Civility doesn't preclude harsh confrontation

Jesus said, “Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good things, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person brings good things out of a good treasure, and the evil person brings evil things out of an evil treasure.

“I tell you, on the day of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:33-37)

Today, calls for civility are ubiquitous. 

But, what does “civility” mean? Many look to Rodney King. “Can’t we all just get along?” President Trump defined “civility” in a self-serving manner when he said that when anti-racism protesters confronted neo-Nazis in Charlottesville that “there were good people on both sides.” With the exception of the neo-Nazis, few Americans agreed with him.

The Southern Poverty Law Center says ours is “a world in which white nationalist talking points circulate with shocking ease,” coming often from those in what were once believed to be seats of responsibility.

How are we to understand civility in the context of a dramatically heated national debate about issues as serious and nation-defining as racism? If you turn to the dictionary, you’d believe that civility is “formal politeness and courtesy in behavior and speech.”

Compare that to other examples, e.g. Meghan McCain’s poignant eulogy for her father and what Jesus said in the Gospels.

In the 12^th chapter of Matthew, the first century version of a culture war is raging. The debate between Jesus and his adversaries produces harsh words on both sides of the immense divide. Whenever I hear a call for civility in these troubled times, I am reminded of the words of Jesus. “You brood of vipers,” he called his adversaries. In fairness, they had just called him “the ruler of the demons.”

So, Jesus was giving as good as he took. For Jesus, that was civility and if it’s good enough for him, it ought to be good enough for us. After all, he is talking about good trees and bad, good fruit and bad, evil people and evil treasure.

And then Jesus went on to say a few verses later that "on the day of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

There are, therefore, occasions when Jesus approves of challenging others with some pretty harsh language. “Careless words” include those words not spoken when they should have been spoken, words that are not appropriately certain and harsh when certain harshness is appropriate.

I am still reeling from watching Spike Lee’s movie “Black Klansmen.” It is stunning reminder that the demon racism has never died off and its practice is now politically correct. That demands Christians and people of other faiths denounce its practitioners with the sort of harsh, clear language that leaves no room for doubt.

Jesus does not expect us to employ silence or niceties and polite tripe when confronting racists, misogynists, those who weaponize the Bible, those who attack fellow believers who travel a different path to find God than do we, or those who separate children from their parents at the border. They are indeed a brood of vipers and Jesus teaches us we should call it what it is. 

We are the tree about which Jesus spoke. We are expected to produce the fruit of his teachings. How we respond determines whether the tree and its fruit will be good or bad. On the day of judgment, we will be called to account for “every careless word,” and among them will be words not spoken in timidity or fear or not strong enough to match the evils we are witnessing.