Freedom of Speech and Its Impact

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

August 13, 2006         (Click the date to see the bulletin)

 

1.  Some of you may remember my distress over a political cartoon in The Tulsa World on June 25.  Doug Marlette drew it to poke fun at our General Assembly’s receipt of the report of the Task Force on the Trinity.  Well, he’s at it again!  His “Kudzu” comic strip this past week puts the spotlight right back on us Presbyterians.  Monday: Two baseball players talking to each other.  One says, “Now what?”  “The Presbyterians are threatening to withdraw from the church league.  They say it’s not supportive and inclusive enough.”  “What do they want us to do? “ Rename first, second and third base.”  Last frame: “But that’s the Holy Trinity!”   I thought, “Oh, no. Here we go again.”  Then came Tuesday: “The Presbyterians want to rename first, second and third base or they won’t play.”  “Rename ‘em to what?”  “A kinder, gentler Trinity – like ‘Mother, Daughter and Womb . . .  Rock, Redeemer, Friend.”  Last frame: “How ‘bout Curley, Larry, and Moe?”

2.  I thought, “What’s up with this guy?  What is making him do this?  Is he a disgruntled Presbyterian who is taking his disgruntlement to the public press?”  On Tuesday morning I really didn’t know!  Now, at this point I could have continued fussing about him to anyone who would listen to me.  But that’s not what Jesus would have us do, and it’s not what our General Assembly would have us do, either.  I’ve been trying to follow the example of our Peace, Unity and Purity Task Force.  This 20-person Task Force sat down, face to face, to listen to each other.  And the Committee I was on at General Assembly did the same thing – we got acquainted with each other, we listened to each other, and we became a whole committee.  We didn’t always agree, but we talked about it and worked together to get the job done.  And when I got home, I read something one of the Presbyterian ministers in town wrote, and it troubled me.  So I invited him to have lunch with me.  And we talked together – graciously, kindly.  Now, after spending just one hour with him at Goldie’s, I still disagree with what he wrote and how he wrote it, but I understand a little better who he is and how he got that way.  It really helps!

3.  Since that strategy worked so well for the Task Force, and it worked so well in my committee, and it worked for me with that pastor I mentioned, I thought I would try it with Doug Marlette.  So I googled him, and turned up a fascinating article he wrote.  He and his family (or, at least his family) are Episcopalians.  He doesn’t apologize about his cartoons, even if they offend, because he believes he is exercising his Constitutionally-guaranteed right to speak his mind freely.  His freedom of speech, cartoon style, has resulted in death threats.  I was not one of them, I promise!  What softened me a little toward him was reading about his strong belief in the freedom of speech upon which our great nation was founded. I still don’t like the fact that he  misunderstand the issue, and is taking a Presbyterian family fight into the public arena, but we live in America, and that is his right.

4.  Then came Wednesday’s cartoon.  “The Presbyterians called time out to rename first, second and third base . . . A fight broke out over what names to use.  They’ve finally came up with three names for the Trinity everybody could get down with.”  Then the last frame: “Me, myself, and I.”  I found myself in the awkward position of agreeing with him, and having to change my mind about him.  Where before, I was very irritated at him for totally misunderstanding this issue and bringing unnecessary ridicule upon us, now I have to admit he has hit the nail on the head.  Wow!   Isn’t caution this  the heart of the warning in Ephesians 4?   When we’re thinking only of ourselves, when we are so self-absorbed, when all we care about is our freedom to say what we want to say and when we want to say it, we will say the very things that tear down our church.  When we center our world on  “Me, myself, and I,” the church gets torn down, rather than built up.

5.  We live in unprecedented times!  Words travel faster than the speed of light, and in less time than it takes to say what I’m saying, thousands of people can read or hear reports that may or may not be true.  Thoughtless words shatter lives; verbal attacks ruin reputations.  Everybody’s doing it!  If we follow these wise words to the Ephesians, we will be bucking a national trend, a world-wide phenomenon.

6.  Does that mean we should just go with the flow?  Join the crowd?  Point our collective fingers at others, not realizing that a pointed finger creates a fist with three fingers pointing back at ourselves.  Is that we are to do?  Not at all!  Now, more than ever before, the world needs Christians who will teach everyone else how to use their freedom of speech in responsible ways.

7.  We need to back up a few verses in this chapter of Ephesians.  “And so I insist – and God backs me up on this – that there be no going along with the crowd, the empty-headed, mindless crowd.  They’ve refused for so long to deal with God that they’ve lost touch not only with God but with reality itself.  They cannot think straight anymore.  Feeling no pain, they let themselves go in sexual obsession, addicted to every sort of perversion [Paul is not talking about what we call homosexuality – don’t even try to read that into this text!  He is speaking about lustful, unruly, undisciplined and thoughtless behavior].  But that’s no life for you!  You learned Christ!  My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus.  Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything – and I do mean everything – connected with that old way of life has to go.  Get rid of it!  And then take on an entirely new ways of life – a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you.” (Ephesians 4:17-24, The Message)

8.  “Me, myself and I” leads to death, pure and simple.  Once there was a beautiful bird, more beautiful than any other.  It was powerful and free, and possessed great courage. This bird was fearless, going wherever it wanted. I also was very proud of its spectacular plumage of vibrant colors.  One day the bird decided to pluck its own feathers, one by one, to make a beautiful nest in which it could rest with comfort and security.  One by one, it pulled out its feathers.  Now the bird can no longer fly.^[i]