Is Political Correctness Biblical?

Theology
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Wikipedia defines Political Correctness as such:

Political correctness adjectivally “politically correct”; commonly abbreviated to P.C. is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in society. Since the late 1980s, the term has been used to describe a preference for inclusive language and avoidance of language or behavior that can be seen as excluding, marginalizing, or insulting to groups of people…
— Political correctness - Wikipedia

How does political correctness fit in with Biblical teachings? I think Jesus chose his words carefully, but he didn’t really hold back on telling people about themselves. What are your thoughts?

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Political correctness is simply an alignment with some political ideology. For example, killing Jews was politically correct in Germany in the 1940s.

Whoever has the loudest voice can make the social impact to declare what is politically correct. This completely irrelevant to the bible. The bible is truth, not what is popular, fashionable, or official.

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My view is that “political correctness” is not a biblical category in itself. Scripture does not command us to follow a cultural speech code, but it does command us to speak in ways that are truthful, gracious, just, and free from sinful partiality. Political correctness usually refers to language or policies meant to avoid offending or disadvantaging certain groups.

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I have many thoughts on “political correctness.” As I think this subject reveals a great deal of what is happening in society and in people’s hearts today.

The first red flag that I noticed was when “Merry Christmas” and “Happy Holidays” became weaponized. There was one Christmas in particular that was like walking on egg shells. So I stopped wishing either. I realized hearts were closed, and no one was really inviting Jesus for Christmas. Not even the Christians.

I have said this before, in different posts, but the enemy has gotten into your heads. Everything we see online is warping who we are and what we are called to be. This “us versus them” mentality is not the Christianity of Christ. And if your responses on this website indicates any form of animosity toward anyone else, then you need to take a deep honest look at where you are at and who you are serving. Is your Gospel in the Bible or FOX NEWS? If you spend more time daily with the fox than the Bible, you have gotten in bed with the wolf. One of these is warping your mind and your view of Christ and what He wants for your life.

And the Bible backs me up. What does God say about how we treat Foreigners? Look it up. What does the Bible say about how we treat our enemies? Or those who sin against us? Our neighbors? Look it up. It has been written down for a very, very long time.

Proverbs 25:17

Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house— too much of you, and they will hate you.

Proverbs 16:24

Gracious words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

Colossians 4:5-6

**5 **Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. **6 **Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

These Scriptures indicate there is a way of respect that we have lost as a society. We overstay our welcome. We push ourselves in the door and demand to be seated, then we try to take up residence, and we refuse to leave when asked. The Bible says you wipe the dust off your feet and just leave when you aren’t welcomed. No resentment, you just move on.

But there is this need to control and manipulate other people’s lives. If you can’t LOVE people, just leave them alone. You don’t need to destroy them. That is not winning souls for Christ.

But it is not just the Church. This Political Correctness movement has become a religious movement in its own right. And this NEED to control and manipulate has manifested within it as well.

Anytime you have to move carefully like you are walking on eggshells, you are dealing with a religious, controlling spirit. It is just using a different vessel. The results are still the same, though: Fear, Hate, Resentment, Bondage, Unforgiveness, and the eventual Destruction of Life.

Or do you not see that the more your HATE for one another arises, the more you increase the chances that twitching fingers will set off nuclear weapons that will destroy you all.

God has a plan for you, not to destroy you but to save you and to give you a Future. God’s Grace covers many sins and teaches us how to deal with those who sin against us. But if you do not heed His call, and come home, can God’s Grace continue to keep you safe from the error of your ways?

Or do you think that those who participate in the final ruination of Earth will be picked up and granted another one? Wont they stay in the darkness, where there is great weeping and gnashing of teeth where all they purvey is lost? What is True Justice for those who choose to destroy the world that was created by God and given to them to care for? But I am not God. And your fate will be decided by Him.

The Way of Christ is freedom and leads to life. The Spirit of God is LOVE and guides us into Eternal Life. There comes a point when we must put childish ways behind us and stand up as adults, taking responsibility for what is happening and resolving ourselves to deal with a situation properly as God has instructed us to do.

But again, I am not here. I have a ministry elsewhere to attend to. Best Wishes.

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I must disagree here. It is toally relevant to the Bible. I think the Bible gives plenty of guidance. Here are some of my favourites.

The Bible IS truth, yes, but it is ALSO official.

The Bible is not silent at all on its recommendations for proper human behavior and social interactions, which transcends time in history and political affiliation.

Both the political ← and → often emphasize Bible verses that reinforce their own political perspectives, more often than not ignoring the context of those verses. This selective proof-texting points to widespread biblical illiteracy prevailant in todays society.

Some Christians can also face criminal investigation and social backlash for expressing views based on Christian morality that are labeled as “hate speech”. So political correctness is important in so are ast Bible is conerned.

