Archive for June, 2012

Did Paul or Peter ever cuss???

Posted: June 20, 2012 in Uncategorized
6

Can you support that cussing/cursing is ok biblically? Well these major Bible figures make defining strong language a whole lot more ambiguous than a lot of people would have us believe.

Paul

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ (Philippians 3:8)

In this verse Paul uses the word rubbish which is a translation of the Greek word skubalon. This word is defined as scraps from a plate, trash, or dung. Yep. Manure. Fertilizer. Cowpies. So what did he mean? Eugene Peterson’s Message version goes with dog dung.

Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn’t want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God’s righteousness. (Philippians 3:7 MSG)

What is even more troubling is Paul’s description of the Judaizers as dogs and those who mutilate the flesh.

Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. (Philippians 3:2 ESV)

In Jewish culture, a man who was of impure mind was called a dog. An example of a man of impure mind: a male prostitute (Revelation 22:15, Deuteronomy 23:19)

Is calling someone a male prostitute cussing??? Hmmmm. Definitely not politically correct.

Peter

When Simon saw that the apostles by merely laying on hands conferred the Spirit, he pulled out his money, excited, and said, “Sell me your secret! Show me how you did that! How much do you want? Name your price!” Peter said, “To hell with your money! And you along with it. Why, that’s unthinkable—trying to buy God’s gift! You’ll never be part of what God is doing by striking bargains and offering bribes. Change your ways—and now! Ask the Master to forgive you for trying to use God to make money. I can see this is an old habit with you; you reek with money-lust.” (Acts 8:18, 20 MSG)

Peter cracks me up!!! Lol. He actually told this guy that him and his money can go to hell!

That is definitely strong language but is that equivalent to cussing in the modern day sense of the term?

Also Jesus called the Pharisees “a brood of vipers” (Matthew 23:33). He called them something less than human. How is this ok and we can’t just say because he is Jesus and they deserved it. Can we???

Stay tuned for the last post in this series on “Why this conversation is important?”

Is it ok for Christians to cuss? pt 2

Posted: June 12, 2012 in bible, culture, faith, spirituality
Tags: , , , , , ,
3

Let’s come to an agreement. From what the scriptures say it is wrong to use foul language. Most of us can agree on that. The problem lies in the next question: What is foul language?

I believe the apostle Paul can be a guide here since he dealt with multiple cultures/contexts and wrestled with the gray areas of Christian living. From reading Paul there are three main issues to wrestle with when it comes to foul language:

Context. Being an aficionado of both the spoken and written word helps me understand the fact that language is contextual. The actual letters on the page; the syllables forming in your mouth mean nothing without the context surrounding them. As an apostle to the nations Paul lived by the maxim

I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. (1 Corinthians 9:20-22 ESV)

Calling. Here is where we have to get outside of ourselves and think about others. Our calling determines a lot about where we draw certain boundary lines on certain behavior. Why? Because our calling places us in different contexts which determine the meaning of our language. Obviously cussing in a retirement home would not go over very well. Although being called to South Boston (u saw Good Will Hunting) certain words may be considered appropriate. Being a senior pastor of a church or in politician are also callings where certain speech is out of line.

As an apostle to the nations Paul gave up his rights in order to pursue his calling (1 Corinthians 9:12-18). Many things may not be explicitly wrong but we surrender them to do what is expedient for the good of others and the gospel.

“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. (1 Corinthians 10:23 ESV)

Conscience. Finally we get to the heart of the matter. If words are buckets filled and emptied with meaning depending on the context then how do we decide what is a curse word or not? Well Paul gives us some more direction in this matter through the book of Romans:

The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. (Romans 14:22, 23 ESV)

In other words, there are certain words that may offend your conscience even if they are appropriate for your context and calling. When it comes to man made words your conscience before God is a major factor in determining the boundaries of your speech. Is this something God has convicted your conscience about?

After all, Is God offended by certain words. I would say no. I have been around people who can tear you down without using the standard cuss words and I believe that is more offensive to God than a young teenage kid who gets a buzz from dropping the F bomb. What do you think?

Stay tuned for part 3 where we will examine biblical passages that may or may not be interpreted as cussing.

Is it ok for Christians to cuss? Pt 1

Posted: June 8, 2012 in bible, culture, faith, spirituality
Tags: , , , , ,
8

The other day I posted an ” innocent” question on my Facebook status: Is it ok for Christians to cuss? Unaware of the controversy it would spark I found myself in the middle of a serious debate between one side claiming that certain words were not supposed to be said at all against another side who claimed that words mean nothing without context.

The question came up because of something our pastor said this past Sunday about not watching movies or tv with cuss words (especially taking the Lord’s name in vain). And I began to wonder whether refraining from saying or hearing particular words was essential to the gospel or a cultural stumbling block, an extra burden added to the gospel. I will give my beliefs on the issue in the next post but for now let’s look at the relevant texts.

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. (Ephesians 4:29 ESV) The emphasis here is on how we talk. The words we use should be for building up and not tearing down.

Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. (Ephesians 5:4 ESV) The context of this verse is Paul exhorting believers to avoid sexual immorality and in the greek all the words for speech in this verse refer to speech that in classical times were or could be considered sexually immoral. It is clear that followers of Christ must not use words to promote or endorse sexual immorality. They must be use words of thanksgiving for what we have and not to lust after what we don’t have

But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. (Colossians 3:8 ESV) The word “obscene talk” refers to speech that brings about shame on the speaker

So from the relevant texts we can gather that cursing has more to do with the purpose and goal of our words than the words itself. Are they corrupting and tearing down or are they building up? Are they full of thanksgiving or lust? Are they honorable or shameful? Stay tuned for part 2 where we talk about the role of context, culture, and the bigger picture of the gospel

What is racism in 2012???

Posted: June 4, 2012 in culture, faith, justice, Race, racism, spirituality
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
1

Have you ever heard someone cry “racism” after losing a job, not getting into a school, or being slighted by a cashier or barista? Did you think to yourself “Is this racism or are they using this as a cover?” Have you ever wondered what those African Americans, Latinos, Asian and Native Americans were so upset about? After all, we are in the 21st century and Martin Luther King Jr. put a stop to all that stuff. Wrong. Keep reading because in this post I am going to define racism in the 21st century.

Here it is…

Racism is a system of thoughts and behaviors which discriminate and oppress people through the socially constructed categories of race carried over from America’s past

This system can be described through a number of metaphors. Our guest bloggers have mentioned three of them:

Racism is a smog. In part 1 of our series “Defining Racism in the 21st century” Katelin Hansen highlighted how racism is a smog. It is something that is pervasive and in the words of Dr. Beverly Tatum “sometimes it is so thick it is visible, other times it is less apparent, but always, day in and day out, we are breathing it in.” (Tatum, 2007)

Racism is a legacy. In part 2 Steve pointed to class discrimination being related to racism and a result of the legacy of racism. The fact that race was such a controlling factor in one’s socioeconomic status and rights to life for so long in American history cannot be washed away completely.

Racism is playing the devil’s guitar???In part 3 Steven Hamilton let us know that race is something you cannot avoid in this country. It is something that is part and parcel of America. The issue is whether we can use the topic to heal and deconstruct the system or shake hands with the devil and play his music like the characters in the movie Crossroads.

So there it is. Racism in a nutshell. Anything you would like to add? I’m open.