According to authors Ken Wytsma and A.J. Swoboda in their book Redeeming How We Talk, “there is a deep spirituality to words.” In a time when both the means to communicate and the amount of information available have increased dramatically, Christians need to ask deep questions in order to use words redemptively: “Why has God given us the ability to communicate? Why do words have power? How does God expect us to use the gifts of speech and communication? How is communication in modern life transforming our use of words?”
In order to spell out the spiritual nature of words, they show how God uses words “to create, free, and establish” in contrast to how Satan uses words "to divide, hurt, marginalize, and deconstruct.”
The authors address timely topics such as the challenge of communicating in a digital age, the destructive nature of propaganda, the relationship between wisdom and words, and the historical role of church discipline in contrast to the biblical art of winning people back to God.
Especially helpful is the chapter entitled “To Speak a Better Word” where the authors offer practical suggestions to help readers make communication a “redemptive art” in relationships with friends, children, spouses, and as people of influence in public roles. (Moody)
About the Author
Sonya VanderVeen Feddema is a freelance writer and a member of Covenant CRC in St. Catharines, Ontario.
