Has speaking well become the new standard for the pulpit or political office. One person commenting on a presidential candidate mentioned that people listen to him because he speaks well. That would be in contrast to the current president who mispronounces words. Another president was called "the great communicator" but his critics complained that he his speech was deceitful. What about the meaning of words? Words mean something or they mean nothing. We could have shades of Orwell's "1984" or "Animal Farm."
But I see churches wanted great communicators for all generations in a congregation. Many of these churches would love to have the Apostle Paul as their preacher, or would they? Paul admits that he was not a trained speaker, that he had difficulty in public speaking, that he wasn't anything to look at because of some physical disability, and add to that are the facts that he stirred up trouble everywhere he went and was arrested several times. I'm sure some congregations would want to stay away from such a person.
I'm all for clear communication if we are saying what needs to be said. But no matter how you look at it, communicating is difficult, even with people who are intimately familiar with one another. Just consider a husband and wife or parents and children. When a preacher speaks, people hear words and translation them out of their own experiences and definitions. As such, some things can be misunderstood and wrong impressions left. That is why we need to sit down and talk with one another and clarify what we are saying.
Sadly, however, some just want to be entertained by find sounding words. The prophet Ezekiel was told by God that the people of his day loved to hear him speak but will not put his words into practice (see Ezekiel 33:30ff). I fear that too many want a good speaker who says nothing or means something different from what the words he uses mean.
Be careful what you wish for.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
free speech
Did you know that in Canada there is something called the human rights commission. It is currently proscuting a columnist named Mark Stein because he wrote something that some Islamists took as being against Islam. They have also convicted a preacher for speaking out against homosexuality and find him several thousand dollars, told him to apologize and not to speak against it again.
Nothing like that would happen here, would it? Well, New Mexico has a human rights commission who has tried a photographer for refusing to photograph and commitment ceremony between two homosexuals. Virginia also has a human rights commission who tried a video copier for refusing to copy homosexual material. New Jersey civil rights organization has removed the tax exempt status of a church for refusing to allow a homosexual couple to use their property for a commitment ceremony.
Maybe we shouldn't be concerned but then again. There are those who wish to restrict speech on college campuses by speech codes. Some politicians desire to bring back the "fairness doctrine" so that talk radio, which would include Christian radio, would have to be balance between both sides. Why are they afraid of free speech?
I find that those who make the loudest noise about rights being taken away under the current administration have no problem taking away, or supporting such things as human rights commissions, to stop speech that is politically incorrect. Judges overrule the people who vote for propositions, others make laws in contrast to the Constitution, yet are support by those who claim that our rights are being removed.
This reminds me of George Orwell's two books, "1984" and "Animal Farm." One commend from the latter is that all are equal but some are more equal than others. Or like the character in Alice in Wonderland, words are what he determines them to be. Words mean something or nothing. If nothing, then how can we trust what anyone says.
As Christians, if we call something a sin because the Bible does, will we be fined, tried, told to be quiet, even imprisoned for our beliefs? I think this is something to think about, especially as the next national election is coming up. For fine soundly words we might be shooting ourselves in the foot. Gaining back lost freedom might be more difficult than we think.
Nothing like that would happen here, would it? Well, New Mexico has a human rights commission who has tried a photographer for refusing to photograph and commitment ceremony between two homosexuals. Virginia also has a human rights commission who tried a video copier for refusing to copy homosexual material. New Jersey civil rights organization has removed the tax exempt status of a church for refusing to allow a homosexual couple to use their property for a commitment ceremony.
Maybe we shouldn't be concerned but then again. There are those who wish to restrict speech on college campuses by speech codes. Some politicians desire to bring back the "fairness doctrine" so that talk radio, which would include Christian radio, would have to be balance between both sides. Why are they afraid of free speech?
I find that those who make the loudest noise about rights being taken away under the current administration have no problem taking away, or supporting such things as human rights commissions, to stop speech that is politically incorrect. Judges overrule the people who vote for propositions, others make laws in contrast to the Constitution, yet are support by those who claim that our rights are being removed.
This reminds me of George Orwell's two books, "1984" and "Animal Farm." One commend from the latter is that all are equal but some are more equal than others. Or like the character in Alice in Wonderland, words are what he determines them to be. Words mean something or nothing. If nothing, then how can we trust what anyone says.
As Christians, if we call something a sin because the Bible does, will we be fined, tried, told to be quiet, even imprisoned for our beliefs? I think this is something to think about, especially as the next national election is coming up. For fine soundly words we might be shooting ourselves in the foot. Gaining back lost freedom might be more difficult than we think.
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