Thursday; March 7

When the United States amended the Constitution to include the freedom of speech it set in motion a process that would inevitably come to a head. Was all speech protected or is there some speech that is so blatantly bad that it wouldn’t be protected by this freedom? Throughout much of the 19th Century, the government was able to limit this liberty if the speech had a tendency to harm public welfare. As you might expect, this concept was vague enough to land it on the doorstep of the Supreme Court and in 1919, the justices ruled that about the only thing that could be used to silence public speech was if it posed a clear and present danger. Without getting too deeply into this debate, let’s just say that the concept of freedom of speech had a whole new lease on life!

As we have moved into the 21st Century it seems that there is very little that can’t be said – either by, about or in front of the government! People feel free to say what they want. While this might be a nice liberty to have, it is not always conducive to righteousness. Just because we have the right to say something doesn’t mean that it is right to do so! Unwholesome, vulgar and mean-spirited speech might be protected by the law, but it is not pleasing to the Lord. The New Testament reminds us, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.” (Ephesians 4:29).

Let’s watch what we say. Not only are others listening to us, so is the One who will judge us by what we say.

Think About It!

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