Jim O’Conner founded the Cuss Control Academy in Northbrook, Ill. and offers a two hour course which helps people clean up their language. He says, “Swearing among both genders and all ages is contributing to the decline of civility, the dumbing down of America and our inability to communicate clearly and effectively.”
Hardly anyone mentioned the rampant profanity used by Linda Tripp and Monika Lewensky on the tapes of their conversations. Most people attribute the increased use of profanity by women to the desire to compete with men. It is no longer urged, “Don’t cuss in front of my wife!” Often the wife can out cuss anyone in the room. Shades of Mammy Yoakum!
I was getting gas at a self-serve station. At the next pump, a trim, feminine, nicely dressed young lady could not get the pump to work and yelled at the attendant, “Turn the pump on you @$#*&%#!” The disparity between her clean appearance and her filthy language left me agog.
The Master Teacher said, “For by your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned.” Matt. 12:37. One’s speech is a clear indicator of the condition of the heart. Christ had said in verse 35 “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart brings forth good things and an evil man out of the evil treasure evil things.”
In the environment in which we live today when cursing is so habitual a quality, the Christian has a wonderful opportunity to stand out and make a statement for Christ by example.
The men at the fire accused Peter of being a follower of Christ. They said, “Your speech makes you known.” He began to curse and swear that he did not know Jesus. He made his point. There is no more sure way to distance ourselves from “the lamb of God without blemish” than the use of impure language. But is that what we want to do?
