Gup20
Active Member
I don't think that political correctness is Biblical. What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world and loose his soul, afterall? I think we have let modern definitions of tolerance creep into the original intended meanings of scripture.
From this article I have seen some very good Biblical arguments against political correctness. I will post a portion of that article here:
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Biblical basis
Rebuke of false teachers
Jesus often rebuked His opponents. For example, Matthew 23:27:
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like white-washed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.
His chosen Apostles often rebuked false teachers—the apostle Paul even opposed the apostle Peter when he was carrying away others with his hypocrisy (Gal. 2:11 ff.). Also, Paul commanded Timothy to rebuke error (2 Tim. 4:2), and 2 Corinthians 10:4–5 says, ‘We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God.’
Sometimes false beliefs were even mocked, for example, Elijah with the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18:27, for the greater good of exposing their destructive influence.
Biblical word plays
Some of the word plays in the Bible are deliberate mocking of some person or system that sets itself up against God’s revelation. Genesis 11:9 says:
Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.
Some skeptics accuse the Bible of error here, because Babili means ‘gate of the gods’; balal means confusion. But, there is no error at all—the word play was intentional. While the rebels at Babel pretentiously thought they could make a tower to heaven, God puts their pathetic effort into its true perspective—it would be remembered only for the confusion of languages.
Another possible example is the name Nebuchadnezzar. Some skeptics claim that this is an error, and that the ‘correct’ spelling is –rezzar. Indeed, this is the normal Hebrew adaptation from the original Akkadian version, nabu-kudurru-usur, meaning ‘Nabu protect(s) the eldest son,’ after the Babylonian god Nabu. One theory for the difference is that it was normal Hebrew linguistic practice to change the r to an n. But van Selms proposed another theory, that the OT’s –nezzar spelling may be derived from a snide reference to Nebuchadnezzar’s lycanthropy (animal behavior) by Jewish opposition groups. That is, from nabu-kudanu-usur, meaning ‘Nabu protect(s) the mule.’
Challenge-riposte paradigm
Some well-meaning Christians claim that any rebuke is ‘unloving’ (see next section), as do some skeptics who try to neutralize Christian opposition! When confronted by the examples in the previous section, these same Christians try to evade the force of these examples by claiming, ‘Jesus was God, so He had the authority and a moral right to say these things. So did God’s Apostles, as well as Elijah when he mocked the prophets of Baal. We do not have either of these.’
But this fails to realize the historical context. Modern western culture is engulfed in political correctness with a victim culture, where we simply mustn’t offend members of liberal-appointed victim classes. But ancient public forums, and some modern ones, were often conducted under a challenge-riposte paradigm. In the New Testament cultural milieu, ‘the game of challenge-riposte is a central phenomenon, and one that must be played out in public.’
The object of each party was to try to undermine the honor, or social status, of the other in an exchange that ‘answers in equal measure or ups the ante (and thereby challenges in return).’ Instead of merely defending himself, an honorable man in that culture would counterattack.
We see countless examples in the Gospels where Jesus refuses to defend himself, and instead shifts the debate by a counter-question, and insults if necessary. For example, in Matthew 21:23–27, Mark 11:27–33, and Luke 20:1–8, Jesus entered the temple, and the chief priests and elders confronted Him and demanded to know by what authority He acted. Jesus responded with a counter-question about John the Baptist. When they refused to answer Him, Jesus refused to answer them, which was an insult.
In Matthew 22:15–22, Mark 12:13–17, and Luke 20:20–26, Herodians and Pharisees plotted together to ask Jesus about paying taxes, trying to trap him in a dilemma of either disloyalty to His fellow Jews or sedition against Rome. Jesus again poses a counter-question about the owner of the coin. His famous concluding statement, ‘Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s’ was a further attack on the hypocrisy and disloyalty of his opponents.
Another example is Matthew 12:5:
Or have you not read in the Law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?
Most people overlook that Jesus’ question ‘Have you not read … ?’ was a huge insult to His Pharisaic opponents. Obviously, they had read them, and they were the acknowledged experts in the Bible. So this question undermined their authority in the area they were supposed to know best. ... It was basically calling them foolish, unable to read what was in front of them, not having done proper study. But once again, in the challenge-riposte paradigm, this was appropriate in the public forum. It was a response to the honor challenge laid down by the Pharisees, who challenged Jesus on the behavior of His disciples. Jesus ups the ante by implying their ignorance of scripture, attacking them in the very place where they most prided themselves.
