Nonviolence in action. Birmingham, AL 1963
Whether out of frustration or anger, one possesses the ability to be just as violent with their words as with their hands. Hence the need for the Christian to incorporate non-violent speech into his or her vocabulary.
Speech that speaks in and through love. Speech that does not make demands of restitution, but speech that makes offers of forgiveness. Speech that does not make ultimatums of "them or me," but speech that talks about "us and we." Speech that does not wound or destroy, but speech that heals and rebuilds.
Psalm 16:24 says it this way, "Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." In a world with wars raging, families divorcing, and churches splitting; what could be more appropriate? What could be more necessary? What could be more beautiful than Christians being a people fluent in the speech of nonviolence.
CJE