Brad Hall: HALL THINGS CONSIDERED: Cussing up a storm

May 21—Over the past several years, there's been one subject that I'd really like some explanation for.

But first I just want to say that I understand there is a lot of sin in this world, and there is a level of craziness that we've never seen before until now.

More and more people could care less about God, and have decided to live their lives in a manner unbecoming of a Christian.

It is certainly sad to me, and I wish more people were influenced by Jesus Christ rather than by this world.

But the thing I want to know is when did it become acceptable for us to be complete jerks and use foul language toward people?

West Virginia University basketball coach Bob Huggins was on a radio show recently, and referred to Xavier University as "Catholic f__s."

If you want to fill in the blank, it's a derogatory term for people who are gay.

He obviously shouldn't have said that, but I was even more surprised by the people that backed him up and supported him.

People argued that it was no big deal, we all have a right to free speech, and that we're just a part of cancel culture if Huggins gets punished.

I agree we should have a right to free speech, but why should we use that to be mean and to use hateful words?

I have always believed that one of our duties on earth was to help win lost souls for Jesus Christ. How are we going to do that when we're too focused on taking sides and spewing out obscenities at each other?

Who in their right mind would want to go to church with me if I called people names like a "f__"?

If I was a lost soul and you called me a name like that, I'd never want anything to do with you, and would probably never want anything to do with a church.

We shouldn't be using that language period but definitely shouldn't use it in a hateful manner toward others.

Can you imagine your preacher on Sunday morning dropping curse words throughout his sermon like it's no big deal? I don't know about you but I would certainly be appalled, to say the least.

Furthermore, could you even fathom our Lord using words like that? Absolutely not.

So why is it OK for us to talk like that and support others who do?

I'm not saying we're wrong to hate sin. And there will be times when we just shouldn't be around people who are totally lost and could be bad influences on us.

We can try to be witnesses but there are certainly occasions when you just have to distance yourself from it.

There will also be times when we need to stand up against sin. The world certainly needs more Christians willing to do that.

But resorting to name calling, vulgar language, and other hateful acts is just uncalled for and will have a negative impact on what our mission is.

Ephesians 4:29 says, "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers."

Down the road, there will be more instances similar to Bob Huggins's recent comments. People will take sides and bicker back and forth.

But no matter who we agree with, and no matter who's wrong or right, we don't need to come in cussing up a storm and cheer on those who do.

Brad Hall is the nighttime editor at the Times-Tribune. He can be contacted at bhall@thetimestribune.com.