Gerald Weston Sees This Story As A Teaching Moment

In the previous post, I had Gerald Weston's thoughts quoted about LCG members saying something on the internet and elsewhere that are disparaging to LCG ministry and leadership.  He just cannot stand people having a different opinion.

I did not include the following.  It is at the start of the article he wrote.  He thinks this is a cute and fun story that is a learning lesson for people to think before they speak. You can see how he thinks little of the guy who made the comment and approves highly of the awful conduct of the faculty member that was present.  This is typical Ambassador College methods of controlling dissent and shutting people down.  The minister is praised, the poor dumb student is mocked.

Dear Brethren,

Jesus declared, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). How true and how important a concept is contained in these few words.

I’m reminded of a high school friend who went on to attend Ambassador College. His speech class (“Ambassador Club”) held a Wild West–themed ladies’ night in the Frontier Room of Ambassador Hall. Various props were spread out on tables, including several rather old guns. During a break in the meeting, a high-profile faculty member was using the barrel of a pistol to dislodge the rusty safety device of another gun.

My friend owned a .22 caliber rifle and was very finicky to make sure that no scratches or rust developed on it. We used to go down to the dry riverbed in Santa Maria to shoot rabbits, and he always made sure to clean his rifle meticulously afterward. (For those who were “triggered” by that, trust me: No animals were ever successfully killed on our excursions.) Watching this faculty member working on the safety as he was, my friend could imagine that if his hand slipped, the gun could receive a deep scratch down the barrel. But how do you tell a faculty member twice your age that you do not think this is a good idea?

Inspiration suddenly seized him. The individual in question was known to have shot his foot practicing “quick draw” some years earlier while in the Navy, so my friend opened his mouth with what he thought was a tactful question: “Is that how you shot your foot?” In his mind, it seemed to be a good question, but coming out of his mouth it did not sound quite the same as it had in his head. The tone of his question betrayed a bit more than he would have liked, and he received a tongue-lashing as a result!

What comes out of our mouth—not only the words but the intent behind them—cannot completely hide what is in the heart. As the proverb says, “Whoever hides hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool. In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise” (Proverbs 10:18–19).

The fact that Jesus warned the people of His day about their words indicates that there was a problem at that time. But how much more the problem is magnified today! It involves not only what comes out of the mouth, but what is typed into cyberspace. Social media demonstrates the problem all the time. How often individuals vent their thoughts on Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, and other platforms. People are less inhibited “hiding behind” a keyboard and screen than they are in the presence of flesh and blood. They say things they would never consider saying to someone in person. For whatever reason, the Internet greatly reveals the problem of the heart.