Christians are not free to speak our mind in any kind of careless or uncharitable way. We are to speak the truth, yes. But we are commanded to speak the truth in love. As one preacher said, truth should be used with the kind of care and precision with which a surgeon uses a scalpel. Truth shouldn’t be used like a machete.

The First Amendment of the United States Constitution protects the right of free speech for American citizens. This keeps the state from oppressing those who hold discenting views contrary to those of the government. It is a foundational right for religious freedom as well. But is it a Christian value?

In short, yes. It is. Christians do not want a state mandated religion enforced on an unwilling populace. But how should Christians consider this freedom for themselves? While Christians believe all should have freedom of speech, are Christians free to say whatever they want?

In short, no. They aren’t. Christians do not believe they are free to say whatever they wish. Christians hold themselves to a different standard.

[Editor’s note: This article is incomplete. The source for this document was originally published on TheoLatte —however, the link (URL) to the original article is unavailable and has been removed.]