Damning With Faint Praise

Damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer,

And without sneering, teach the rest to sneer;

Willing to wound, and yet afraid to strike,

Just hint a fault, and hesitate dislike.

— "Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot" by Alexander Pope (1688–1744)

Say to God, "How awesome are Your works!  Because of the greatness of Your power Your enemies will give feigned obedience to you."  --Psalm 66:3

 Many of us grew up with the sage advice, "If you can't say something nice about someone, don't say anything at all."  However, in real life nature abhors a vacuum, and when the gossipers ask us, "What do you think?" we grow uncomfortable in the silence.  We are either disingenuous and agree with the group, or we may try to hide our opposing views in clever talk.

One of my favorite stories from my late father was when he had just finished a visit with a family and their new baby.  I don't remember if it was at the hospital, where the church member had just given birth, or if the family had gathered at the new mother's home, but the question posed to the pastor was, "Isn't that the prettiest baby in the whole world?"  Truthfully, it was the ugliest child he had ever seen.  Not wanting to upset anyone with his true opinion, yet not wanting to lie outright, my father responded, "Yes ma'am, that is a baby!"

Unfortunately, there are times when our culture demands obeisance beyond potentially awkward social situations.  Standing up and speaking truth to power could be fatal, or at the very least unlawful.  It is in these situations that faith is severely tested.

When needs he must, yet faintly then he praises,

Somewhat the deed, much more the means he raises:

So marreth what he makes, and praising most, dispraises.

— "The Purple Island" by Phineas Fletcher (1582-1650)

I can imagine when Daniel and his friends were exiled out of Jerusalem in Babylon in about 610 BC, the pressure was immense for the Jewish exiles to conform to their new culture, including the religion of the king.  Thank God that Daniel did not pray to the king (see Daniel chapter 6).  I am certain that other Jewish exiles lavished false praise upon Darius in accordance with the law, hoping that God would see their hearts instead of their words and their actions.  Thank God that Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah did not bow to the image of Nebuchadnezzar (see Daniel chapter 3), although it would appear that they were alone in this conviction.  Other Jewish exiles must have either converted to the false religion, or haltingly, awkwardly bowed to the idol with much fear and self loathing.

There are regions in the world today where Christianity is outlawed.  Christians cannot openly gather in worship, sing hymns or spiritual songs, or evangelize.  Those who do are arrested, and might face beheading, being burned alive, or at the very least torture and imprisonment.

I believe the time will come when Christ reigns on Earth for a thousand years.  Yet even then, some who are alive during this time will not truly love Him.  They may outwardly submit.  Maybe they say all the right things, but their heart will be against God.  When Satan is loosed again after the millennium is over, these people will wage war on Christ-followers, even as the devil and his demons will wage war against heaven itself (Revelation 20:3, 7-9).  These, I believe, are the ones Jesus referred to in Matthew 7:21, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven will enter."  Actions speak louder than words.

Today's culture teaches us to go along to get along.  Anyone who stands up and makes waves is ridiculed, derided, and shunned as a fundamentalist extremist zealot.  Very few of us are brave enough to stand up and influence the culture for Christ.  Right now, especially in America, the consequences are relatively minor--we risk our reputation, or a few friends.  The time will come when we would be risking our very lives.  This may be what Jesus meant when He said, "He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much." (Luke 16:10).

Stand up for what is right.  Don't use clever words to try to dodge the question that the culture throws up at you every day.  Go all in, with your whole heart.  After all, that's what Jesus did.