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Philosophy Lite: Using speech befitting a Christian

Raymond Smith
  • By Raymond Smith
  • Originally published July 20, 2012 at midnight, updated July 20, 2012 at midnight

We are all shaped by our culture and our upbringing. We act and speak so as to fit in with those around us. We don't want to be labeled as strange because we speak or act otherwise.

My thesis this time is about the believer's lack of Christian speech in everyday affairs - and even in church where the conversation may consist of the latest sports contest, or the weather, or someone's vacation or politics. I have to admit that I am as guilty as anyone else by failing to be open about my faith speech.

It was not always this way. A Catholic friend once told me about how his Czech people used to communicate when he was a boy. When a worker entered a field to work, those there would often say, "May the Lord bless the work of your hands today." Or, when a person visited a friend he might say as he entered his house, "May God's peace rest upon this house."

You would think that Christian speech would be as natural as breathing, but sadly it is not. Is it because we don't want to be labeled as a religious zealot? Or is it because we are ashamed to be a believer in Jesus Christ?

Or it it simply a lack of faith? Or is it that we don't want to appear self-righteous?

It is true that the Christian faith is under attack today and religious signs and speech have been eliminated from much of the American scene. This does tend to seal our lips, but the Bible does tell us in Colossians 4:6, " Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." And, in 1 Thessalonians 4:18, "Therefore encourage one another with these words."

But the quotation that worries me the most is this from Mark 8:38, "Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

It is particularly important that we use religious language with our children. If we don't share our personal faith with them, they might sense that it's only academic or just a put on.

If we should start altering our speech we must be careful not to overdo it, but to make our religious speech meaningful. We could easily offend even our Christian friends by sounding overly religious.

I had thought about this situation for some time, but it was at a conversation with a neighbor that brought me to really think about it. He said he was starting to use more phrases like "praise the Lord," "God bless you" and "thank the Lord," etc. in his conversation.

What are we to do about this? Well, we can start being more open with our children, our church friends and then branch out to others.

Raymond F. Smith is president of Strong Families of Victoria