CHRISTIAN WORD PLAY

'Historic Christianity and either the old or the new liberal theology are two separate religions with nothing in common except certain terms which they use with totally different meanings.'

Francis A Schaeffer, The Church Before the Watching World, p.35.

INTEGRITY

'...our words spoken, no matter how true, are not real unless they are incarnated.'
Diane Langberg, Redeeming Power, p.57.

OUR DECEITFUL WORDS

'People use words to construct promised realities that attach to longings such as freedom, order, protection, work, or love. No abuser says, "Come with me so I can rape you." No-one says, "Marry me so I can batter you." No-one says, "Elect me so I can defraud you." No pastor or counselor says, "Let me counsel you so I can have sex with you." Instead, we say, "I love you." "I will protect you." "I will help you." "I will bring dignity to you." In Christendom, we can use spiritual language to cloak selfish ambition, hide abuses of many kinds and do incalculable damage in the name of God.'

Diane Langberg, Redeeming Power, p.53.

WORDS

'...words are actions and they make things happen. Once they are out you cannot put them back.'

Hanif Kureishi, Intimacy, p.4.  

OUR BODIES SPEAK

'A bodily action is like a word; we mean things to each other no less by what we do than by what we say. In fact, when the speech of the mouth contradicts the speech of the body, the body's speech reveals the mouth's. To crush your windpipe with my thumbs is to say to you, "Now die," even if I tell you with my mouth, "Be alive." To join one flesh, is to say, "I give myself to you in all this act means," even if my mouth shapes the words, "This means nothing,"' 

J Budziszewski, On the Meaning of Sex, p.27. 

POWERFUL WORDS

'She knew there were words so terrible you heard them with your whole body. Guilty.' 

Marilynne Robinson, Lila, p.110.