Occasionally people ask my opinion on various personal or church issues. I recently received the following question which I have reprinted below, followed by my response.

QUESTION

 Bob,  

I’m almost dreading Thanksgiving because of the potential for angry political discussion.  My family is not only divided politically, but many of my relatives aren’t Christian.  My question is, with so many important issues facing people today, where is the line between not being judgmental and, as a believer, speaking up in truth?

If something is scripturally wrong, how does one not come off as passing judgment, especially when using scripture?  However, are we supposed to just be quiet?  I don’t think so, but I also believe in being a peacemaker.  You get the idea.  I’d love your input.

MY ANSWER

Nothing is easy these days, is it?  Your question is both relevant and complex.  The Bible commands us to “Make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3).  But the same chapter in the Bible says we are to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15).  Obviously, the timing and manner of our speech are critical.

We have just experienced an extremely heated (and now contested) election.  This holiday season may be a good time for wise hosts to send written requests to their guests, suggesting, “We respectfully ask our guests not to discuss anything political.  As we know, there are a variety of political opinions these days.  But the unity of our family is more important than our political differences.  So I ask you to honor my request and reserve political discussion for another day.”

Well, good luck with that!  But hopefully, your guests will get the message and respect you enough to avoid rancorous conversations.  While we acknowledge the fact that some political topics are also spiritual issues (abortion, same-sex marriage, church liberty, etc.), it is not cowardly to avoid them at this time.  It’s just prudent.  When emotions are so intense, a family gathering is not a good time to disturb them.  And seldom are heated arguments a positive segue into effective evangelism.  Sometimes the wisest thing you can do is say nothing.

However, suggesting that this year’s Thanksgiving dinner may not be the right time to discuss spiritual or political differences with your family is not an endorsement of continued silence.  Many refuse to say anything about critical matters because they don’t want to offend anyone. They want to be loving, peaceful, and not make anyone uncomfortable.

But Jesus commanded us to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.  Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15-16).  To never say anything because it’s potentially controversial, or it may make someone uncomfortable is spiritually disobedient.

The Prophet Ezekiel warned against that kind of cowardice.  “When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.  But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself” (Ezekiel 3:18-19).

That’s a dire warning…and it scares the tar out of me!  Jesus offended some people to the point He was crucified.  The disciples came to Jesus on one occasion and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended at what you said? (Matthew 15:12).  But the Pharisees’ offense didn’t deter Jesus from speaking the truth.  The Apostle Paul offended many people with his message, so much so that he was stoned, beaten, and imprisoned.  Yet he kept preaching God’s Word.

Indeed, we should search for the best opportunities when our message will be well received.  However, in this era, with so much false teaching deceiving many, we must speak Biblical truth even if some vehemently disagree and are offended.

Years ago, my 83-year-old widowed mother called me one Sunday night, absolutely elated.  “Bob, I had to call you and tell you Deanie Lint was baptized today!!”

I was stunned.  Deanie was my second cousin.  She was a brilliant teacher and known Biblical skeptic who, for years, had been resistant to the gospel.  My mother explained, “I got to thinking about Deanie this past week and thought ‘I’m going to talk to her one more time.’”

So, my mother took her Bible, drove a half hour to Deanie’s home, and sat and talked to her about the Lord Jesus.  “You know, He died for our sins, He rose from the dead.  He promises, ‘Whoever believes and is baptized shall be saved.’  Deanie, that means you.”

The simple truth of the gospel coming from an elderly, humble widow somehow melted Deanie’s heart that day, and she put her trust in Christ.  My mother was exuberant because she’d shared the news with a family member who responded positively.

Solomon wrote, “There is a time to be silent and a time to speak.”  A tense Thanksgiving dinner may be a time to be silent.  But let’s also be alert to those times when we need to speak.  In fact, let’s be aggressive and create occasions when we can speak up and “save others by snatching them from the fire” (Jude 23).

.

Follow BobRussellKY on Twitter and LIKE the Bob Russell page on Facebook