If someone is in error, we shoud not be afraid of the consequences of respectfully informing them of this error. To use your example: killing Jews was politically correct in Germany in the 1940s, Yet you will be hard pressed to find a more remorseful people (on the whole) than Germans today. This does not give liscense to be rude about it, but you shouldn’t spare the persons feelings either.

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It is the exact opposite. Here is why I say this. Used to be the majority in this country agreed with each other that we are a Christian Nation and we should always be. Then “Political Correctness” came about over time. It is simply a tool to attempt to shut down arguments. Suppress the Truth, and attempt to allow sin in. Want some proof? Basics.

1- Have no other gods before God? In America today, any god will do. Or even better, no god at all. Political Correctness=Keep it to yourself.

2- Thou shalt not commit Idolatry. America today? Along with the rest of the world. Money, Self, and even Astrology are our Idols. The Self Idol is becoming an ever-increasing commonplace with the Internet. Look at me. Check out how many followers I have. I may even get paid if I have enough followers. What are they following you for? PC: Don’t judge.

3-Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. America today? Keep that God stuff to yourself. He does not belong in society. He is nothing important to the masses. PC: Keep it to yourself.

4- Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. America today? We live in a 24-7-7 society. You do not get to choose easily, when you or when you do not work. Besides, even if you are off, Saturday is a fun day. A time of drinking and doing all those things you can’t do during the week. PC: You want to observe it, good for you, but you do not have the right to force others to.

5- Honour your father and mother. America today? The government has become the father in many households. We have turned away from our obligation and given it to others, including Nursing Homes. PC: Don’t judge someone with 6 baby daddies or mommies, and that does not work. Do not judge people who don’t see family as important as you.

6- Thou shalt not commit murder. America today? Abortion. Still hanging on in certain areas. PC: Women’s Choice.

7- Thou shalt not commit adultery. America today? Who cares? It is nothing more than a piece of paper. Everyone has the right to marry anyone. If it does not work out? Who cares? No big deal. We even have TV shows based on people cheating. Gay marriage? No problem. PC: Who are you to judge?

8-Thou shalt not steal. America today? Well, that all depends. If you are taking money from a millionaire to give it to someone who doesn’t have much, that is cool. It’s not fair that someone has millions, and someone else has to struggle to pay bills. PC All should be equal. Whether they deserve it or not.

9- You shall not bear false witness. America today? Seriously? PC: Whose truth? Truth is relevant. What is true for you may not be true for someone else.

10- Thou shalt not covet. America today? Lotto? Lie, cheat, and steal to get ahead? All is ok. No big deal.PC: see 8

This is just the basics; there is much more we can say.
Peter

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You should finish that passage.

“And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.”

It is meant to be a testimony against them.

People are destroyed when you do not intervene. They perish without knowledge.

“And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case, the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:3-4

Yup. And few find it. Sadly.

Teaching them half the Gospel? Be careful with that. People may start calling you Joel Tillman Osteen.

Peter

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This is about your heart, and how you treat others, not their response to the Gospel. So no, the second half does not apply to this discussion.

It should also be noted that self-destructive cults often use the threat of harm to get people to join or keep memberships up. So when you use threats in your tactics, how are you any different from them?

Perfect LOVE casts out fear. And the Holy Spirit is not a spirit of fear. So when you use fear tactics in your methodology, what spirit do you walk in? In what spirit do your churches stand in when they put themselves above the weak and vulnerable in this world, when they spend their sermons blasting sinners, condemning them to hell, what spirit is that in? Is it the same spirit as Christ, the friend of sinners? Who walked with sinners, who ate and drank and socialized with sinners? Who blasted the religious leaders of His day, rather than sinners?

And what exactly was the Gospel that was spread by the disciples when Christ first sent them? Do you know what they were saying as they went door to door? It was not that Christ had died for their sins. It was, “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is near.” It was not a direct condemnation for their sins. It was a call to make ready, to clean up, as in “to make ready for the wedding,” because the Lord is approaching.

Because all have sinned and fallen short, none are above anyone else. And God brings the sacrifice that atones. God supplies, and His Grace is sufficient. There is no put down in THAT Gospel.

Again with the insults and personal attacks, @PeterC ? Feeding that need to get a zinger in, to feel good about life through putting others down rather than lifting people up? And once again, showcasing what “salvation” has done for you. Good job. I can get the same snarky attitude from the unsaved world at large. IF Christianity has not made you different from the rest of the world, you have not met Christ. Or maybe what you call Christianity has felled you. (Felled- As in, Brought low. Or maybe just tripped by the same stone rejected by the builders.)

