Taking every thought captive for obedience to Christ (2 Cor. 10.5)

Disciplines
Language
You will recall that, in the April 4 edition of The Week, we talked about the power of language to shape worldviews and culture, and how certain languages can overpower and eliminate weaker languages to that end.

It’s not necessary to think of different languages in considering this matter. Even among speakers of the same language, certain groups understand the role of language better than others, and have become adept at wielding language to set and manage the cultural agenda.

The recent dust-up involving Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton demonstrates this point alarmingly well, and shows us just how clearly the power of language is understood in certain sectors of our society.

You will recall that in a Meet the Press interview Mrs. Clinton made the comment that “unborn persons have no constitutional rights.” Her reference to a child in the womb as a “person” was strictly beyond what the political left and pro-abortion advocates are willing to accept. Mrs. Clinton’s comment was immediately set upon by the language police of the left, who scolded her for her slip of the tongue, and then reminded the rest of us of what the correct language should be.

For those on the left, a child in the womb is not a person. He or she is a “pregnancy” or a “fetus,” but neither a “baby” nor a “person.” Mrs. Clinton, the press, and the entire nation were duly reminded that there is a proper vernacular for referring to such things, and one must not overstep the bounds of language propriety.

Refusing to refer to children in the womb as children or persons, of course, makes it much easier to destroy them – “abort” or  “terminate the pregnancy” is the proper language – when it has been decided that bringing the child/person to full term and birth is simply not convenient. As long as what we’re destroying is simply “part of the mother’s body” and not a living human being, then abortion is more like trimming a hangnail or having one’s appendix removed than like, you know, murder.

The language of abortion is obviously carefully guarded, because controlling the language means controlling the culture of death and the millions of dollars and political advantages that come from doing so.

But this is merely one area where who controls the speech controls the worldviews and culture. “Everyone knows” it is impolite to talk about religion in public, since, of course, religion is a strictly personal and private matter. Christians have learned to keep their “God-talk” to themselves beyond the walls of church. They have acquiesced in the unspoken rules of speech that deem it quaint, naïve, irrational, or inappropriate to talk about God or to associate Him with any of the everyday aspects of life where He might be revealing Himself and His glory.

We have been cowed into silence about our faith – you and I and everyone of us who does not talk about the Lord Jesus and our faith in Him as though these were real and vital components of our lives. And by caving into the demands of certain outspoken unbelievers, we have yielded the worldview field of battle to secularism, materialism, narcissism, and pragmatism as the only valid ways of organizing life, work, morality, or culture.

Christians do not talk about their faith in Jesus because the dominant worldview threatens to scold or punish us if we do. And by not talking about our faith we not only cede ground to the worldview of the Lie, but we undermine our own confidence in the plain teaching of Scripture which calls us to be witnesses to the risen and reigning Lord Jesus, Who upholds the world and everything in it by His Word of power, and is commanding all men everywhere to repent and believe the Good News.

Millions of children have been murdered in the womb because of the power of language. And millions of lost men and women have been denied the possibility of eternal life because Christians have submitted to the rules of language as promulgated by advocates of unbelieving worldviews. We are complicit in the lostness of our age because of our refusal to take on the language police of our day and talk about Jesus, our faith, God’s glory in the world, and the difference all this can make.

When, dear friends, will we repent of this cravenness and begin living like the witnesses we are called to be?

For reflection
1.  What are you afraid of in refusing to talk about your faith with neighbors, co-workers, or friends?

2.  Meditate on 1 Peter 3.15. Suppose someone were to ask you for a reason for the hope that is within you. What would you say?

3.  How can Christians help one another to become more consistent and outspoken about our faith?

Next steps: What could your church do to encourage and equip its members for more outspoken witness for the Lord? Talk with a church leader or pastor about this question.

Need a better understanding of the Gospel? Order a copy of The Gospel of the Kingdom from our online store (click here), and get your witness for Christ in shape.

The Week features insights from a wide range of topics and issues, with a view to equipping the followers of Christ to take every thought captive for Jesus. Please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452.