Political Correctness: Must a Christian Be Politically Correct?
Political correctness (PC) is defined as “a term that describes language, ideas, policies, and behavior seen as seeking to minimize social and institutional offense in occupational, gender, racial, cultural, sexual orientation, religious belief, disability, and age-related contexts.” The key word here is offense. No individual or group is ever to be offended in the PC world by the PC definition. Certainly, as Christians, we are not to go out of our way to offend anyone personally, but Christianity itself is offensive to many; not just the truth or honesty of a given situation. As Christians, it is not about our works or obedience to even the laws and rules of the Old Testament. In Galatians 5:11, the cross was seen as an offense to many because the idea of salvation was not in our works. When Jesus came preaching salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, many were horrified. He made it plain: "By works of the law, no human being will be justified in his sight" (Romans 3:20)—and, that all their law-keeping was of no value to them whatsoever. "They who pride themselves on their meticulous adherence to any law, if not the spirit of the law, can do nothing of spiritual value" (John 15:5). However, correctness in the secular, political realm should not overshadow the primary concern of Christians of being true to their belief system. Again, we should not be personally offensive to anyone but should be "truth seekers and tellers" in our relationships with people. "Let us not love with words or speech but with Christ-like actions and in truth" (1 John 3:18). PC has become the new way of truth-telling or acting today since its primary focus is not to offend; facts and honesty (especially Christian-like) are not criteria in the adoption of the PC words or actions. In fact, most of the time we enforce this unwritten speech code among each other, and it is absolutely destroying what is real honest reactions, responses, and helpful communication between individuals. On one hand, many believe acceptable poll-tested speech. Thought and action can engender a certain type of respect and loyalty from some people (important in their world) when they maintain these thoughts and actions. It can also deem one a pushover to others—a ship without a rudder. People will know those who go-along to get-along and avoid confrontation at all costs; however, the loyalty that comes with these actions is fleeting as soon as the truth is acknowledged. Here are three reasons I 've learned being totally honest and truthful is the best way to communicate with people: 1. When Asked for Your Opinion, Be Openly Honest. Don't sugar coat your answer to make whoever you're talking to feel all warm and fuzzy. Whether they want to hear the truth or not, they asked you for a reason. So, tell them what they need to hear, not what they want to hear. As a mother and grandmother, opportunities are plenty for straight talk about the consequences of behaviors and actions—I always take the time and never shy away from the truth. "And, you will know the truth and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). 2. Honesty Is Appreciated, Just Not Always Straight Away The honest individual understands that what they say might not get the warmest of responses at first, and it may be emotionally painful to hear. They also know that once the initial shock and upset have passed, the other person is likely to thank them for not sugar coating it. I’ve had several friends, colleagues, and family members to tell me, even years later, how they appreciated that my response was what was needed at the time and their lives changed as a result. “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over” (Matthew 18:15). 3. Honesty Often Means Kindness Over Niceness The old idiom "If you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything at all" is not always the best policy. On occasions where something is going to be difficult to hear, it is still the right thing to say. When it is truly in the best interest of the other person and when they may otherwise be blind to their reality, it is kinder to be open with them than it is to withhold help and be nice instead. Through open and honest communication with my assigned graduate students, while working at Mason, several of them realized they were not maximizing their knowledge and skills with their career of choice. "Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, truth, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone" (Colossians 4:5-6). As Christians, we all want honesty and integrity to prevail throughout society. We want our politicians, our businesses, and our communities to be open and transparent. We dislike hidden agendas, misleading information, and fraud. Our PC culture can constantly bombard us with symbolic messages that are contrary to the Holy Scripture. If we’re not careful, we can easily become desensitized to the things of God until our perceptions, beliefs, and attitudes begin to conform to the prevailing culture. Having friends who always point us to the truth of what God’s word says is vital to our Christian walk. We need believers to come alongside us, pointing us to Him and His ways. No matter the situation or circumstance, our truth-filter must prevail, and the friends we allow in our life must encourage us toward that. Read the full article