Thursday, July 2, 2009

Conversation Starter: What Is Profanity?

One of my growing concerns in recent years is what I've called "the dirtying of the Christian mouth". Isaiah identified having a dirty mouth as one of the sins that made him feel undone in the presence of a holy God (Isaiah 6:3-5).

What I don't seem to sense today is a similar conviction among my Christian contemporaries. The Bible has a lot to say about the sins of the tongue; a lot! Why is it then that we seem so little concerned about what God seems so very concerned about?

There's a lot of ways we could go with this conversation, but let me start with a conversation starter: "What is profanity?" I'd really be interested to hear from you regarding how you'd define this; then I'll chime in some thougths over a few days period.

One with you in aiming for all things honorable, virtuous, good and lovely (Philippians 4:8).
Tim

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3 Comments:

Blogger Bruce said...

That is a very good and important question you are asking. I would suggest that profanity is far more extensive than the “four letter” words that might come immediately to mind. We can avoid these specific words and yet be quite profane in our speech.

A basic dictionary definition of the word profane is to treat (something sacred) with abuse, irreverence, or contempt; or, to debase by a wrong, unworthy, or vulgar use. Having said that, let me take a stab towards a basic definition. We might say that profanity is expressing or reflecting in our words, attitudes that are contemptuous or irreverent toward God, or toward that which God regards as sacred or special. So, in this regard even if we do not use the familiar “four letter” words, but say things (or think things) that regard God with contempt or irreverence, or things that God views as sacred or special, we are guilty of the sin of profanity. Understood in this way, it seems to me that we may be engaging in profanity more than we might have expected. We can tend to think that profanity just involves certain "traditional" words, not realizing that there are underlying attitudes and ways of viewing things that can come out of our mouths in many different profane ways.

Two passages in Ephesians are pointedly helpful in this area:

Eph.4:29 - "Let no corrupting (or corrupt) talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear".

Eph. 5:4 - "Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving".

July 2, 2009 at 11:38 PM  
Blogger Tom Coughlin said...

Jesus said "From the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks".
Our words are an expression of what is in our heart.
James tells us in 3:10 that "cursing and praising come out of the same mouth. My brothers, this should not be"
Profamity is, according to James, abnormal in the Christian. Something is wrong with the spring.

"May the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight O Lord."

Even as I write these things I must admit that I am a man in great need of God's great grace, while I also ask God to sanctify me and my words by the truth, for His grace and His word is truth, and is the medicine for profanity.

July 3, 2009 at 7:43 AM  
Blogger Tom Coughlin said...

By the way, my early morning grammar is lousy, so I appreciate your gracious judgement concerning my sloppy english!

July 3, 2009 at 7:48 AM  

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