Permanence

In Colossians 4, we read about the importance of words and speaking in the manner in which we
should:
2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;
3 meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains,
4 that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.
5 Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.
6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

In this passage, Paul talks about several different aspects of our speech.  He encouraged the recipients of this letter to pray that God would open a door to "speak the mystery of Christ."  And, he expressed a desire to speak as he "ought to speak." And, he encouraged believers to speak "with grace, seasoned with salt," so we would know how we "ought to answer."  There is a way to speak in the way we should, or "ought," and that involves dependence on the Spirit and careful thought.  And, fortunately, when we miss it, even though our words are permanent once spoken, we can correct ourselves and perhaps even seek forgiveness when we do not speak in the right way.

+++++

The apostle Paul was someone who had built a reputation of opposition to the Church - but, after leaving a trail of hurtful actions behind, God changed the course of his life.  His past was permanent, but Jesus transformed his present - and future.  He wrote in Philippians 3:
13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Note, that in several instances, Paul referenced his past behavior - he didn't justify it, but he didn't deny it; rather, He pointed to the transformative power of Christ.

The permanence of our words and actions has been reinforced by the advent of the Internet.  People who have said certain things while the cameras have rolled or who have written material that has been disseminated throughout cyberspace will sometimes be called to account for their words and deeds.

Case in point:  there's a host on MSNBC named Joy Reid - she, like so many on that network, is what you would consider an "opinion journalist," and approaches news and information from a decidedly slanted position; her point of view is certainly liberal.  But, there have been blog posts from a number of years ago that are attributed to her, but have a, well, different perspective, including making jokes alleging someone is gay and demeaning the person for it.

The website, Variety, reported on the situation - it stated this, beginning with a quote from Reid:

"I genuinely believe I did not write those hateful things because they are completely alien to me. But I can definitely understand based on things I have tweeted and have written in the past why some people don’t believe me,” she said during the opening segment of “A.M. Joy,” her MSNBC program, on Saturday, even as she admitted her team has not been able to find conclusive evidence that her posts had been manipulated. “The reality is, they have not been able to prove it,” she said of consultants working with her. “I cannot take any of that back. I can only say that the person I am now is not the person I was then. I like to think that I’ve gotten better over time, that I’m still growing,” she said during the program.

It's a very odd apology indeed, as the anchor is actually distancing herself from comments attributed to her, that she claims she never made.  But, this goes to illustrate a principle that you can't change words or deeds in the past, but you can change the trajectory of the present.

To return to a story that I reported as one of three stories impacting the Christian community in a blog post, some comments have surfaced that have been attributed to a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention and president of one of its seminaries, Paige Patterson.  One set of comments involved views expressed on abuse of women, the other dealt with a sermon illustration based on Genesis 2 dealing with the creation of Eve.  Both sets of comments have made it into the media and have generated quite a bit of reaction.

Baptist Press did a story on an apology issued recently by Patterson.  He said:

"Pastoral ministry that occurred 54 years ago, repeated as an illustration [of domestic violence] in sermons on more than one occasion, as well as another sermon illustration used to try to explain a Hebrew word (Heb. banah 'build or construct,' Gen. 2:22) have obviously been hurtful to women in several possible ways. I wish to apologize to every woman who has been wounded by anything I have said that was inappropriate or that lacked clarity. We live in a world of hurt and sorrow, and the last thing that I need to do is add to anyone's heartache. Please forgive the failure to be as thoughtful and careful in my extemporaneous expression as I should have been."

A number of Southern Baptist entity heads had already issued statements concerning abuse and opposition to it.  According to Baptist Press, Patterson himself has issued a statement against abuse, but his stated resistance to counseling for divorce, even in an abuse situation, has put him at odds with those who believe that it is justified in an abuse situation.

One entity head, Thom Rainer of LifeWay Christian Resources, the publishing arm of the Convention, issued a statement, according to Baptist Press, which said:

"The ongoing discussion over recent comments by fellow Southern Baptist Paige Patterson remind me we live in a politically charged environment, both in our nation and in our convention. Any statement is almost immediately construed to be a statement of political posturing. Such is neither my intent nor my desire.

"However, I cannot be silent on the issue of abuse of women. My silence becomes a reverberating echo of indifference at best. There is no level or type of abuse of women that is acceptable. We have been called by God to show honor and respect to all women and girls. They are our mothers, our sisters, our daughters, our granddaughters, and our wives. We thank God for them. And I stand with all who say 'no' to any type of abuse of women at any time and under any circumstance," Rainer said.

It seems as if Patterson's views on abuse are in line with those of other Southern Baptist leaders. The reaction to the Patterson situation has been strong, with his supporters, citing his long and strong record of service, as well as detractors, some of whom have signed an open letter, calling for action to be taken against him.  One letter which seems to have garnered the most response, with thousands of online signatures, according to Baptist Press, "objected that Patterson has been 'allowed to continue in leadership.'"  Some supporters believe that this is an attempt to remove Patterson from his position of leadership and influence. He is set to preach the convention sermon at the upcoming annual convention in Dallas.  Trustees of the seminary will meet next week to discuss the situation, at Patterson's request.

I have been following this situation rather closely, and one of the thoughts I have had, as someone who speaks thousands of words a day, publicly, with more of my words written in blog posts, on social media, with conversations available on audio and video, is: what have I not said in the way that I should have said it? OR, what have I said that I should not have said or communicated in a way I shouldn't have?  I think perhaps we all have had instances where what we have intended to say is not what we have said; and that can result in trouble, in the form of misunderstanding and hurtfulness.

Again, our words have permanence, and we have to be sensitive to examine what we have said, and if we know we have misspoken and offended somebody, to try to make things right.  Sometimes we will be misunderstood and words will be taken out of context.  But, the Bible does say as much as it depends on us, to try to be at peace.  We may have to "eat our words" and apologize, and ask for forgiveness.

When we have trapped ourselves by our careless or ill-spoken words, we have to try to, as the cliche goes, build a better mousetrap.  In other words, we have to make sure that we are building a reputation based on God's work in us.  We can be challenged, in light of past mistakes, to live in the present with a devotion to speaking God's truth in love.  And, that involves "pre-clearing" the words we speak, relying on the Holy Spirit to control our tongues and even give us a sense of how our words might be perceived.  You know, there may be people who are attempting to damage your reputation and twist your words to make you look bad - in any case, we have to try harder, in the strength of the Lord, and make sure that we are not giving people ammunition that can be used to damage your witness and impune your character.  The past is permanent, but the present is pliable - we can be committed to writing and living the story, or narrative, that God would intend.

And, two other principles - it's important that the church is cognizant of instances of abuse and is taking a strong stand against it.  We can also seek to affirm the women in our congregations and treat them with the respect they deserve.