Eight Guidelines for Communicating in the Public Square
Christians are called to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world by professing the good news of salvation and life in the kingdom of God (Matt. 28:16–20). Accordingly, messaging is a major part of the Christian’s mission and daily life.
The Bible says, “The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit” (Prov. 15:4). The content of words matters, as does the tone in which Christians address others. Words can lift our spirits, galvanize people for good, or tear down hopes and empires.
Messaging has always been one of Satan’s primary weapons as well. In fact, deceitful messaging is partially responsible for the fall of humankind.
THE DANGERS OF GETTING OFF MESSAGE
The enemy deceived Adam and Eve by playing on words and convincing Eve that she would “not certainly die” if she ate the forbidden fruit (Gen. 3:4). In the wilderness, Satan also tried to get Jesus off his mission by using a message that appealed to his flesh (Matt. 4:1–11).
Many of the same tactics are still being used today. Christians are continually urged to disregard the plain directives in the Bible and asked whether the Bible really says that certain things are actually sinful.
Christians are tempted to embrace points of view that tickle their ears, justify sins, dehumanize neighbors, and relieve the tension between God’s Word and their desires. In politics, groups sometimes reduce complicated matters to simplistic buzzwords to fit their narrative or complicate more straightforward matters to obscure the truth.
“Christians who fail to dig deeper than the superficial appeal of a message are bound to fall for misdirection and misrepresentations that separate them from God’s intentions.”
The world is constantly bombarding us with well-researched, targeted messaging aimed at persuading, distracting, or enraging us in regard to cultural and political matters. Without a trained eye, it’s hard to discern what motives and hidden agendas lie beneath the surface.
Christians who fail to dig deeper than the superficial appeal of a message are bound to fall for misdirection and misrepresentations that separate them from God’s intentions. Christians must be wise as snakes and innocent as doves when it comes to cultural and political messaging (Matt. 10:16).
Fortunately, the Bible provides examples of how to address others faithfully in the public square. Words and rhetoric are important in the US political system and it is also important to “speak the truth in love” in a culture of deception and rage.
Here are some guidelines for faithful and effective communication in the public square:
EIGHT GUIDELINES FOR EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATING IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE
Study and be confident. To persuade others in the public square, as Christians we first have to be confident in our convictions, and confidence comes from knowing what we believe and why we believe it. Study Scripture and read the thoughts of orthodox writers on pressing topics in society.
Show love and concern. We as Christians must genuinely love the people we’re addressing. We have wasted a lot of time trying to correct those to whom we haven’t shown true concern. Why should others listen to us if we’re talking down to them or failing to show them compassion? If we’re not demonstrating humility and sincere social concern, our words will fall flat.
Be informed. Do research. To be effective we must understand the subject matter and understand the mood of our audience. We must thoroughly understand our own point of view and our interlocutor’s.
Have a plan. We should anticipate how those receiving our message will engage and the questions they’ll have. It’s helpful to plot our points of interaction and our responses ahead of time.
Maintain a hopeful, positive tone. We shouldn’t walk into a conversation with people with different beliefs and assume they’ll automatically agree with us. Instead, Christians should anticipate their disagreements and keep our composure as we speak in a way that glorifies God.
Relate to the audience. We should speak in terms our audience understands and use sources they respect whenever possible. It’s possible to communicate biblical principles without actually quoting the Bible.
Be persuasive. It’s important to take the time to think through the logic of our argument—its premises and conclusions. We should be prepared to walk our audience toward our conclusion without assuming too much and without insulting their intelligence, using illustrations and symbols they can relate to.
Don’t hide your convictions. Sometimes we’re so self-conscious about not sounding harsh or judgmental that no one knows what we actually believe. That’s ineffective and often demonstrates a lack of courage. It’s possible to “speak the truth in love” and to be winsome without hiding Christian convictions. Remember, the Holy Spirit ultimately brings people to Christ, not our charm or persuasive arguments.
WE HAVE TO LISTEN
Jesus listened to the weak and marginalized (John 4:1-42). Accordingly, Christian political engagement shouldn’t be all about what Christians have to say. We should go out of our way to make sure the voiceless are heard and respected.
Too often those without money or organized numbers are ignored and underrepresented. If one of our primary objectives in politics is to protect others, then we have to hear their perspectives and concerns without assuming we already know what’s best for them.
“We don’t want to be guilty of extinguishing credible counterpoints because they challenge us.”
Similarly, we don’t need to eliminate opposing views. The religious leaders in Jerusalem tried to silence the apostles and misrepresent their words because they feared the truth (Acts 4:1–22). Oppressive regimes do the same thing to maintain their false narratives and avoid being exposed.
We don’t want to be guilty of extinguishing credible counterpoints because they challenge us. Sadly, instead of developing better arguments, some elements of American society are trying to prevent their opponents from speaking.
By canceling and deplatforming dissenting voices, they claim to be keeping people safe, but they’re really just keeping their ideas from being examined publicly. Christians should want others to examine our testimony.
STUDY, LISTEN, SHARPEN
We don’t need to avoid debate. We need to study, listen to others, and sharpen our message. Race, sex, socioeconomic status, or political party doesn’t disqualify anyone from entering a discussion; the substance of a person’s argument is what’s important.
Choose your words wisely and remember that when you speak in the public square, you’re going about your Father’s business. Christian messaging should always be rooted in the gospel.
Adapted from Compassion & Conviction by Justin Giboney, Michael Wear, Chris Butler. Copyright (c) 2020 by Justin E. Giboney, Michael R. Wear, and Christopher Butler. Published by InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL. www.ivpress.com.
Justin Giboney is cofounder of the AND Campaign, an attorney, and a political strategist in Atlanta, Georgia. He has served as a delegate for the Democratic National Convention and as the co-chair of Obama for America's Gen44-Atlanta initiative.
Michael Wear is chief strategist of the AND Campaign and founder of Public Square Strategies, LLC. He is the author of Reclaiming Hope: Lessons Learned in the Obama White House About the Future of Faith in America.
Chris Butler is the senior leader of the Chicago Embassy Church Network and has been involved in several efforts to improve educational equity in Chicago. He serves as the founder and executive director of Parent Power Chicago as well as the founder of the Chicago Peace Campaign, which organizes churches and other faith-based institutions to build peacemaking networks in local communities.