If you have not LOVE, you have nothing. If LOVE has not been born in your heart, you are nothing. How can you hope to intervene if you do not walk in the Holy Spirit of God? You know, the Holy Spirit? The One Who inspired that Word you quote? Or do you think that part of the Bible is fiction, fantasy, or a metaphor? Since LOVE seems to be nothing but a fluffy feeling based on all the comments and sentiments I keep seeing around here. Since LOVE must serve the written Law, rather than being the reason the Law was written, right? Or did I misread the reactions and comments? Please, tell me, is God’s LOVE conditional or unconditional? Or do you even know? Please, by all means, correct my error with all that knowledge you have. And may the Holy Spirit reveal Itself as you do.

And I will pray for you to have a true fall off your donkey encounter with God, the One I know, who does not play games when it comes to souls or the fate of this world.

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All very good points Peter. Just know, I’m not trying to advocate that we adhere to PC culture. I am saying the Bible shows that self-censoring in some things, not so much in others, is Biblical.

I’m trying to explore where the “line is” so to speak, and how it relates to PC culture.

I hope that helps explain my motives better here, if not, please ask.

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You have made your point Loud and Clear- I know where you stand. In that nice safe zone with the rest of the choir. Never questioning if you might be wrong in your stance, even if it is to your own detriment. The Pharisee did the same thing.

But make no mistake, and mark my words- demonizing left or right, or anyone at all is not aligned with God’s Will. The whole world is at odds with itself, tearing itself apart, as the Holy Spirit is pulled back. As Scripture says of the last days, and as we see being fulfilled now:

The Man of Lawlessness

2 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, **2 **not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. **3 **Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness[a] is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. **4 **He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

**5 **Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? **6 **And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. **7 **For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. **8 **And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. **9 **The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, 10 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness. (from 2 Thessalonians 2)

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Political correctness is not biblical because it prioritizes the avoidance of offense over the proclamation of truth. The Bible establishes a standard called “Speaking the Truth in Love” which is fundamentally different from modern social pressures.

The Conflict of Authority

Political correctness is a horizontal social pressure. It asks what the culture finds acceptable at this moment. Biblical speech is a vertical reality. It asks what God has defined as true for all eternity. In the Greek New Testament, the word for boldness is Parresia. This means “plainness of speech” or “saying everything.” When the apostles were told to stop using certain names or ideas to keep the peace, they refused. They chose the “Offense of the Cross” over the “Safety of the Silence.”

Truth versus Euphemism

Modern correctness uses euphemisms to soften the reality of human nature. The Bible uses direct language to diagnose it. For example, the Bible uses the word Hamartia (Sin) to describe a missing of the mark. Political correctness might call this a “mistake” or a “lifestyle choice.” According to Isaiah 5:20, there is a divine warning for those who swap these labels. To call “evil good” or “good evil” just to maintain social harmony is a violation of God’s holiness.

The Motive of the Heart

The Bible tells believers to be “gentle” and “kind,” but the motive is different. Political correctness is driven by the Fear of Man. It is a survival tactic to avoid being “canceled” or shamed by the group. Biblical gentleness is driven by the Fear of the Lord. A believer speaks kindly not because they are afraid of the crowd, but because they are representing a God of grace. However, that grace never comes at the expense of Aletheia (Truth).

The Great Separation

In the end, political correctness is about Conformity. It wants everyone to sound the same so there is no friction. The Bible is about Transformation. Friction is often necessary for growth. As seen in the life of Jesus, He was the most “politically incorrect” person in history. He spoke to people the culture said to ignore, but He also told people the things the culture said were “fine” were actually leading to death.

If a leader or a church chooses political correctness, they are choosing to hide the “Mirror of the Word.” They might keep the peace, but they lose the power to change lives.

J.

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For someone who isn’t here, you sure are here a lot…

If you think you know this, then you know nothing Joel Tillman. [1] Presumptious much? My whole life is a big fat :red_question_mark: always in search for an answer, and that I AM asking questions should have been your first clue. I don’t think someone as quick to jump to judgements and presumpions has the answer to anything I wish to explore question wise. (NOI)

The politcal left and the politcal right oft demonizes itself, there is no need for me (or anyone else) to do it for them. Like with any groups, I’m sure it has some good and decent people, but as a group, it doesn’t change the facts. Henceforth, do try reading the full sentence next time, the operative word is “often”. It’s not condemnation, but fact. Alas, as I see that politics is a burr under your butt, might I suggest another thread for you to visit? Perhaps the one about the “Good news ofthe Kingdom”?

@PeterC

I agree on that and was not saying differently. What I’m suggesting is that there is something to be learned about it in the Bible. I’m trying to foster talk about that, but everyone keeps missing what I’m after here. So let me try this another way.

Orginal Questions:

Rephrased Questions:

Q1: How does (and I believe it does but I could be wrong.) Biblical principles and teachings instruct us to conduct ourselves in a PC world? Do we go along, or aginst, or sit on a fence in between?

