How We Speak – The Law of God and Public Policy

How We Speak
The Law of God and Public Policy

We must be wise in the language we use in making public policy.

“See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’” Deuteronomy 4:5, 6

Here it is important that we understand and practice everything the Scriptures teach about how we must use our speech. We must seek to edify others, show them reverence and respect, propose scenarios that appeal to the most basic human needs and concerns, speak the truth in love, and do our very best to explain, persuade, and justify our views, without feeling the compunction, at every turn, to cite chapters and verses from the Bible. We must use the tools of reason and sound judgment to make our case, because unless our recommendations and suggestions make sense to others, many if not most of whom will not share our faith in Jesus Christ, we cannot possibly hope to achieve any progress in bringing the holy and righteous and good Law of God to bear on matters of public practice.

Certainly all we do and all we propose will derive from our understanding of God’s Law, and of all His Word. And, if asked, we must be ready to explain our Biblical perspective. But if we lead with Scripture, or if we give the impression that only by believing Scripture can our proposals be agreed, then we will lose the argument before it even starts.

We must be as wise as serpents and as harmless as doves in helping policy-makers to see the wisdom, understanding, and good that can come from public policies based on the teaching of God’s Word, without requiring them to embrace that Word or even to acknowledge it as the source of our recommendations.

The language of public policy begins in the words of prayer, but its vernacular must be that of the best and most winsome vernacular and argumentation of the age in which we live.

There is a time and a place for evangelizing the lost and for arguing Biblical cases for this or that moral or cultural perspective. The work of making public policy is not best served by confusing evangelism or apologetics with public service. We can make progress in bringing the blessings of God’s Law into policies designed to promote the common weal, but we must do so in a way that keeps in mind the purpose of public policy and the protocols of sound reason, good judgment, and lively discussion and debate.

Visit our website, www.ailbe.org, and sign up to receive our thrice-weekly devotional, Crosfigell, featuring writers from the period of the Celtic Revival and T. M.’s reflections on Scripture and the Celtic Christian tradition. Does the Law of God still apply today? Order a copy of T. M.’s book, The Ground for Christian Ethics, and study the question for yourself.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T. M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.