Pettifogging and Other Bad Words

We all were reminded of a lesson we learned in kindergarten but so often forget: don’t accuse someone of pettifogging in public!

U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts will go down in history for many things, but surely at least a footnote will explain how he reminded the advocates in the impeachment trial not to use ‘mean words.’  It was something like 1:00 a.m.,  when tempers were flaring, harsh words were spoken and character accusations were made. So, Chief Justice Roberts weighed in with a lesson from history.  In the good ol’ days Senators were offended when the word ‘pettifogging’ (being dishonest in petty things) was spoken in the Senate.  His point was that the speakers needed to remember where they were and to whom they were speaking. Use language which is appropriate to the office and the forum.

This reminded me of a warning I give all of the leaders in our church.  I tell them (and myself) to be careful with the words they use on social media or in social settings. I encourage them to not post something on Facebook which they would not want to be displayed before the entire congregation during Sunday’s PowerPoint presentation.  People know if we are church leaders and they are always judging us.  The most oft-leveled charge against Christians is that we are hypocrites: we don’t act or sound like a Christian. 

If Christians are to be ‘salt and light’ in the world, as Jesus teaches, then we need to start by being ‘civil’ in our words.  Don’t say (or post) bad things using mean words about people. Be kind and generous in your speech and in your social media posts. You can say someone is ‘wrong’ without using language that disparages a person’s character. Sure, it’s more satisfying to say someone you disagree with is a ‘low-life idiot who doesn’t know up from down’, but it is not civil nor Christian.  You can make the same point by saying, ‘I don’t think they fully understand the consequences of their actions.’

Let’s make 2020 a year when we encourage each other to use good words instead of bad words when we talk to and about each other.  Building a God-pleasing society starts with our words.