Matthew 12:36-37 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
The number of words used by modern men and women averages around 16,000, according to a 2014 study by an associate professor of psychology at the University of Arizona. While the number for women was greater (insert your own joke here), the people who spoke the least and the most in the study were both men.i Regardless, humanity engages in a lot of talk every single day. Add to that number the amount of words we read in a day—490,000 according to one study,ii more than Tolstoy’s War and Peace—and that is a lot of words.
What’s more, we make judgment calls based upon words. We like or dislike many different items in the course of a day, based mainly upon words. Jesus told us that what we say will one day form the basis for our judgment. He warned of idle—literally, “not working”—words that men speak, concluding that by our words we would be justified or condemned.
In the modern world of social media, a curious phenomenon has arisen regarding words and their use. When an individual posts something online or writes something in a book and people make a judgment based upon his or her words, some take offense. A conversation that I had a few years ago is typical.
Other person: Have you read this book that he wrote?
Me: Yes, I have, and I don’t agree with some of his conclusions.
Other person: Have you ever met him?
Me: No. I just read what he wrote.
Other person: Have you ever talked with him about it?
Me: No. I just read his book and disagree with him.
Other person: I have his number. You should call him and talk to him about it.
At this point in the conversation, I was quite frustrated. I looked the other person in the eyes and said, “Two unhappy alternatives are before me. Either this man is wrong in what he wrote, or else he is so incompetent as a writer that he cannot communicate accurately using the written word.”
The point I was endeavoring to make back then goes both ways. I have published a book which, praise God, has gone to people I have never met. The words I put in that book have reflected me in what I believe. I have no problem with anyone making a judgment based upon my book. I see no need for them to dig up my contact information and query me about some point or another. As a wicked man once put it, “What I have written, I have written.” My writing speaks for itself.
Today, it seems that anyone who disagrees with a person may not do so without being labeled “unloving” or something similar. Nothing could be further from the truth. In Job’s day, every man in the book realized that “the ear trieth words as mouth tasteth meat.” (Job 34:3) Each man realized that a judgment was forthcoming from his hearers based upon the words that he spoke. In fact, the book of Job contains speakers in almost universal condemnation the one of the other. Rarely did Job agree with his friends, and God took Job to task in the end of the book. At no time, however, did any of the men object to having their words scrutinized, and in the very end of the book, God condemned Job’s three friends. The reason? “Ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.” (Job 42:7) The words of another person ought to be weighed, thought through, and judged as to whether they are right or wrong.
Too many times has a person put something online, had it analyzed, and seen the analyst attacked for his or her analysis. You want to write? You want to have others read your work? You want to influence others with your words? Then, be prepared for criticism. When it comes, be adult enough to realize that it was inevitable when you took pen in hand.
Has someone you know committed something to writing and been criticized for it? Don’t engage the critic on the basis of your knowledge of the author. Look at the ideas. Analyze them. Think. Scrutinize the criticism. Compare it to the original work. Some criticism will be baseless and will fall under the weight of its own fallacy. Other criticism is valid and should cause the author to rethink his or her position. At times, the author and critic can come to a consensus. Perhaps the author can reword his work so as to clarify his meaning. More often, the author and critic will have to agree to disagree.
When I published my book several years ago, I hired an editor who was from a far different background than I. After reading my book, she disagreed in many areas and offered her disagreements freely. I looked carefully at her objections, never one time considering her to be unloving or hateful. Some of her criticisms had merit and forced me to make some changes to my work. Other ideas that she had were rooted in her cultural experience and not in the Word of God. Still, I had to weigh every one of them and come to a conclusion.
In the end, I remain pleased with my decision to hire this editor. Her condemnation of my work did not hurt me in the least; it rather helped me. My book is more powerfully stated because of her criticism.
If it hasn’t happened yet, the time will come when someone disagrees vehemently with one article or another posted on this blog. While there is no comment section on the blog itself, discussions on social media platforms will erupt as links are posted and information passed on. Whether a person agrees or disagrees with what I or any other contributor may write, I would simply request this: Deal in the realm of ideas and not personalities. Whether or not I am a nice guy should never enter the conversation. Whether my ideas are right or wrong, that is the question. That question can only be answered by my words.
i https://ubrp.arizona.edu/study-finds-no-difference-in-the-amount-men-and-women-talk/, accessed March 2, 2020.
ii https://www.utne.com/media/how-many-words-on-the-internet-5717, accessed March 2, 2020.
