Censored!
Preaching
Shaking Wolves Out Of Cherry Trees
And 149 Other Sermon Ideas
Purpose Statement: The church has always wanted to do something about excessive violence and sexual content in the entertainment industry, but has felt inhibited by the stricture against censorship. What can the church or Christians do?
Censorship is perhaps the dirtiest word in our language. Feelings run high against censorship, and the church's concern regarding certain social problems has been severely curtailed. No doubt, the most flagrant act of censorship in scripture was King Jehoiakim's burning of the scroll that Jeremiah wrote containing God's message (Jeremiah 36). God instructed Jeremiah to sit down and write the message all over again and tell the king he would suffer severe punishment for his censorship. Next would be the censoring of Peter and John (Acts 4:18-20), a common experience in the early church. Some important thoughts on this matter must be seriously considered.
a. Censorship can't be done. The concern is over the infringement on, or eroding of, our right to free speech and expression. History gives us ample examples of governments denying free speech, which is sometimes the people's only recourse to getting heard. Free speech is a basic and precious right that must be protected.
b. It is already done. Censorship is practiced in our society in many ways, and often with full approval. We are not allowed to slander other persons without expecting a lawsuit. We cannot make obscene phone calls. We cannot expose ourselves on the street. Television is monitored -- a little. We cannot phone in a bomb threat to schools or business places. Certain pictures and words are kept out of the papers. We cannot cry "fire" in a crowded theatre. There is no end to the ways we already censor free speech and expression. We simply label it something else: selection, prioritizing, regulating, etc. It is still censorship.
c. It must be done. Because people are not responsible and mature in their judgment, society necessarily must censor. James 3:1-12 reflects on our problem of irresponsible talk and behavior, saying how difficult it is to control immature people. Society must exercise controls or we have chaos. It is either censorship or anything goes. Freedom of speech is not the only right. There is another right that is vital: the freedom not to be hurt, insulted, or embarrassed. Our freedom of speech ends where someone else's freedom from abuse, offense, or injury begins.
d. It must be done responsibly. If I cannot make an obscene phone call that offends another person, why should I be allowed to broadcast through the media the same offensive subject matter? Just as a person's very life hangs by the fate of a jury's decision, we can have responsible and controlled censorship without fear that we will lose our basic right to free speech.
Censorship is perhaps the dirtiest word in our language. Feelings run high against censorship, and the church's concern regarding certain social problems has been severely curtailed. No doubt, the most flagrant act of censorship in scripture was King Jehoiakim's burning of the scroll that Jeremiah wrote containing God's message (Jeremiah 36). God instructed Jeremiah to sit down and write the message all over again and tell the king he would suffer severe punishment for his censorship. Next would be the censoring of Peter and John (Acts 4:18-20), a common experience in the early church. Some important thoughts on this matter must be seriously considered.
a. Censorship can't be done. The concern is over the infringement on, or eroding of, our right to free speech and expression. History gives us ample examples of governments denying free speech, which is sometimes the people's only recourse to getting heard. Free speech is a basic and precious right that must be protected.
b. It is already done. Censorship is practiced in our society in many ways, and often with full approval. We are not allowed to slander other persons without expecting a lawsuit. We cannot make obscene phone calls. We cannot expose ourselves on the street. Television is monitored -- a little. We cannot phone in a bomb threat to schools or business places. Certain pictures and words are kept out of the papers. We cannot cry "fire" in a crowded theatre. There is no end to the ways we already censor free speech and expression. We simply label it something else: selection, prioritizing, regulating, etc. It is still censorship.
c. It must be done. Because people are not responsible and mature in their judgment, society necessarily must censor. James 3:1-12 reflects on our problem of irresponsible talk and behavior, saying how difficult it is to control immature people. Society must exercise controls or we have chaos. It is either censorship or anything goes. Freedom of speech is not the only right. There is another right that is vital: the freedom not to be hurt, insulted, or embarrassed. Our freedom of speech ends where someone else's freedom from abuse, offense, or injury begins.
d. It must be done responsibly. If I cannot make an obscene phone call that offends another person, why should I be allowed to broadcast through the media the same offensive subject matter? Just as a person's very life hangs by the fate of a jury's decision, we can have responsible and controlled censorship without fear that we will lose our basic right to free speech.
