Scriptual Civility

Jesus Driving Out the Moneychangers

There’s been a lot of discussion the past few weeks about civility, especially during political discourse. I’ve posted many blogs over the past weeks, since the Arizona shootings, excoriating the Leftists and their mouthpiece the Jurassic Press for their own lack of civility and hate speech when lecturing the rest of us on civility. Claiming that Conservatives were accessories to murder is way over the top, and naming specific people that weren't even there, as just as guilty of murder as the gunman himself.

What does scripture have to say about civility? It’s a mixed message. Here’s some passages of a sweet, charitable loving tongue.

 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (Eph 4:29)

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be (James 3:9-10)

Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry (James 1:19)

But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips (Col 3:8)

On the other hand, people of that day didn't have a problem having tough tongues.

Jesus said, “You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good?” (Matthew 12:34).

And Jesus turned on them and said, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are. “Woe to you, blind guides!…..You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. ….You hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean….And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers! “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?” (Matt 23).

So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables (John 2:15)

Paul: O senseless Galatians, who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the truth,….As for those circumcisers , I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves! (Galatians 3, 5)

We have the Bible expressing what we would expect; counseling understanding, love and charity. Surprisingly there’s a lot of angry words and actions, especially coming from Jesus, the holiest of men. Was he being uncivil?

Whenever I’ve do business with New Yorkers, I often find them rude and obnoxious. Speaking to each other, I'm sure they don’t hear that. In the West and South, language is mellower, less assertive. We can assume then, where you’re from, in time and place, is how civility is measured.

I’m certainly not going to allow the Speech Police, and the Thought Police, both creatures of the Left, to circumscribe my speech based on their notion of civility. I’ll call Maxine Waters or Nancy Pelosi knuckleheads, but that certainly doesn’t compare with a Leftist talker saying Sarah Palin 'is good masturbation material', or saying Rep. Rebecca Kleefisch obtained her position by performing fellatio and “pulling trains”.

It seems then that tough words spoken with love, understanding, and charity are optimal, but that doesn’t mean there can’t be toughness in the mix. I look at Biblical verses expressing both. The answer is in balance. "Say what you mean, mean what you say, but don’t say it mean."