Neal Pollard
Many a drop-by visit, phone call, hospital or home visit, or foyer conversation have yielded unusual moments permanently burned into my memory. This would include a series of phone calls I received from a man apparently employed by the Richmond Times Dispatch in Virginia. The calls were usually spread apart by many months. I had caller ID, so I had the number. The man sounded professional and intelligent, and he always said he was struggling with a problem and wanted to talk to a preacher. So I would listen. Every time, unexpectedly, the man would suddenly launch into using some of the raunchiest, foul language you could imagine. I was baffled as to his motivation. Some folks get a kick out of “shocking” a Christian. Maybe he suffered with mental illness. He was definitely troubled. The phone calls ended when after he called me, I used the caller ID to call him back to tell him that I had his number and would not hesitate to come down and settle the matter personally or speak to someone in authority there. It was unbelievable audacity for this member of the media to so freely spew vulgarities and profanities to someone he knew followed Christ.
If we are not careful, we are allowing media representatives to do the same to us! They are spewing vulgarities and profanities at us in the name of entertainment. Whatever their motives do not matter–money, personal ideology, or anti-Christian beliefs. However, it should offend us and we should take it personally. Spiritually, something is not right with this situation. No unwholesome word is to come out of our mouths (Eph. 4:29). Why? It’s not right! Is it better for us to entertain ourselves with unwholesome words? If so, why? If improper speech does not belong on our tongues (Col. 3:8; Tit. 2:8), let us keep it out of our ears, too!
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