To begin, I would like to thank Chimes for printing Daniel Nichols’ op-ed article last week. Though it rubbed many people the wrong way, it is important that we don’t simply censor opinions we disagree with and that the public is able to hear the opinions of people with many different views. That being said, this is not an article about the freedom of the press. Nor is it an article disagreeing with the argument of Mr. Nichols’ editorial (though I do). No, this is an article about words and about the image of God. Above all, this is an article about love. What troubled me most about Mr. Nichols’ editorial was not his argument but his tone. It was brutal. I set the paper down feeling almost as though I had been physically attacked. What harsh words to claim that no one cares that you feel victimized or that supporting Bernie Sanders is letting socialism smother all real progress to death. Don’t get me wrong, the one thing I do agree with Mr. Nichols on is that we should not coddle people but challenge them to be better and therefore I am okay with people saying hard and harsh things if they are helpful. This was not a challenge, though. It was an attack, and regardless of your politics these words are harsh and unkind. What makes me sad here is the way in which words have been misused.

I am an English major and believe firmly in the power of words. They set us apart from the rest of the creation, for we alone in the created order have the power of words. This is part of the image of God in us, for it was with words that God brought the cosmos into being and Christ himself is called the Word of God. Words are a means of creating, and because we are made in the creator’s image, we too can create with them. This is an incredible blessing but also a grave responsibility. If we are to respect the image of God in ourselves and his gift of words to us, we must use them only to create the sort of things that God creates: that which is good. Thus, do not use words to harm, but to show love. Love, after all, is both the greatest and the second greatest commandment upon which all the others hang. If we don’t use our words for this purpose, we are not living like the image bearers we are meant to be. Note that love does not mean we cannot disagree with people or be honest or critical, but it does mean we cannot be cruel.

Our culture does not think this way. These days, for some strange reason, it is seen as commendable to be cruel, blunt and harsh toward those you disagree with. Hate and ridicule have become the standard forms of political discourse, whether on television or on Facebook. Honesty is a virtue, yes, but cruelty is most certainly not. You do not win arguments or friends by making the other person feel belittled and hurt, and this is about much more than hurt feelings or coddling. It is again about being image bearers. Christ was never cruel. Therefore, cruelty in you insults the image of God in you and obviously it insults the image of God in the person you ridicule. Let us respect the image of God in others and ourselves and speak lovingly, never being cruel or cowardly with our words (shout out to The Doctor).

I do not expect senators or presidential candidates to care much for my talk of love and respect for words, but I hope that it will resonate with people at Calvin. My appeal is especially to other writers: if we are serious about living like Christ, take seriously what you say and what you write. Choose your words wisely and lovingly; be honest but not cruel. In the end, I would hope that not only would our lives reflect the image of Christ, but that even the words we write would show his love. Write the hard truths and be honest, but do so as Christ would do it. Write love, my friends. Write love.