Thoughts on cussing

Considering the providential ordering of the topics in the Christian blogosphere and HowItWorks, I have decided to weigh in on the cussing/swearing topic. I'll use cuss instead of swear because it emphasizes my geography. This is in direct rebellion against the tendency of mass media to flatten all regional culture.

First of all, I am happy to say that judgement of others, while an important topic, does not necessarily seem to be the point of the discussion. For the most part, all parties seem to understand Grace. They are merely trying to understand the impact of cussing on their own sanctification and vice versa. This is not the case for wider evangelical culture.

I must also admit that I am no expert, having grown up in a rather strict, Assembly of God home where anything near cussing was absolutely prohibited. Thankfully, I had very little desire to cuss, and pretty much understood why I shouldn't cuss. I tried it a couple of times but my conscience was pretty unrelenting and it just didn't work for me. I felt sort of silly.

However, becoming Reformed has reintroduced many vices into the grey area that once seemed so clear. Those things that were taboo in my fundamentalist upbringing are now OK if not encouraged. This seems odd to me. I can't help but feel we have possibly overcompensated. Several of my friends in seminary liked to throw in the occasional cuss word either for shock value or to emphasize their difference with respect to fundamentalism. Others used dirty words to emphasize their point much like biblical writers use harsh or vulgar language at times. I think this is the point of Campolo's use when he talks about people not giving a shit about children starving and chides listeners for being upset at his use of profanity. I think he has a point. He chose to emphasize it in this way. I probably wouldn't have, but I can respect his approach.

Now, many people, unfortunately like the Jollyman himself, like to look down their long noses at those who cuss and chalk it all up to a lack of intelligence. It is interesting how this functions as the ultimate insult. Maybe it reveals where our ultimate values lie. It is probably part of the more intellectual wing of evangelicalism trying to bolster its own ego to put down any doubts about the world's accusation that we are all a bunch of wackos. This may also be connected to the fact that cussing is closely tied to the public expression of emotion which we all know is taboo for the Christian unless of course it is anger over the murder of the unborn or sorrow over our sin. Although, we don't get too worked up about these very often.

I would tend to make the linguistic argument that all that makes a word a cuss word is social convention. I appreciate Tim Challies observation that their is nothing intrinsically bad in the words, though there may be in the thoughts expressed. However, because of my love for my brothers that might be offended I usually refrain from cussing. In the right context, I think it can be used well. But, even in these specific circumstances I doubt the good outweighs the bad. I care less about the World. It is hypocritical for them to judge me in any way, and I hardly think that doing or not doing something because someone is watching you is a good motivation. If I really thought it might be a barrier to their salvation, I might care.

In the end, I think that it would be better for Christians to judge less and cuss more. One is much more harmful than the other. I suppose I'd prefer Christians do less of both, but this doesn't seem to be the way it goes...at least in the flesh.