Word to the Wise

By Tyler Tankersley

Psychologists tell us that words hold an immense amount of power over our mental and emotional health. Words can be used for either creative or destructive ends. Words have the power to either build us up or tear us down. Anybody who has ever been on the receiving end of either blistering criticism or intentional encouragement knows this.

The epistle of James in the New Testament is a short treatise on the intersection of faith and ethics. According to James, while our internal faith matters a great deal, what also matters is our acts of charity, our good works, and how we choose to use our words. James says that our tongues are often the most wild, untamable part of our selves. James writes, "From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water?" (James 3:10-11)

However harsh and challenging we may find this, James seems to be linking the legitimacy of our faith with the way we choose to use our words. Some people will no doubt bristle at this kind of requirement of us. Amongst evangelicals especially, we have been guilty of creating a false dichotomy between our ethics and our faith. We have relegated faith to deal with "spiritual" matters such as the afterlife, and we have sometimes completely neglected the necessary applications that James tells us is a sign of true discipleship.

Our words matter. The ethics of our speech cannot be separated from the content of our faith. Paul writes to the early Christians: "Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need so that your words have give grace to those who hear" (Ephesians 4:29). And for 21st century followers of Jesus, Paul and James could have easily been writing about the words we choose to use or share on social media.

It certainly does not help that it seems we have leaders today who refuse to be subject to truth or facts. They use their words to belittle others and to craft their own fake narratives about the world. Following such leaders makes us complicit in the degradation of the power of words in our society. You cannot easily separate a leader's words and their actions/policies; both matter a great deal and I wish we had better examples of leaders who sought to lead with compassion in both avenues.

When it comes to either things we say with our mouths or things we choose to say on the internet, there is a helpful acronym that I try to use (please do not ask my wife how successful I am at using it): T.H.I.N.K. Ask yourself these five questions: Is it True? Is it Helpful? Is it Inspiring? Is it Necessary? Is it Kind? If we were to stop and think through those five questions before speaking or before clicking "Share" on something, we might be helping to tame our tongues to better align with our faith. We might even be "quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger" (James 1:19).