“it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.” “But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles.” (Matthew 15:11, 18)

The email was angry and unkind. The attack unfair and unwarranted. The excuse, “consider the source.”

It is time in society and the community of faith that we stop considering the source and hold people accountable for their words. The childish saying “sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me,” is painfully wrong. Those ugly names, “fatty,” “four eyes,” “skinny,” “stupid,” have an unfortunate and lasting effect.

The excuse, “consider the source” is just that, an excuse. And guess what, in the spiritual realm the excuse doesn’t count. The present political climate is full of ugly vitriolic language, hatred and bigotry. The church should stand against such language and actions. But alas, the church too often is the last bastion of “consider the source.”

In the church we have succumbed to the premise of peace at all costs. That is not the way Jesus functioned. When confronted with the tradition of the elders regarding ceremonial handwashing, Jesus was very clear and confrontational, “what comes out of the mouth, proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles.”

I am responsible for what comes out of my mouth! No amount of explaining, whining, or excuse-making relieves me of the responsibility for my words. As Jesus declared, my words are a true expression of my heart, my motives, my true feelings.

Stop! Don’t say or write it if you can’t live with it. Step into the breach when your friend is attacked. “Consider the source” is not a valid excuse. It is a way to avoid responsibility for the unkind words and angry attacks that are motivated by the hate and anger in our hearts.

We are the body of Christ. We represent Christ in the world. We need to sound like it. What comes out of our mouths needs to represent the Christ we say we love. “Consider the source,” doesn’t cut it.