“Language is Beautiful – and Deceitful” is an article from Dr. Gordon H. Clark’s papers. Both the original scan and a transcribed document are here made available.
**Items from the unpublished papers of Dr. Gordon H. Clark should not be considered his definitive statement on the particular topic addressed. These papers are being provided for educational value. For Dr. Clark’s official positions consult his published writings.**
Unpublished 60. Language is Beautiful – and Deceitful (original)
Unpublished 60. Language is Beautiful – and Deceitful (typed)
Notes: An article of Dr. Gordon H. Clark from The Home Evangel.
LANGUAGE IS BEAUTIFUL – AND DECEITFUL
Such is the witchery of words that authors, as well as musicians and painters, must enjoy their work a great deal. But these days their troubles are increasing. Now “democracy” is often used to characterize a system where all people are treated alike by tyrannical dictators. Freedom of religion means that no religious instruction may be given to any child less than eighteen years of age. Totalitarian politics calls itself liberal, and capitalism and freedom are branded as reactionary.
The other day a Jewish community house, to raise funds for their unfortunate brothers, invited a philosopher to give a lecture. The philosopher was a Christian, in the original, orthodox, Biblical sense of the word. He chose to speak on the reality of a personal God, and tried to show that only by trusting a personal God could man face the world and solve its problems. A gentleman in the audience said that he did not believe all the stuff this philosopher propounded. “I don’t believe in any personal God,” he insisted, “I am a Unitarian.”
And so it seems that “Unitarian” has come to mean “atheist.” And “Christian” has come to mean one who denies the Bible and rejects the blood atonement of Christ. All this leads a thoughtful person to believe the more in the inherent depravity of man, out of which comes the modem depravity of words. Respectable authors must long for a regeneration of language; but this can only occur by a regeneration of the human heart that is at enmity with God.
– G.H.C.