See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, and Part 8. Flawed Arguments Most Christian novelists would agree that God prohibits His children from using unclean speech in everyday dialogue. But some apparently think their novels fall into a different category. One that is beyond biblical critique. “He’s a bad cop,” they say, “and for him and my story to be realistic, I wouldn’t be doing him or the story justice if I sanitized the language. I wouldn’t be intellectually honest.” They are, after all, seeking to depict reality. They are creating art. And art is honest, they say. Though plausibility is important in good fiction, this logic is flawed. Let’s take a closer look at their arguments for using unclean speech. 1. I want my novel to be realistic. This is fiction. No readers seriously want stark reality in the form of foul language—that’s depressing. They want the impression of reality (the…
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See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, and Part 8. What Is Unclean Speech? This past August, Kaitlin Nootbaar, a high school valedictorian in Oklahoma, realized she’d made a big mistake. During her May graduation speech, she’d used a curse word inspired by one of the Twilight movies. Now, because of this infraction, the school was withholding her diploma. According to the high school superintendent, Kaitlin had “used language that was inappropriate for a graduation exercise.” Why do I bring up this surprising story? Because it shows that even the world sometimes reveals a collective conscience, at least when it comes to bad language in certain contexts. I’ve observed this in my own experience. During my brief stint at FedEx in 2006, I heard language that would curl your hair. But once fellow employees learned I’d worked at a Bible college for a decade, they cleaned up their act in a…
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See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, and Part 8. Over the last year, many Christian authors have participated in virtual blog debates about what language should or should not be permissible in Christian novels published for the Christian marketplace. Some folks have appealed to common sense and logic, others to audience and publisher guidelines, some to realism and freedom of expression, others to what they “think” crude language/cussing is and isn’t. All well-meaning folks who are brothers and sisters in Christ, whom I truly love. But often discussions have been bathed in the soothing balm of relativism. You’re okay, I’m okay. What you think is okay for you is okay for you. What I think is okay for me is okay for me. As if no one could possibly stand up and say, “I know the answer.” Getting to the Core Very few of the debates I’ve seen…
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