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mob bent on prohibiting black chil dren from enrolling in a southern school . . .” faces drooling hatred, cursing and accursed faces, brave only in numbers, spitting their ven om at children.” Innocent words used at the right time can condition people for a de sired response. When we state that “intelligent Christians ag ree . . . ” some readers succumb to the subtle pressure that they ought to agree reasoning that they are surely “intel- igent and Christian.” Words can be weapons in the battle for minds. We want our ideas under stood and accepted. Yet we can suc cumb to the ancient and ever-present
tendency to employ words with scant attention to the power they have to distort, arouse, and mislead. With qualities of clarity and appropriate ness, our ideas must be clothed in words that are accurate, fair, and honest. Society seems bent on imitating the sophists of old. Many writers and speakers will stoop to anything to achieve their purpose. Let the evangelical Christian speak clearly and forcefully. Let us avoid the invective, innuendo, distortion, and subtle touch that foster strife and division. To the lost world we have a greater task: the communica tion of a Gospel that unites sinful man with a holy and just God. Page 5
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