Hold Your Language to a Higher Standard

Call me prudish. I'll accept it.

Call me sheltered. I'm thankful for it.

As a freelancer working with some of the largest Christian publishers in the nation, I have seen great writing. And I know that you don't need to use foul language to get your message across.

When you use profanity in your writing, it screams something louder than the intended effect. It tells the reader something about your own command of the English language.  A fellow Christian editor and I were talking at a writers' conference a few weeks ago about profanity in writing. We agreed that in most cases, the use of such language does not edify a piece of work in any way.

So writers, I implore you. Just. Stop. It.

Sure, there may be times when you allow a character to let a word slip in fictional writing. But it's important to not allow this to become the norm.

Remember, they aren't just words. Consider an abbreviated list of Bible verses regarding our language:

Colossians 3:8 (ESV)

But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.

Ephesians 4:29 (ESV)

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Ephesians 5:4 (ESV)

Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.

Proverbs 21:23 (ESV)

Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue
    keeps himself out of trouble.

And though the talented J. K. Rowling used some not-so-choice words sprinkled in the Harry Potter series, there is one quote that should remind even the most secular of writers about the responsibility we have with written language. The beloved Professor Dumbledore said, "Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it."

Make yourself uncomfortable with the habit of using foul language, and you will find yourself sensitive to it. Surround yourself with good writing, wholesome music, and friends who are trying to live according to God's Word. As 1 Corinthians 15:33 (NIV) states, "Do not be misled: 'Bad company corrupts good character.'"

Not only should we try to shield ourselves from bad influences, we should seek to influence others. Paul writes in 1 Timothy 4:12 (NIV), "Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity" (emphasis mine).

Remember, your written words are powerful like the tongue. When someone reads them, they cannot be taken back. Bridle them.

Need some suggestions for good music for writing? Take a look at my Spotify playlist (on the right-hand menu of this page near the bottom).

Looking for some inspirational writing to give you a start? Take a look at these books for some wonderful fiction and non-fiction of Christian writers: