Expressive or Gutter?

Language is necessary for communication, and our understanding is based on the words we use to express ourselves. It goes without saying that those with good word skills have no problem in being understood by anyone, at any level. True for children and true for adults, and besides, your words can help define the kind of person you are, not just your education but also your character. Most importantly character!

I have noticed the use of loose or ‘bad language’ creeping into daily use, more and more, surprisingly (to me at least) even in the Christian community, and especially by Christians in the social networking media. There is an element of respect in play here, or perhaps the lack of it, because swearing can come from an unexpected source. Someone who has been brought up in the church can be the person who wants to break free of their constraint and feels that being loose with their language is a sign of that freedom. But it comes at a price, even if it gets them closer to their unsaved peers. Respect is lost by the swearer within themselves and betrays their salvation, but also by others who hear the words from those lips which were previously ‘sanctified’ and clean. It’s strange but my experience shows that those who do not have a church background and no claim to salvation, will show more respect around those who maintain a Christian witness, and do not swear in their company.

There is another part to this problem of mine. Yes I admit it may just be my problem, and one I have to deal with. Today’s world allows us to Facebook, tweet and email, and now we can hide behind a keyboard or smart phone and say what we think, or repost what another thinks. We have accepted the lie that if we repeat what another person says, tweets or posts, it’s not our ‘sin’. After all, we didn’t really say it, we just passed it on. For my part, if I do that, I see it as my responsibility, and therefore my sin. I then have to balance the responsibility and apply the same rules for those others that I see swearing in print. Am I alone in my thinking? Am I out of touch and remote from modern day thinking and the use of social media language?

I have seen many changes in the lives of the community of believers who call themselves by the name of Christ, and not all for good. My concern is that loose language and swearing will be the next standard to fall, and become commonplace, starting in our youth, Monday to Saturday, but will not be heard on a Sunday (at first). Please tell me I am wrong. I desperately need to be wrong on this!