Civility in Public Discourse

Dr. Johnny M. Hunt
October 17, 2009

It is clear that America needs a spiritual awakening.  Our country is awash in all kinds of lostness, including mean-spiritedness in conduct and speech.  Ours is a culture of incivility.  Rhetoric in the marketplace of ideas is marked by impatience, intolerance, and anger.  Pastor Dwight McKissic recently wrote me, asking me to join him in decrying this lack of civility in public discourse.  I am glad to do so.  In fact, earlier this year my friend Jonathan Falwell issued a similar call, asking Bible-believing Christians to embrace the “Civility Project.”

The Civility Project is the brainchild of conservative commentator Mark DeMoss.  This Project is a non-partisan, grassroots effort to enlist individuals across the ideological spectrum to show restraint in their public and private speech.  He wrote on his Web page, “It seems our society has become increasingly divided and polarized. Every week we are treated to scenes of bitter fighting, protests turning to violence and vandalism, name-calling, and personal attacks. Important debates are no longer fought with ideas and words but with shouting and screaming.”

The Civility Project encourages all of us, whether liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican, black or white, people of faith or of no faith, to “agree that even in sharp disagreement we should not be disagreeable.”

This is a value I believe our Lord and His apostles affirm.   The fruit of the Spirit works in the life of the believer to create, among other things, longsuffering, gentleness, and self-control.  The word longsuffering is more than mere patience – it is a long-fused patience with people.  The Apostle Paul urged us, as believers in Jesus Christ, to let our speech “always be with grace, seasoned with salt” (Colossians 4:6). 

This instruction extends beyond those with whom we share a common faith in Jesus.  The apostles anticipated that believers during the New Testament era would treat unbelievers with dignity and respect, even to the point of showing deference to pagan kings who actively persecuted the early church.  Paul instructed us to “pray for all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty” (1 Timothy 2:2).  He set this teaching in the context of our Christian witness: “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3-4).

While Paul instructed the early churches to pray for the king, Peter took this a step further.  He charged the scattered believers to honor the king.  In fact, in his first epistle, he calls us as followers of Jesus to honor all people – “Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king” (1 Peter 2:17).

Given the coarseness of our culture and the teaching of our Savior, I urge all Southern Baptists to join with me in showing restraint in our public and private speech.  I also urge each of us to communicate our concerns with anyone we believe has crossed the line into mean-spirited attacks.  We must never underestimate the power and influence of one voice.  When we exercise civility in our public and private rhetoric, we bring glory to our Lord, enhance our credibility as men and women whose lives have been transformed by God’s grace, and create opportunities to share the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ with our lost and dying world.

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