Category Archives: Faith and Practice

Dancing on Graves

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Last night the world received tremendous news: Osama Bin Laden is dead.  The mastermind behind the attack on 9-11, the 1998 attacks on the US embassies, and the USS Cole has been killed at the hands of American military forces in Pakistan.  I am thankful for our nation’s leaders and for our military who continue to defend our freedoms and who give so much to make the world a safer place.

Osama Bin Laden’s death, one might argue, is a justified one – a sponsor of terror and hatred, Bin Laden is not only responsible for the death of thousands of Americans, but also of unnumbered Muslim’s around the world.  In the name of Bin Laden and al-Qaeda, not only have the symbols of western democracy, Christianity, and capitalism been the targets of senseless destruction, but so have Mosques, schools, and community centers in eastern and Muslim societies.  The dead of Osama Bin Laden may not make the world a whole lot safer, as surely there will be volunteers eager to take his place.  Still, the world is short one more murderer, and he shall not be missed.

There is something that bothers me, not about Bin Laden’s death, but about the jubilant reaction of so many at the news.  Watching the news coverage last night and this morning, I was disturbed to see images of great masses of people gathered at Ground Zero and the White House, chanting “U.S.A” and singing the National Anthem.  While there were a few there who treated this as a somber moment of long-awaited justice finally fulfilled, the majority of those shown looked like soccer hooligans who got lost on the way to the pitch.

Crowds of twenty-somethings crowded to the streets creating a flash mob of revelers, dancing on the grave of the wicked.

To be honest, it reminded me a lot of the celebrations in the Middle East shortly after 9/11…

As I said before, I am thankful for our brave military forces and determined leaders who have brought an end to this man’s grip of terror.  But I am reminded of passages like Ezekiel 18:23 (ESV) “Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?”  This is a time to give thanks to God for justice being done, a time to commit to working for peace and the dignity of all people. 

But is it becoming of a people to rejoice in death?

Vinegar Pie?

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“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt,
so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”
(Col. 4:6 ESV)

I introduced my men’s Bible Study this morning to something known primarily in the south as “Bless His/Her Heart Syndrome” (BHHS).  Essentially what this means is that you can say just about anything you want about a person, either directly or indirectly, as long you preface your attack with “Bless his heart, but…”  I have heard the most vicious, slanderous, and malicious things said about people, even in churches, but it was okay because it all started with a blessing.  In some circles this is known as a “vinegar pie.”

This thinly veiled assault takes many forms – here are just a few:

  • “No offense, but…” or “Not to be rude, but…”  These are usually prepositions to very offensive and rude comments, and usually all offense and rudeness is intended.  What we really mean is, “I am about to offend you, but I will take it personally if you get upset with me over what I am about to say.”
  • “With all Christian love…” How many times has someone complimented you, either for what you’ve done or how you look, and have prefaced their comments with, “I mean this with all Christian love…”?  No, usually this kind of Christian love is critical love – “I mean this will all Christian love, but don’t you think you ought to get a haircut?”
  • “Honest!”  I have found if you have to try to convince people you are telling the truth by saying, “honest” all the time, you have a credibility problem.  “Honestly, I’m not sure that dress really flatters you.”  That’s almost like saying, “Well, most of the time I’d lie and say it looks nice, but this time I’m going to be brutally honest.”
  • “I need you to pray for…”  Now most of the time when people ask you to pray for someone, the request and need are genuine.  Then there’s the time when you know something’s rotten in Denmark.  The prayer request has very intimate details that really don’t help us know why to pray, but tell us a lot about the personal life of those involved.  The prayer request begins with “well I heard…” and the source of the information is not the person or persons involved.  We seem to think that as long as it is under the heading of “prayer requests” it is immune from becoming gossip.

All joking aside, though, while it’s prevalent, this kind of underhanded, verbal cut-down has no place in the Christian life.  “Speaking the truth in love” does not mean sugarcoating the truth, or softening the blow with deflective praise.

James says, “With [the tongue] we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.  From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.  My brothers, these things ought not to be so” (James 3:9-10).  When I was a kid, I think the saying went, “You kiss your mom with that mouth?!?”

Maybe, as a Christian, you’ve cleaned up your language, and that is commendable.  Swearing and cursing are ugly and offensive to a heart of peace and joy, and does not demonstrate the kind of love and goodness that befits the new life in Christ.  But neither does the kind of veiled yet destructive language that usually follows “well bless his heart…”  Why not just say, “bless his heart,” and leave it at that?  Whatever criticism, whatever juicy bit of gossip you’ve got ready to fly, whatever cynical knock that’s about to drop – leave it at the blessing.  Let your yes be yes and your no be no.  Let your blessing be a genuine blessing.  And let your speech always be gracious.

SDG