PREPARING FOR ELECTIONS: 7 trademarks of rotten rhetoric

No, this article is not about dishonest and unethical governments.  They will always be there.  Nor is it an election guideline for change and how we could rid our communities of these corrupt leaders.  Those movements will always be born.  This article is written for those who believe that we can only expect Godly outcomes if we engage in Godly ways.  Quoting scripture and confessing Christ while communicating suspicion and fear will not result in a change of direction nor will it glorify the One we seek to enthrone.  Change will not happen by chance.  It will only happen when those who confess a God of hope start acting like people of hope.

Embrace the words of Paul, understanding that these words were penned down during the reigns of the Roman emperors Nero and Caligula, two of the worst tyrants known to history.

Ephesians 4:29-32  (KJV) Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.   Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:  And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

CORRUPT COMMUNICATION – ROTTEN RHETORIC

The Greek word SAPROS (σαπρός) used in Ephesians 4, refers to something that is decomposed or rotten. It is a word that vividly describes meat that has gone so bad that it emits a foul smell. The decomposing meat reeks of a toxic and foul smell that nearly makes a person sick to his stomach.  It also describes fruit that is spoiled, decayed, and sickening to the taste. It can also be described as putrid. Either way, whether meat or fruit, if something is rotting, it is disgusting to taste or smell. So when the Holy Spirit inspired the apostle Paul to use the word sapros to describe “corrupt communication,” he was describing communication that is really nasty.

As far as God is concerned we are all warned, in no uncertain terms, that this type of communication is like a stench in heaven and  that those who listen to this type of talk will find it to be so rotten that it sickens them, just as spoiled meat would do. Everything about corrupt communication has a nauseating effect on others.

Matthew Henry says the following:

How we communicate truth and hope in a time of change will not depend on what truth we communicate but how we reflect to source of Truth:  Jesus.  Paul says instead of spreading corrupt communication to others, we must learn to speak that which is “edifying” to hearers (see Ephesians 4:29). The word “edifying” is the Greek word oikodomeo and, as used here, means to build others up. These words never result in tearing someone down, but rather cause others to be left in an improved state after we are done talking to or about them.  The great use of speech is to edify those with whom we converse. Christians should endeavour to promote a useful conversation: that it may minister grace unto the hearers; that it may be good for, and acceptable to, the hearers, in the way of information, counsel, pertinent reproof, or the like. Observe, It is the great duty of Christians to take care that they offend not with their lips, and that they improve discourse and converse, as much as may be, for the good of others.

Colossians 4:6  Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

So, before we engage in political discourse, let’s take note of

SEVEN TRADEMARKS OF ROTTEN RHETORIC

1. LIPS THAT CONSPIRE.

Isaiah 8:11-13  This is what the LORD says to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people:  “Do not call conspiracy everything this people calls a conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it.  The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread. 

In South Africa, we frequently respond like the two psychiatrists passing in the corridor. ‘Hello,’ says one, and the other walks away worrying, ‘What did he mean by that?’

When load shedding reaches levels 4 and 6, we conspire that the country is at the point of total collapse.  When we don’t have loadshedding, and levels return to 0 or 1, it is because the corrupt government is selling our coal to neighbouring countries and using all the current electricity before the elections, only to destroy the nation later.  Sounds familiar?  These are lips that conspire and leave a rotten taste in the heart of the listener.  It is deprived of hope and completely unedifying.  The one true trademark of a conspiracy theory is that it never gives hope, even if we use scripture to justify it.  It leaves the listener with a sense of despair

Measure your lips carefully.  When you leave a conversation. Did you deposit hope or despair?

2. WORDS THAT CONDESCEND.

There are so many political commentators, even those who call themselves followers of Christ, who fall into the trap of continuous condescending comments – always talking down.  It has become so much easier to talk the opposition down than it is to boost our own integrity.  Statements like “Our leaders are political stooges”, “Zuma is a monster” , “South Africa is governed by the Mafia” are all statements that leave a taste of rottenness.  Yes, it is important to address corruption and foul play, but a condescending spirit never achieves a biblical road to hope.

