September 13, 2010, Colossians Chapter 4

Key Verse:

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

(Colossians 4:5-6)

Central Truth:

People will judge Christianity by what they see in us.

CODE-SWITCHING

My wife Erica is a Speech Therapist. She told me about this interesting thing almost all humans do. Only most of don’t realize it. You’ve probably done it all your life and don’t even know it. Although subtle in most people, it can be detected. It’s called “Code Switching.” Your accent changes depending on the group of people you’re around. Sometimes entire dialects and vocabularies change. Example: When Erica is around her Mom and sister, her speech becomes much slower, and her accent more “Suuuthenn Juhhh-wwwjjjaa” (think Gone With The Wind). When Erica is around her sorority sisters from Athens and Atlanta, her voice speeds up, and she becomes a trendy, metro, city, cheerleader girl. The words “like” and “totally” are used four-times as often. I code-switch too. But it’s so easy for me to spot in her, and nearly impossible for me to hear in my own speech.

Can code-switching apply to behavior too? Definitely. I think we all code-switch to some degree. Over time, we become who we run with the most. And it’s also true that we tend to act like those we’re with at a given moment. So, is it easier to be Christ-like around other Christians or non-Christians? For me, it’s obvious. When I’m around Christian friends, the standards and norms of behavior are much loftier than when I'm around non-Christian crowds. It all goes back to what is expected of you in a social situation. So when we’re expected to “act right” around a crowd of Christians, it’s easier to do good and harder to do bad. The converse is also true.

Obviously, isolation from non-Christians is not the solution. But we do have to be on guard. In mixed company, we should be more alert, and more cognizant of how we are representing Christ. Our non-Christian friends and acquaintances are watching and observing. I’m not saying I’m a good example of succeeding at this. I can find myself slipping into the flow of the crowd before I even realize what I’m saying or doing is wrong. I think this is one of the major reasons Paul told us to look out for this, because it’s so easy to do.

So we should be deliberate and conscientious - especially when the conversation turns to faith. We should speak in a respectful, sensitive way but also be careful not to water down the Truth. Code-switching is something we all do naturally, but developing true integrity takes conscious effort and disciplined practice.