhelmingly middle class, that we repel the very sinners we professedly trying to reach.

Raymond Takashi Swenson

Posted: November 15, 2007 5:00 PM

Christ also directly addressed those who are hypercritical of others as being hypocritical, attacking a mote in the eye of a neighbor while we ignore the ceiling beams that are blinding our own eyes. To my politically conservative eyes as a retired military officer, those who accuse Colin Powell and President Bush of "lying" to make the case to invade Iraq are the ones who are actually intentionally misrepresenting the facts. Hillary Clinton and the majority of Democrats in Congress supported the resolution to authorize action against Iraq, when they also had access to secret intelligence on the situation, demonstrating that deception was not practiced by Bush or Powell. Bill Clinton had fired cruise missiles for that reason. While France and Russia and other members of the UN opposed action in Iraq, they never argued that the intelligence about weapons was incorrect. Indeed, opponents of invasion argued that Saddam Hussein would use chemical weapons against our troops!

Ian	Posted: November 15, 2007 5:00 PM

What the writer says is true, but irrelevant. We live in a world t which has been awash with moral and social problems since the fall. It is the awareness of these problems that drives human society and it is not the Christian’s role to point out these problems; It is our role to be living demonstrations of the solution. It is our role to be living reminders of the truth that we become like what we worship. The condition of the church, not the world is what we must be sensitive too, for that is the measure of the nearness of the return of Christ.

Jude A. Dickson

Posted: November 15, 2007 4:29 PM

It is advisable for Christians and the society to avoid using slurs or bigoted words to a person or people. Our words should be full of blessings and encouragement. That is not to say, that will should be blind or keep quiet from saying the truth when the need be. It is good for us to call a spade - a spade. Yet in doing so, our choice of language matters a lot. It is true that we have a lot of hypocrites in our society, who cares much about the outer than the inner'. I hope this is the main issue which the writer of this article is trying to stress. Good attitude towards our fellow man matters much than a good word spoken in hypocrisy. It is best to use good words and good attitude as well, than using one or the other. If we Christians adopt this, it will help us do better - in this awful world and degraded society of ours. If you call LORD, LORD with a sincere heart it must reflect in your attitute.

Kim	Posted: November 15, 2007 2:38 PM

One person's junk is another's treasure. I believe that what the article was point to is that we all should be careful what we say, to whom, and consider the lasting effects in spite of the societal trend to sugar coat what it would like to have accepted as the norm and "okay." Why is it okay to call someone a liar when we, in fact, rarely know if they are or not because spin is such an overwhelming way of life and media. Depending on what you read, who wrote it, etc, you can justify every opinion you have. As long as I wasn't in a room with Colin Powell, or anyone else for that matter, and didn't hear them lie, I don't know if they did or not. Why are we so busy pointing fingers at others when in reality we need to spend time pointing them at ourselves? This is what David did in the Psalms. He was filled with righteous anger, and then pointed that at himself and said..."Search me." We all need to do this and consider our words carefully before we use them.

Ron in Kentucky

Posted: November 15, 2007 1:51 PM

Its never proper for Christians to call anyone by a name that will in any way be an insult to that person. Regardless of the nature of the person in question, all are to be treated with respect, and when we use improper words, it does nothing but harm our witness. I am so sorry to hear some of the words now used by the media and prime time T.V. shows. With all that said, some of the most hurtful words we hear now are directed toward Christians. The Bible tells us in Jesus's words we are to expect that to happen more in the end times. I see no difference in the use of the "N" word and calling a christian a bigot or guilty of hate speech when we stand for what the Holy word of God says. Both are wrong and must be discouraged.

Geoff

Posted: November 15, 2007 1:46 PM

While I agree with the author's general point regarding the Christian inconsistency in our tendency to be scandalized over words while ignoring the deeper issues, the problem with his line of thinking is that it confuses those deeper issues. Certainly, Christians are guilty of speaking falsely in many ways, but to suggest, albeit perhaps unintentionally, that one type of speaking (racial slurs) is less problematic than another (character smearing) overlooks the fact that our language and our actions are often far more closely related than we care to admit. "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks" is not just Scripture, it's a fairly accurate representation of human behavior. The problem is that when people use degrading language, most of the time it IS what they think, and it is proper for Christians to oppose both language and action that is contrary to Christ. Unfortunately, it is much easier for any of us to simply point the finger at the speck and ignore the log.

More Or Les

Posted: November 15, 2007 1:45 PM


Hot dam, Mark, spot on again. Heaven would most assuredly be overrun if God were to save what folks pretend to be. Religeously crafted verbage too often becomes the stumbling block and never was Jesus' style. Folks need to cast off their goodly Babylonish garments before the rocks fly.

D	Posted: November 15, 2007 1:30 PM

I think there are two connected but separate issues here: 1. That our words are an indicator of the condition of our heart, mind and spirit whether for a moment or longer period of time; and 2. That we should strive to be more mindful of how we use our words and why. Still, I don't know if I would compare describing a politician's behavior to a stereotypical slur (and more so, I wouldn't justify it by saying it is meant to describe "some" people). It is true that we are to have respect for our leaders and ultimately the key to our behavior is to follow the example Christ gave us through His own words and actions. I am not sure I would feel awkward calling a politician a liar in front of Jesus but I would be if I used a slur. As such, the distinction is what the author is attempting to provoke readers to consider and I don't think it's a waste of time to do so.

Julie

Posted: November 15, 2007 1:09 PM

This article was problematic on many levels. When people use racial slurs, their words are a reflection of what is in their hearts. Those who dehumanize others through the spoken word will, if given a chance, act upon the attitudes underlying such verbiage--leading to the injustice and oppression Galli claims to be so worried about. The Bible repeatedly warns us to tame our tongues. See James 3:6: "The tongue is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person." Finally, it is the duty of believers to rebuke evil and bring correction to government leaders when they break God's commands. This is exactly what the Old Testament prophets did, as did John the Baptist. Castigating a public official who had lied to his country is part of being salt and light.

Larry in Oregon

Posted: November 15, 2007 1:09 PM

Congratulations on a very much on target article. Mr. Galli points out the hegemony of "PC" language in a hypocrital culture that tends to speak well and act trashy. The origins of PC language derive from a move to remove power from the dominant culture, namely traditional Western world values, and shift it to anti-traditional PC goals. Evangelicals have bought into this. but still have lagged behind in advocacy for women, minorities, earthkeeping, poverty, etc. Jesus calls for us to establish moral priorities and live by them: "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone" (Matt. 5:23 KJV). Oh, that the PC fanatics would do the same!

Jeff	Posted: November 15, 2007 12:30 PM


Generally good, however, our government is indeed wrapped up in a web of lies. Thank God for evangelical Christians who have the nerve to point it out.

Beau in NC

Posted: November 15, 2007 12:18 PM

I believe your heart is in the right place, but I have to tell you, this line of argument leaves me cold, and I will tell you why. Because in evangelical congregations around the country, but especially in the South, where I live, you hear a daily litany of "Well, this may not be the politically correct thing to say, but....." usually followed by a statement that is bigoted, mean-spirited, and backward as spitting on the sidewalk. I don't believe your intention is to excuse such language or the attitudes behind it, but that is the effect of articles such as this. It will be read by many as justification (hmmm) to go right ahead with language that neither lifts nor illumines.

DiverCity

Posted: November 15, 2007 12:08 PM


Excellent essay, Mr. Galli.

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