thoughts on cussing
Eric Pement concluded
and i agree.
John Frame wrote
these are older articles. the Bible is even older. i'm guilty of this sin. it's nothing i take pride in. it's not something i've written in public for my blog. (i hope...) so what do we make of this by Emergent Village leader Tony Jones?
the asterisks are in his original. immature? no class? needs to see the writing tutor? my wife was a writing tutor in college. she comments often on lame Christian books with editing that leaves much to be desired. what did that expletive add to the sentence? could better intensives be used? perhaps "very" or "really?" perhaps a better adjective altogether such as "frightening?" perhaps he could include an ellipsis describing the intensity of his feeling rather than apologize for his French/sin. Mr. Jones is a PhD student at Princeton. He should know how to write better and how to control is writing better. His leadership example will only be amplified by admirers. His point is missed by potential students. The whole thing makes me feel used. He gets traffic because of his sin. He divides believers instead of uniting them. How is this a good thing?
Christians are not immune from stumbling themselves or others by loose habits of speaking. It may occur with vulgar words or in other ways. I know of a much-loved minister who cannot resist making sexual or scatalogical innuendos in private conversation, even though “technically” he has never said anything obscene. At some point, he needs to be reminded that “coarse joking” is out of place in the life of the believer (Eph. 5:4, NIV). Not knowing what he’s doing, he loses more esteem by his off-color remarks than he gains from having a new joke to tell.
Our point was summarized long ago in James 1:26: “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.” Swearing does not show “realness” or gutsy emotion. Rather, it betrays a flaw in our ability to communicate sensitively and tastefully, not unlike the woman who dumps four spoonsful of sugar in her coffee and imagines she really likes coffee. She likes the buzz, not the coffee. As Christians, we must go “against the tide” of the world in many instances, and if we do not want our testimony nullified by our own actions, we will pray this prayer with the Psalmist: “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips” (Psalm 141:3).
and i agree.
John Frame wrote
Between the extreme of the street language and the extreme of a total abstinence from such expressions, there are lines that are hard to draw.
As in all questions of linguistic usage, much depends on one's upbringing, the perceptions of his own culture, subculture, etc. What is seen as coarse in one society will be routinely accepted in another; what is seen in one society as a Christian "given" will be seen in another society as self-righteous. There is a place for flexibility and sensitivity, as we seek to contextualize the gospel to all cultures and subcultures. Perhaps the absolute principle is this: The Christian should always be, and be perceived as, one who, while not self-righteous and legalistic, nevertheless avoids contemptuous or irreverent attitudes and the language which in the "target subculture" expresses those attitudes.
these are older articles. the Bible is even older. i'm guilty of this sin. it's nothing i take pride in. it's not something i've written in public for my blog. (i hope...) so what do we make of this by Emergent Village leader Tony Jones?
This connection between deconstruction and the Bible is especially meaningful, methinks. I am quite convinced that the Bible is a subversive text, that it constantly undermines our assumptions, transgresses our boundaries, and subverts our comforts. This may sound like academic mumbo-jumbo, but I really mean it. I think the Bible is a [inferred expletive - ju] scary book (pardon my French, but that's the only way I know how to convey how strongly I feel about this). And I think that deconstruction is the only hermeneutical avenue that comes close to expressing the transgressive nature of our sacred text.
the asterisks are in his original. immature? no class? needs to see the writing tutor? my wife was a writing tutor in college. she comments often on lame Christian books with editing that leaves much to be desired. what did that expletive add to the sentence? could better intensives be used? perhaps "very" or "really?" perhaps a better adjective altogether such as "frightening?" perhaps he could include an ellipsis describing the intensity of his feeling rather than apologize for his French/sin. Mr. Jones is a PhD student at Princeton. He should know how to write better and how to control is writing better. His leadership example will only be amplified by admirers. His point is missed by potential students. The whole thing makes me feel used. He gets traffic because of his sin. He divides believers instead of uniting them. How is this a good thing?
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