It is official- the English language is degenerative. Has this form of communication become so diseased that we are no longer able to converse in ways that do not include regular vulgarities or an over reliance on linguistic crutches to hold ourselves upright?
We shall begin with the latter. How often do we hear the word like? What formerly was used in a non-threatening, descriptive manner has become the dominant use of a pause that creates overly stilted, awkward conversations. It has become so ingrained in our cultural conversations. Not only is it a crutch to rely on but a habit so deeply formed that to even consider going without it for a period of half an hour requires a depth of self control not often seen. Next time you feel the need to observe a linguistic monster that is out of control just have a listen to the conversation at university or work and make a tally of how many times the phrase is used- unbelievable!!
Of far greater concern to me is the commonality of the use of conceptual language and vulgarities without even blinking an eyelid. For example the use of the word promiscuous in any number of top ten music hits over the last few years has impacted significantly on young minds. A ten year old now has a concept of this word and what it means to them and the relationship that it has to everyday life. It was not meant to be this way, where children are exposed to language that is far beyond what their life experience and development allows. Then there is the vulgar language. It has become so ingrained in our culture now that many of the words that were seen as vulgar seem to come out almost automatically as a form of speech. It seems that very few people are offended when a vulgar word is used within conversation. Does anyone else cringe when they hear obscenities fired at them with incredible frequency within a short space of time conversing with another individual? When does slang stop being slang to become a part of the actual speech of a language? Have you ever thought of that? I will tell you. It is by usage. The more an expression is used, the more it will become an accepted part of speech. The main concern with this is that I believe language is more a reflection of the way we think. To take that one step further I believe that what comes out of our mouths is not only a reflection of our thought pattern but where our heart is at. From Matthew 12: 34b-35 “For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good things stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him”. What we say reflects what our heart is. In James 3:10 he writes “Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be”. Inconsistency in our speech pollutes our character and witness. Speech is more than words; it is a reflection of the heart.
So degeneration of the language itself may be natural or just seem to happen as a result of digression of speech. However what is this really and truly reflecting about our society? Where are people’s hearts truly at? How do we really think about others around us?
My challenge for you is to be known as someone with a clean mouth. This may require God’s and others help in cleaning up your heart first. As we seek to be a community that genuinely accepts people for who they are and promotes a come as you are culture we will and do have broken people, as we all are, come into our community. Our challenge is to be a place where the culture says we can accept that but we believe that Jesus can help you grow and become clean in all areas of your life. This will take time and out of this I believe that our language will be upheld with integrity as we get our hearts right with God. I also challenge you to pray to Jesus and ask him to help you maintain clean speech and see what a wonderful witness this can be to the world around you.
In Christ
Jon Joyce
No comments:
Post a Comment