Nuancers

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective

I hope everyone is having a wonderful day today! There’s much to be thankful for in spite of all the growing woes in society. I wanted to talk briefly about a subject that is important to me and should be to all because of its connection with deception. I’m referring to people – whether they are political leaders or leaders within Christendom – who are very good at using nuance to persuade and/or dissuade, depending upon their aim.

We know too many politicians are well-versed in using words most of us understand to mean one thing, but they will use it to mean something slightly different. At first, their meaning may not seem obviously different from how we normally use and understand those words. Yet, if we parse their verbiage so to speak, we will come to understand that they mean something other than what is generally meant and accepted as having that specific meaning.

We also of course have those politicians and bureaucrats who simply lie with a straight face. I’m not talking about those individuals at all. Those of us who have and use critical thinking skills see the lies for what they are and reject them. For instance, when Mayorkas can look at people in Congress during a congressional hearing and point blank state that the USA’s southern border is “secure,” we understand him to be lying. He is not wordsmithing nor is he nuancing. He is simply outright lying.

Wordsmithing is generally accepted to be something along the lines of:

1. A fluent and prolific writer, especially one who writes professionally.
2. An expert on words. [1]

A wordsmith is so good at using language to communicate, that they often are able to paint a beautiful, honest picture that the hearer can actually see in their head. To read works written by wordsmiths is a joy. It is often uplifting and invites readers or listeners to come alongside and enjoy the story that is being told.

A person who nuances, on the other hand, is often someone who tries deftly to bend the normally accepted meaning of the words to their advantage. Nuancers often resort to subtle guilt cues in an effort to cause people to see error in the way they think. They may do this by even using themselves as an example, opining how difficult the journey has been but in Christ, it is a journey that must be pursued. The problem is that nuancers often have something to hide. That something is the actual truth.

Often, nuancers deal with subjects that, interestingly enough, are the same subjects that the Left often rallies around, except we wouldn’t necessarily claim that these nuancers in the pulpits are “Leftists,” would we? They’re just getting us to think and consider, right?

White supremacy is a hot topic these days. While the Left attacks anyone – normally white people and especially white males – outright without holding back, the nuancer in the pulpit will use a much softer approach so as not to outright offend. So, “Racial Reconciliation” is a huge subject within parts of Christendom. Of course, the need for reconciliation is based on the erroneous idea that all white people are inherently racist and must unlearn their racism.

Many in the pulpits who teach on this subject, will often do so in terms that are not necessarily meant to ridicule or attack parishioners, but are said in a way that makes people think they need to “admit” their own feelings of racial superiority, confess it, accept God’s forgiveness and begin working with people of color to set things right. Rather than attack or directly guilt people into changing, these thought leaders choose to persuade congregations via much more subtle expressions. The use of “racial reconciliation,” for instance, is very soft, yet it ultimately means the same thing as “white supremacy” except you don’t picture the Left’s KKK burning crosses in people’s yards or lynching blacks and Republicans a few generations ago. Instead, in your mind, you envision people of color and whites coming together to “reconcile” over the differences in race. Wouldn’t Jesus want that? Of course, if it actually was the truth about white people. It’s not.

My question has always been and remains, who decides when racial reconciliation has been met and satisfied? Who is the person who gets to say, “Okay, things are normalized and good now!” Where is this sort of thing in the Bible? If I’ve personally offended a specific person of color, yes, I have an obligation to do what I can to right that wrong. That is Scriptural (Matthew 18). However, the idea that because I’m white, I am automatically a white supremacist standing above people of color is patently absurd and an obscene lie.

But again, the many people who stand in pulpits today who speak glowingly of what needs to be done to achieve “racial reconciliation” are nuancers. They twist meanings, they use soft guilt cues, and they attempt to tear down one culture by elevating another above it. This can apply not only to race but also to gender, even though the Bible is very clear about the specific roles that men and women play in life.

I’ve listened to many nuancers. I’m amazed at how many people stand in awe of these people. In the end, nuancers twist words toward a different meaning than what has normally been accepted as true. The Free Dictionary defines nuancing as having “…subtle shades of meaning, feeling, or tone.” [2]

Not all nuance is wrong, but when nuancing words leads to deceptive practices, we have a problem. I believe this is one reason Jesus talked about speaking plainly to people. Matthew 5:37 highlights this point and I believe Jesus meant several things in that specific address to people. He meant we should not mince words but to say either “yes” or “no” when it came to making promises. The Pharisees were masters at the art of nuancing. They’d say one thing but then excuse themselves later stating what they meant was something else. For instance, they’d make a vow to do or give something, then when it was time to collect, they’d explain it away. Their “yes” became a “no” through the art of nuancing, which for the Pharisee, was sinful because they essentially went back on their vow.

But I also believe Jesus was stating that in the course of our conversations, we should be honest and forthright. We shouldn’t try to hide our intentions but should instead be straightforward. The context of what Jesus was saying in His Sermon on the Mount is seen in Matthew 5:33-37.

³³ “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ ³⁴ But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; ³⁵ nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. ³⁶ Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. ³⁷ But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

Notice His very last phrase here, “For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.” Really? Interesting. Have you ever watched a congressional hearing when a person is asked a question and they often respond by not even answering the original question, while trying to give the impression that they did answer it? It’s evil. It’s a lie, subterfuge and an attempt to deceive.

Brothers and sisters, we were warned by Jesus a few thousand years ago that there would be many deceivers in the last days. Since we are in the last days, we have seen and continue to see this warning come true. One of the more sinister ways of trying to deceive people in churches these days is not by someone claiming from the pulpit that they are God, but by using nuancing to change meanings of words, or at least cause people listening to start thinking and then wondering and then questioning things they’ve always seen as one way, but now, maybe it means something else.

Remember, Satan always nuances. It’s what he does. He started off that way in Genesis 3 and he continues it. Nuancing causes people to question what they’ve always understood to be true and it is usually done so subtly. Once they begin questioning it, there’s a good chance they’ll reject what they’ve known to be true and accept what is being presented solely because it may sound reasonable.

I’ve deliberately not used any specific person in this article. I could have but I’d rather not and allow readers to look critically at people they may be following, reading or listening to and ask if those people are nuancers. If they are, there’s a good chance they are slipping in lies that sound like truth.

This world is on edge. It is hurtling toward judgment and because of that we can clearly see the way the enemy of our souls is shaping thought and dialogue throughout global society. We need to understand what is happening and resist it. By resist it, I mean don’t fall for it and keep going. Live your life. Do the things you’ve always done. Don’t fear what the enemy is attempting. Turn instead to a greater dependence on God, who will reward you with greater insight and wisdom to face life.

[1] https://www.wordnik.com/words/wordsmith

[2] https://www.thefreedictionary.com/nuancing

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective