Moral Filth?

Yesterday (9-13-08) "anonymous" left the following comment on my posting The "Truth" is Back There

Why the foul and crude langauge. Paul says to get rid of all moral filth from your lips. Come on dude.

Where should we start. First, where did Paul "say" (I am assuming you mean "write") "get rid of all moral filth from your lips"? We find in James 1:21

Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls. (btw, all scripture quotes, unless otherwise noted are taken from the NRSV)

"Sordidness and rank growth..." can be also read as "filth" but James certainly wasn't written by Paul, so we can count that scripture out.

Colossians 3:8 states:
But now you must get rid of all such things—anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth.

Here, "abusive" can also me "filthy" so maybe this is what my anonymous friend was referring to. This is a problem. The authorship of Colossians is up for grabs (remember, just because the letter states it was written by someone, doesn't mean it actually was). Colossians has language that doesn't occur in any other of Paul's letter and missing language that does occur in Paul's letters. Colossians speaks of a realized eschatology, which one would not find in Ephesians or Corthinians. I could go on. The point is, if this is indeed the text that my anonymous friend is referring to, we can't say with certainty that Paul "said" it. Next time cite the whole Bible, or at least the New Testament to be safe.

Second, if you are going to quote scripture, get it right. "get rid of all moral filth from your lips" is not the same as "abusive language" or even "filthy communication" (found in the KJV). In fact the term "moral filth" seems to be puzzling. What exactly is moral filth. Is this what people mean when someone says his or her excrement does not emit a displeasing smell? Speaking in terms of language, can a word be moral and filthy at the same time? The mis-quote is confusing at best. If you are going to be a scripture quoting Christian, take the time to learn the scripture. Or at least take the time to look up what you are saying. If you have the time time leave a judgmental comment on my blog, then you should have the time to go to one of the many online Bibles and make sure you know what you are saying.

Third, whats wrong with the language? After looking at the posting, I think I can find maybe two examples that may have offended my anonymous friend.

"Baptists have f--ked up our history, we are a bunch of Enlightenment whores, individualistic bastards who have kicked God out of the the "sacraments", worship, and ecclesical life in general."

Maybe the use of the censored "f--ked" is what my anonymous friend finds so offensive, he or she didn't say. Or perhaps it is the entire sentence that is off-putting. Yet consider what I am saying. I am suggesting (along with a number of other scholars) that Baptists have sold out to the world, have bought the teachings of the world to the detriment of the church. This is not something that you yawn about, or you say nicely. Luther referred to the Catholic church as Babylon, and used much harsher language than I did (See the Babylonian Captivity of the Church). He was not only writing a point, but expressing a sentiment. I could have said that Baptists have "messed up our history," but that does not capture the same emotional power as my choice of words. I could have softened up the language, but would lose something. If my anonymous friend thinks the Bible is free of bawdy, harsh, scatological and crude language then he or she should put down the "Precious Moments" children's scripture and really read the scriptures... preferably in the original language to capture the true power of the words.

Finally, come on, dude. Is this how you want to spread the love and grace of Christ, but claiming moral high ground and then judging others from your place on high? Is the language of one sentence (censored language) worth your pious preaching and positioning? One of the reasons why many people will not come to know Christ is because of the fake posturing and the moral demands that are not that important. Yes, if one is cursing in an extreme manner, than perhaps we should consider self-image, but to criticize the careful choices of a sentence is akin to moral fascism. This approach of Christianity, walking through the world with an arsenal of scriptures at your disposal to throw at people whom you judge as morally unworthy makes me want to reconsider my claim as a Christian. We are to call the world to the Gospel, but not with such "adiaphra". Such an approach of moral piety and perfection passed onto others with a sense of superiority is probably the best example I have found of "moral filth"