A few days ago I sat in a theater with two of my daughters. In
the preview of a coming comedy attraction, a white man sat at a table full of
African Americans and spoke and acted like he was black. Behind me I heard a woman snickering, trying
to suppress a laugh, yet saying, “That’s
terrible.” It was obviously a farce and it was taken as a joke. But her
muttered words mirrored where our society is at. Even the hint of racism is
about as bad as it gets.
The same day I read of the fall of celebrity chef Paula
Deen. She used the “N” word. As a result of a word she spoke, her career is
basically destroyed. Her subsequent tearful appeals on interviews have not
yielded mercy.
“That’s terrible,”
say most; no one is laughing.
As a young Christian, I remember hearing of the verse in the
Bible that says, “Sins against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.”[1]
We used to talk a lot about what that meant. What was the sin? Some thought it
was one word. Others said, “No, it’s a willful, sustained walking away from the
Lord and His commands.” I always opted for the second explanation. The first
one was too scary. A random word could mean eternal judgment and damnation?
What if I slipped in a moment of anger and said that word. It would be all
over.
America has sort of become like the first option. We’ve lost
our sense of humor. Certain words, if spoken, are crimes. If you say this word, you are that. Period. No hope. No mercy.
Paula Deen lost her job for a word spoken. Dumb on her part.
Yes. Evidence that she is a racist? No. In America, there is no freedom to
speak that word. It’s a bad word. But freedom has been the casualty. I
wonder what words will be next?
Historically, many have lost their jobs over words spoken.
Consider the actions of notorious Nazi Joseph Goebbels. “… (Goebbels) made
sure teachers and lecturers were teaching what he had wanted them to teach
the university students, otherwise they'd be dismissed. From 1933-38, more than
3000 academics were dismissed.”[2]
Today it’s fashionable to condemn and dismiss people whose words are not
politically correct. No we’re not Nazi Germany. Not even close. But aren’t
there increasingly some parallels?
One day Jesus spoke to a Canaanite woman whose daughter was
sick. “It is not fair to take the
children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”[3]
Society would destroy Billy Graham if he called a foreign woman a dog! Jesus
must have been a chauvinist. Two verses later we read, Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for
you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.[4]
A word spoken does not a person make. Pray that we will not
continue to lose our freedoms, even the freedom for people to say words we don’t
like.
To be judged for a word spoken, now that’s terrible.
[1]
Mark 3:29
[2] Shawn
Hsu, “Life in Nazi Germany 1933-1945” http://lifeinnazigermanyshawnhsu.weebly.com/censorship-and-propaganda.html
[3]
Matthew 15:26
[4]
Matthew 15:28
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