On 6th January 2021, I spent much of the night binging BBC News. I was watching a horror movie. It starred hordes of strangely clothed rioters breaking into the US Capitol building, which houses the House of Representatives and the Senate. They were attempting to destroy the beating heart of the free world. It was grim stuff.
And it was partly because of words.
Before the riot, Donald Trump had addressed the crowds of protestors outside the White House. This is what he said:
We are going to walk down to the capitol and we are going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women, and we are probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them. Because you’ll never take back our country with weakness, you have to show strength and you have to be strong.
Trump’s words have been condemned around the world. The British Home Secretary, Priti Patel, said, ‘His comments directly led to the violence, and so far he has failed to condemn that violence and that is completely wrong.’
Senior Democrats Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Shumer, meanwhile, released a joint statement saying ‘The President’s dangerous and seditious acts necessitate his immediate removal from office.’
To be fair to Trump, he didn’t tell anyone to head into Congress dressed as a minotaur. They did that off their own back. Yet, his words were deemed by many to be the catalyst for what happened, firing up the protestors until they became rioters. He had spent months arguing that the election was rigged. A call for strength, to stare down Senators and Representatives who were, at that very moment, confirming Joe Biden’s victory, was deemed to have pushed the whole thing over the edge.
Trump’s words were seen as powerful, driving rioters into what was meant to be one of the most secure sites in America.
The Power of the Tongue
This should not surprise us. Christainity teaches that words are incredibly powerful things. It calls us to be careful how we use them, because they can tear whole communities apart.
This is what the Bible says about this stuff:
5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig-tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
James 3:5-12 (NIV)
The author of that particular passage was James. His claim to fame was that he was Jesus’ brother, which is very snazzy. The audience was the first century church. Apparently, things had been getting a bit out of hand. People were being slandered, and arguments were being had.
James calls people to attention, and he tells them they have been screwing up. They have not realized the power of the tongue.
Words can destroy whole communities, like fires set alight by a small spark. It can corrupt a whole body of people, causing them to fall apart in chaos.
These are James’ warnings, and they may explain a little of what we saw on the 6th January. Donald Trump alone cannot bear the blame, it was not his words alone that drove the riot. Yet, speeches, tweets, news reports, Facebook posts, Whatsapp messages, and Youtube videos all combined to call people to arms, and send them raging against American democracy.
Untameable
Does that mean that we should condemn President Trump? Should we jump on the bandwagon, condemning him and calling for his removal?
You can if you want, but there is something you should remember as you do. James writes that ‘no human being can tame the tongue.’ For each and every one of us, ‘it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.’
Trump’s words are obviously inflammatory, designed to bring about a reaction. But that does not mean that his are the only words that can carry evil with them. Most politicians are probably guilty of using their words to tear down and destroy that which should not be torn down and destroyed. Everyone says stupid stuff. Everyone’s words get them into trouble.
The tongue is a force that no human can fully control. Fortunately, God’s wisdom is greater than man’s folly. In verse 17, James writes:
17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
While human words stir up riots, God’s wisdom brings peace.
As we reflect on recent events, we should rightly reflect on the awful power of words. We should see how those words are magnified by political office, but we should also see how our own words can be just as dangerous. Our tongues can be equally out of control.
Fortunately, we can approach God for the solution. We can seek him, asking him to infuse his wisdom into us, so that we might be peacemakers in this world. Our tongues are too powerful for us, but there is nothing that God cannot bring to heel.
For an informal bibliography, see page 2.
One Hundred and Nineteen 
Leave a comment