There are many other places where Jesus ‘evidences considerable skill at riposte and thereby reveals himself to be an honorable and authoritative prophet.’
From this article I have seen some very good Biblical arguments against political correctness. I will post a portion of that article here:
_________________________
Biblical basis
Rebuke of false teachers
Jesus often rebuked His opponents. For example, Matthew 23:27:
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like white-washed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.
His chosen Apostles often rebuked false teachers—the apostle Paul even opposed the apostle Peter when he was carrying away others with his hypocrisy (Gal. 2:11 ff.). Also, Paul commanded Timothy to rebuke error (2 Tim. 4:2), and 2 Corinthians 10:4–5 says, ‘We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God.’
Sometimes false beliefs were even mocked, for example, Elijah with the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18:27, for the greater good of exposing their destructive influence.
Biblical word plays
Some of the word plays in the Bible are deliberate mocking of some person or system that sets itself up against God’s revelation. Genesis 11:9 says:
Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.
Some skeptics accuse the Bible of error here, because Babili means ‘gate of the gods’; balal means confusion. But, there is no error at all—the word play was intentional. While the rebels at Babel pretentiously thought they could make a tower to heaven, God puts their pathetic effort into its true perspective—it would be remembered only for the confusion of languages.
Another possible example is the name Nebuchadnezzar. Some skeptics claim that this is an error, and that the ‘correct’ spelling is –rezzar. Indeed, this is the normal Hebrew adaptation from the original Akkadian version, nabu-kudurru-usur, meaning ‘Nabu protect(s) the eldest son,’ after the Babylonian god Nabu. One theory for the difference is that it was normal Hebrew linguistic practice to change the r to an n. But van Selms proposed another theory, that the OT’s –nezzar spelling may be derived from a snide reference to Nebuchadnezzar’s lycanthropy (animal behavior) by Jewish opposition groups. That is, from nabu-kudanu-usur, meaning ‘Nabu protect(s) the mule.’
Challenge-riposte paradigm
Some well-meaning Christians claim that any rebuke is ‘unloving’ (see next section), as do some skeptics who try to neutralize Christian opposition! When confronted by the examples in the previous section, these same Christians try to evade the force of these examples by claiming, ‘Jesus was God, so He had the authority and a moral right to say these things. So did God’s Apostles, as well as Elijah when he mocked the prophets of Baal. We do not have either of these.’
But this fails to realize the historical context. Modern western culture is engulfed in political correctness with a victim culture, where we simply mustn’t offend members of liberal-appointed victim classes. But ancient public forums, and some modern ones, were often conducted under a challenge-riposte paradigm. In the New Testament cultural milieu, ‘the game of challenge-riposte is a central phenomenon, and one that must be played out in public.’
The object of each party was to try to undermine the honor, or social status, of the other in an exchange that ‘answers in equal measure or ups the ante (and thereby challenges in return).’ Instead of merely defending himself, an honorable man in that culture would counterattack.
We see countless examples in the Gospels where Jesus refuses to defend himself, and instead shifts the debate by a counter-question, and insults if necessary. For example, in Matthew 21:23–27, Mark 11:27–33, and Luke 20:1–8, Jesus entered the temple, and the chief priests and elders confronted Him and demanded to know by what authority He acted. Jesus responded with a counter-question about John the Baptist. When they refused to answer Him, Jesus refused to answer them, which was an insult.
In Matthew 22:15–22, Mark 12:13–17, and Luke 20:20–26, Herodians and Pharisees plotted together to ask Jesus about paying taxes, trying to trap him in a dilemma of either disloyalty to His fellow Jews or sedition against Rome. Jesus again poses a counter-question about the owner of the coin. His famous concluding statement, ‘Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s’ was a further attack on the hypocrisy and disloyalty of his opponents.
Another example is Matthew 12:5:
Or have you not read in the Law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?
Most people overlook that Jesus’ question ‘Have you not read … ?’ was a huge insult to His Pharisaic opponents. Obviously, they had read them, and they were the acknowledged experts in the Bible. So this question undermined their authority in the area they were supposed to know best. ... It was basically calling them foolish, unable to read what was in front of them, not having done proper study. But once again, in the challenge-riposte paradigm, this was appropriate in the public forum. It was a response to the honor challenge laid down by the Pharisees, who challenged Jesus on the behavior of His disciples. Jesus ups the ante by implying their ignorance of scripture, attacking them in the very place where they most prided themselves.
There are many other places where Jesus ‘evidences considerable skill at riposte and thereby reveals himself to be an honorable and authoritative prophet.’