Q2: Did Jesus show us anything about this subject of Political Correctness? I think he did… but could be wrong and reading into it. What are your thoughts?

  1. A ref. between PeterC’s comment and Game of Thrones. - IE., “You know nothing John Snow.” ↩︎

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@d-o.o-b

As I said, part of the choir.

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Don’t blame me 'cause you’re off key. AND off topic. As usual.

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And part of the same spirit. Or is it just the same person with a different profile, giving himself compliments because no one else is? Who knows?

I have had very little interactions with @d-o.o-b.

So it’s interesting that he says, “As Usual.” Sounds a bit more like @PeterC .

Not that it matters. It’s all the same thing- the same nature, the same hostility to the truth, the same spirit- Regardless of how many people are speaking in that spirit. But a great Zinger with that word play. Excellent job.

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Conspiracy nut much? You seriously need some help. Please, don’t walk, run to the nearest shrink.

You do realize that people can read your old posts??? I mean, quite frankly, you seem oblivous to a lot of things.

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And yet not once did I insist that you were nuts, crazy, associate your name with another minister who leans.. I don’t know what way exactly… It is just constant hostility with no peace. Always needing to have the last word. Always needing to demonize, to make others smaller. Always needing to destroy those who do not agree with you.

Again, not of the Holy Spirit.

But I am done. Consider yourself ignored.

Not surprising.

Indeed. It’s nothing personal. Just the fate of the world and all the lives on it. Even the ones that don’t seem to count. Let alone all the souls attached….

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Thank you Kanye, very cool.

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The phrase has a storied past. It was adopted in left-leaning American circles as self-parody; but then it became a kind of buzz word to describe “words I shouldn’t say”.

So, in the current political climate, someone might say “we shouldn’t use the word r*tarded to speak of those with learning disabilities or those with autism”, someone might then respond, “that’s political correctness” to put it down.

So I see two streams of thought that tends to co-exist; there is that stream of thought that views any attempt at regulating speech to be softer and more inclusive as “politically correct”–or in modern parlance, “woke”; and then there is that stream of thought that is constantly attempting to regulate speech, to the point of banality.

That renders much of this topic difficult to parse in an objective way.

I would argue that the Christian way ought to be to avoid the politicization of this subject, and focus on the biblical admonition to avoid all unwholesome and unedifying speech; as followers of Jesus we are called to speak in such a way to build others up and not tear them down, to bless rather than to curse. If our goal is merely to offend, then we fail in what we are called to do with our speech.

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I agree. But politics is tightly bound to both the cause of political correctness and the response to it. Everyone is triggered one way or another by the programming of political propaganda.

The Left protects minorities, and groups disenfranchised by the right and by conservative churches. That has been their goal for a long time. So the right attacks these groups of minorities all the more and uses them as scapegoats in political campaigns, us versus them. The church on the right goes along for the ride. The demonization is used by the left as proof to say the Conservative Church doesn’t represent God. And the right says the left is full of atheists, witches, pedophiles, and so on. The animosity grows, expanding the divide.

Both sides are in bondage. And both are destroying each other. And this is because Christ is nowhere to be found. A person can invoke the Name of Christ, say they are fighting in that Name, but if you are cheering on the destruction of another person, your enemy, you aren’t in Christ. We see people online, faceless people, maybe bots, constantly fighting for some form of political religion. Both sides. But the tone, the all or nothing attitude, the unwillingness to meet in the middle and to see another person as a human being with actual feelings… it’s the same spirit that leads to lawlessness, chaos, destruction.

And this is not factoring in how human minds are changing anyway.

Consider how, what, 1 in 32 kids are being born with autism? That is a lot of people with a handicap in socializing. And what about how cell phones, and the internet and social media have changed how humans engage, rewiring brains and making it difficult to engage in public with others.

The world is shrinking for a lot of people down to the size of a phone screen.

I am not fighting either one of you, left or right. I am trying to say, look up, see what is happening around you. This is not a time to be passive. It is time to move. But it is vital to know what cause each one of us is fighting for. This is not us versus them. That will not save anyone. We are fighting for our humanity, for souls, for reconciliation, for a path forward, for our future.

If you get bogged down because it doesn’t sound Religious enough, that is part of the problem. There is a wall there your minds can’t cross. That is the enemy. That thing that keeps you from seeing what is right in front of you. It’s time to see what has been right there in front of us all along, to see it for what it is. It wants to destroy you. All of you, on all sides. It wants to erase everything that exists. And it is winning because it has you fighting each other rather than the Destroyer itself. The Spirit of Lawlessness, Chaos, needs to be confronted with the Holy Spirit, revealing Itself through us. But pawns can only be played. And that is all we are if we continue to play the game and attack each other rather than the spirit working in this world now.