It’s important to note that condescending comments display a spirit of pride.  John W. Ritenbaugh describes it as follows:

In the context of the relationship between God and man, the overwhelming number of usages of the six Hebrew words and four Greek words translated as “pride” or its synonyms are negative and damning. These words are translated into such terms as “arrogance,” “lifted up,” “presumptuous,” “loftiness,” “proud,” “proudly,” “exalted,” “overbearing,” “condescending,” “haughty,” “superior,” “disdainful,” “scornful,” “boasting,” “self-esteem,” and “contemptuous.” Not all of these synonyms are in the King James or the New King James versions, but various modern translations use them depending on the context.

Pride carries, not only a lofty self-centeredness, but also a lively competitiveness against others that easily becomes a lustful, destroying enmity. It is highly critical, envious, and impatient, and it can be effortlessly stirred to anger, possessiveness, and suspicion of being taken advantage of. These characteristics are part of Satan’s spirit. Each of them is destructive to loving family unity within the church.

Count your words carefully.  It might just reveal more about you than your opposition.

3. SPEECH THAT COMPLAINS.

Complaining has become the number one national sport in South Africa.  Sadly, Christians are not exempt from this widespread disease.  It breeds despair and anger.   It has become a disgrace to witness how believers even use church meetings to gather and complain.

Yes, state capture happened, and yes we have some serious challenges with electricity, unemployment, crime and corruption, and no doubt there are still corrupt schemes that must be uncovered.  But, do we throw in the towel and tell everyone who will listen that this country is a sinking ship?   We simply cannot allow ourselves to give in to this status quo of moaning. As Christians we have a moral and spiritual duty to be vessels of hope.  And let’s be honest, a vessel that is filled with an attitude of complaining cannot be a vessels of hope at the same time.  It is either the one or the other.  We either give life or we drain life, there is no neutral exchange

Listen to your conversations critically.  Do you draw people with hope or people who love to complain?  Your vibe will determine your tribe.

4. ARGUMENTS THAT CRITICISE

This is probably the most contentious subject when discussing the relationship between church and state.  As Christians we are called to submit to the leaders of our nation and yet, when they govern in ungodly ways, we feel the need to stand up, speak out, and criticize as widely as possible.

“Why should I “submit” to a government that I believe is moving in the wrong direction?”   I love my country and want to cooperate with the political system, but I’m struggling to understand what the Bible says on this subject. How in the world can the apostle Paul tell Christians to submit to the authorities (Romans 13:1-7) when we know for a fact that many human governments are corrupt and unjust?  Isn’t it my biblical right and duty to criticize?

It is important to note that criticizing and responding to corruption and injustices are two different matters, and it lies in the heart of faith.  Criticizing reveals a lack of trust in a sovereign God who is still shaping nations and people according to His will.  God is always in charge. We may not trust the governing authorities, but we have to trust Him.  If we focus on the corrupt leaders more than on the One in charge, the response will come through criticism and retribution.  If we focus on God, the response will come through faith and prayer .

Criticism leads to a pursuit of RETRIBUTIVE JUSTICE: seeking revenge and being obsessed with the removal of people and parties we disagree with.  We hope to achieve this through criticism and not necessarily prayer.

What the Lord seeks is REDEMPTIVE JUSTICE that will lead to RESTORATIVE JUSTICE.  While criticism leads to death, redemptive justice leads to life.  Restorative justice focuses on helping victims of crimes, but it also wants to help offenders understand the harm they’ve caused. The goal is repair, not punishment. Engagement, accountability, cooperation, and community are all essential principles.

Criticism can never achieve the goal of reconciling people and preparing the way for redemption.  It leaves a rotten taste in the heart of the listeners and not the required the response of praying for our leaders.

Weigh your arguments carefully.  If you feel the need to criticize, do so with redemption in mind and reconciliation as the goal

5. LANGUAGE OF “CONCERN”

“We are so concerned about the government’s relation with Israel– it will evoke the curse of God upon us …”  “We are so concerned about the hate-speech bill– it will completely destroy freedom of speech in South Africa.”   “We are deeply concerned about loadshedding … it will cripple South Africa economically …”

Have you heard these legitimate concerns from fellow believers somewhere on the political arena?

