I Cry Language Revolution!

I have always been interested in profanity as a communication device. It is interesting to me how certain words come to be considered culturally unacceptable and how others with equally vulgar definitions are not nearly as taboo.  I know… I’m an English nerd, but the truth is that as a communicator I need to understand these things.

The truth is that many expletives lose their original definition by frequent mis-use. The meaning of profanity is often heavily tied to the context of its use. Steven Pinker’s books, The Stuff of Thought breaks down profanity into five categories.

• Dysphemistic swearing — Exactly the opposite of euphemism. Forcing the listener to think about negative subject matter.
• Abusive swearing– The use of particularly offensive verbiage in an attempt to intimidate or insult.
• Idiomatic Swearing–Swearing without truly referring to the subject matter. Use of words to arouse interest, show off and gain attention.
• Emphatic swearing— To emphasize a point with offensive vocabulary.
• Cathartic swearing– Reactionary speech when something surprising or bad happens. Semi-instinctive response to express a negative emotion. (i.e. like spilling coffee)

We have all come into contact with each of these types at some point. We may not have thougth to classify or categorize them in this way, but we are familiar with each of them. What I have been thinking recently is that we spend all of our time communicating that specific words are vulgar, and thus, should not be uttered by Christians. While that may be true, the specific of which words fall into the cateogry of  “profanity” is constantly in flux. Some words that are perfectly acceptable in the United States are considered the most vulgar of terms in places like the UK and Australia. The rules of language are determinted by the culture, and in a post-modern culture the rules of language are… flexible.

It’s intersting to me that when many Christian communicators tackle this topic they preach/speak out against specific vocabulary terms. I think this is the wrong approach. What the culture thinks about various words and their status as swear-words is constantly in flux, but the reasons for using them never really change. Think about these different categories. Dysphemistic swearing is fairly self explanatory– not only filling one’s own mind, but spreading sexual or violent thoughts to others. Abusive swearing is clearly in violation of the biblical principle of, “Love your neighbor”. Emphatic swearing is nothing more than display of foolishness and a distinct void of wisdom and understanding.  Cathartic swearing represents a sinful lack of self-control.

So tell me, which do you think would be more effective: speaking out against specific words, or teaching the Biblical principles of self control, love, wisdom, and purity of thought? I think we’re missing the point when we speak against swearing. We put an experation date on our speaking/writing. The Bible is eternally relevant because it’s writers did not short-cut the issues they were addressing. They spoke to the heart of the matter rather than the symptom. I believe there is a lesson in that for us as communicators. Deal with the issue, not just the symptom.

Dealing with the issue does not limit the teaching of scripture, it broadens it. It allows a principle to be used in all of its potential applications rather than the select few that we, as communicators, feel strongly enough to speak out against. For example: what about euphamism usage or Christian cursing as it is often called? preaching against the use of the word “darn” while your points may be right and true, is not going to get you very far in a world like ours. But what about speaking on the Biblical defenition of Self-control? Relevant? yes. Practical? yes. Biblical? also yes.

We limit the reach of God’s Word when we wield it to enforce our hobby horses. The church today is in need of a Language Revolution. We need to get back to the teaching of scripture which speaks more deaply to a broader array ot topics than we can ever “preach-against”. Stop preaching-against things, and start communicating the truth of God’s Word.