How should Southern Gospel fans speak?
I’ve been thinking about this for several months, ever since some fans said rude things about Karlye Hopper while she was dealing with a medical issue in a livestreamed concert. The fans didn’t know that a medical issue was involved – but we shouldn’t have to know a medical issue is involved to avoid being rude.
As other issues have arisen since then, I keep seeing discussions that bring this topic to mind. But I didn’t want to rush this; I want to be “swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:19-20).
Once Jesus saves us and changes our hearts, the Bible calls us bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (II Corinthians 10:5). As our heart and thoughts change, this should be reflected in our words.
Jesus said that “a tree is known by its fruit” (Matthew 12:33). No matter how hard it tries, a peach tree cannot produce apples. Nor can an apple tree produce horses! A tree can only produce the kind of fruit that is its nature to produce.
Once the Gospel transforms our lives, our lives and our words should reflect the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23).
That first one needs a few extra words because it can be misunderstood. When we’re speaking the truth in love, that means loving someone enough to speak the truth. The Bible doesn’t just call us to say things that sound loving, but to be “speaking the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15).
If someone is in unrepentant sin, we’re not honoring Christ if we affirm their sin. As one example, the Bible clearly teaches that marriage is between one man and one woman, and that sexual activity should only happen within that marriage covenant. If we know someone who leaves his wife to start an affair, or is involved in any other unrepentant sin, it’s not Biblical love to say something that sounds vaguely loving and affirmative. We need to speak the truth in love.
But in this or any other situation, as we speak the truth in love, the rest of the fruit of the Spirit should also be evident in our words. Joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Why? Well, it should be what comes naturally to us. But there is an additional pragmatic reason: Whether someone is deceived or willfully sinning, they will almost never be persuaded of the truth with words that are harsh instead of gentle, combative instead of peaceful, and impulsive instead of self-controlled.
We should model the fruit of the Spirit in how we speak to artists, to one another, and to the rest of the world.