Legitimate concern is a cornerstone for a healthy community.  But using the principle of “being concerned” as a tool to generate empathy for a personal agenda is manipulation.  This is generally referred to as Midnight Politics, where commentators promise protection from fears, instead of promising dreams.

This kind of language very often camouflages an agenda as a concern.  It manipulates an audience into a place of despair without the listeners knowing it.  Manipulating an audience is a technique that disrupts linearity and creates a narrative that appeals to the emotions or biases of the audience.  It can involve identifying an enemy, exploiting our biases, playing on emotional fears and exploiting suspicions.  Manipulating an audience can help the speaker insert a creative effect or persuade the audience to accept a certain point of view.  This very often involves the language of “concern”

Combine this with all the previous points and it might just fall in the category of rotten communication.

Watch your language carefully.  Are you measuring up to Christ’s standards of promising GOOD NEWS, or are you building your profile on promising protection from fears.

6. INTERACTION THAT COMMISERATES

The phrase that best describes this rotten practice is ‘Pity Parties’.  Where we come together to commiserate with one another of how bad things are – we remember the good old days and can’t fathom how quickly things went bad.  This we do while standing next to the “braaivleis” fires (barbeques) with a steak in our hands.  Oh may God have mercy on us.

I have always known South Africans to be a resilient people.  A nothing-will-get-us-down people.  A boer-maak-n-plan nation.  There has always been something special about South Africans who possessed the ability to rise above their circumstances – no matter how severe the droughts, how chaotic the economy, how corrupt the politics, and even how bad the sport.  We always found a way to seek the positive and discover the opportunity.  “One day deeper in the drought is one day closer to the rain” farmers would declare.  “At least corruption is being exposed” the politicians would proclaim.  South Africa was always a “half-full” nation, never a “half-empty” people who give up quickly and complain about everything.

NOT anymore.  We have become a nation of whiners – kla-kouse per excellence.

Yes, load-shedding came along and hijacked the tough, robust, resilient people of South Africa.  We are no longer victorious but suddenly turned into victims, finding ourselves paranoid and paralysed – unable to find solutions, give hope and provide answers.  Instead, we turned to whining.  And because we are not used to whining, we’re not good at it.  It’s like the floodgates opened.  When we pray, we whine.  When we give thanks, we whine.  When we preach, we whine.  And the worst of all – when we dine, we whine – even with a steak on the fire while we braai.  We whine!

At this time it will do us well to remember the words of Maya Angelou:

“What you’re supposed to do when you don’t like a thing is change it. If you can’t change it, change the way you think about it. Don’t whine.”

The reality is that load-shedding is a rich-man problem.  I have never heard the beggar at the street corner complain about load shedding.  That’s the least of his troubles.  Getting food on the table for his family is priority number one.  The two guys that go through our garbage bags every Monday morning have never complained about ESKOM.  They sleep in the bush – load-shedding is a dream, a prayer; because that will mean they have a load to shed.  They have nothing.

Let me make one thing clear.  I’m not talking about our farmers who desperately need electricity for irrigation or your restaurateur who is trying to stay economically vibrant in a battling economy.  I’m talking about those who constantly refer to them as a reason to complain.

Observe your interaction.  When you leave a conversation. Did you deposit life or death?

7. MESSAGES THAT CATASTROPHIZES

 “There is no doubt that the nation is on a road of self-destruction…  Five more years and we will be bancrupt”

Enter the prophets of doom.  You didn’t really believe it was that bad, but now that this leader said, you believe it.  Yes, you know he said it five years ago as well for the past consecutive five years in a row, but this time it really sounds well-founded.

Catastrophizing is a manipulative way that prompts people to jump to the worst possible conclusion12. It involves convincing people that they are in a worse situation than they really are or exaggerating the difficulties they face. When a situation is upsetting, but not necessarily catastrophic, people still feel like they are in the midst of a crisis.

Check your messages frequently.  What are planting in the lives of your audience, seeds of faith or seeds of fear.  Both will grow into maturity in what you intended it to become

 

So, let us count what we say carefully these elections.  Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:  And be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.