Blog
“When to Speak Up”
Categories: M. W. Bassford, Meditations
In response to my post about thanksgiving in the midst of a racism crisis, I received a very interesting question. I had said that I was thankful for all of the brethren who respond to a thoughtless comment from a brother with a thin-lipped smile instead of an explosion of anger. Consequently, a sister asked when it’s appropriate to trot out that thin-lipped smile, and when it’s appropriate to speak up about the heart issue behind the thoughtless comment.
Predictably, I will open my reply with a great big, “It depends!” After all, the principle underlying Colossians 4:5-6 is that our speech should be situation- and hearer-dependent. There are many factors that can figure into our analysis, but here are three that I think are particularly relevant:
First, we should consider the importance of the issue. How likely is it that someone’s convictions and behavior in a particular area will affect their eternal salvation? For instance, in my time, I have run into Christians who have the bad taste to be fans of University of Kansas athletics. As all right-thinking people do, I regard Jayhawk sports with revulsion and disgust. However, I also know that if God will show mercy to me, He will show mercy to those who root for the Technicolor Chickens. As a result, though I will harass such people mercilessly once I find them out, we’re not going to have a serious sit-down conversation about their college-athletics allegiance.
On the other extreme, there are a number of things about which the Bible says, “If you do this, you won’t inherit the kingdom of God.” If somebody’s wrong about one of those things, their souls are in terrible danger. That points strongly toward, “Have the conversation.”
Second, we should consider how likely we ourselves are to be wrong. Does the Bible speak directly to this issue, or am I required to reason from the Scriptures to reach my conclusion? The more I must reason, the more likely it becomes that I have made a misstep along the way.
For instance, it doesn’t take much reasoning to arrive at the conclusion that racism is wrong. No, the Bible doesn’t say so directly, but it does say that all of us are created in the image of God and that people from all different races can become one in Christ Jesus. It’s simple to conclude that racism is an affront to the reconciling work of Christ.
By contrast, the pro-racism arguments from the Bible are weak and strained. Yes, Noah did curse Ham, but a) the evidence that “Ham” means “black” or “burnt” is sketchy, and b) at this point, it’s impossible to tell who is a descendant of Ham and who isn’t. After thousands of years of interbreeding, all of us may be. The leap from Genesis 9 to “We get to subjugate and oppress black people!” is long and perilous. That hasn’t kept people from making the argument, but it probably should have.
Third, we should ask how likely our words are to persuade. How certain is our hearer that we love them? How much do they love and trust us? How difficult are they likely to find the discussion? Are we confronting them publicly, or are we speaking with them in private? All these factors, and many more, will affect the reception of our words.
Sometimes, we might need to have that conversation no matter what. I doubt Jesus was under any illusions about whether His words in Matthew 23 were going to persuade the Pharisees to repent. However, much like an imprecatory prayer, a burn-you conversation is a fraught step! You’d better be real sure it’s important, real sure that you’re right, and real sure that some other good will come from speaking up. Generally, I prefer to pick my spots, to wait for a time when I think my words will be illuminating rather than infuriating.
