Scripture, however, does affirm the wickedness of the human heart…in a general sense in Jeremiah 17:9… I also sincerely wish that he and others – particularly those who name the name of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord – will guard themselves against the practice of worldly men in the designating of others in dehumanizing or sub-humanizing terms regardless of the depths of their wicked behaviors. To do otherwise, it seems to me, is to negate the Bible’s teaching: “And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27).

A disturbing trend has begun within conservative circles, one particularly concerning because it is appearing even within the professing evangelical Christian community. The practice is this: the employing of dehumanizing or sub-humanizing terms such as “monsters,” “animals,” “beasts,” and the like to describe the wicked.

More than any other single atrocity in recent decades, the barbaric attack by Hamas against Israeli civilians including women, children, and the elderly on October 7, 2023, has facilitated the trend of referring to men as monsters. Let me say up front that I despise what Hamas stands for, what Hamas did, and the culture of Hamas; one that promotes, above all else, the hatred of Israel and her people. Sadly, Hamas’ actions on October 7^th pushed the envelope tempting some (me included) to question – at least momentarily – whether such despicable behaviors could be perpetrated by human beings.

Scripture, however, does affirm the wickedness of the human heart, for example, in a general sense in Jeremiah 17:9: “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?”

Specifically, in terms of cruelty and barbarism, for instance, King Nebuchadnezzar “slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, then put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him with bronze fetters and brought him to Babylon” (2 Kings 25:7). The last thing he saw was the slaying of his sons. In Nahum’s prophecy of judgment against Assyria (known for particular cruelty toward their enemies), we read at the start of chapter 3: “Woe to the bloody city, completely full of lies and pillage. . . .” Among her atrocities, the Assyrians took “small children . . . [dashing them] to pieces.” Yet, Nahum manages to refer to them not in sub-human, but in human, terms – albeit in weakness, such as “Hearts are melting and knees knocking” (2:10a). There is no shortage of biblical material here.

I have tremendous respect for Mike Huckabee, a Baptist minister and the former Governor of Arkansas, appointed by President Trump to serve as the administration’s representative to the State of Israel. I can think of no more appropriate or excellent choice than he for this extremely important diplomatic post. Last week I watched with delight the swearing-in ceremony of Ambassador Huckabee in Little Rock, Arkansas. The gathering abounded with an unmistakable recognition of God’s providence and kindness: from opening remarks by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders to the prayer offered by her dad’s college roommate, Rick Caldwell (who brought Mike with him to Israel in 1973) to the ambassador’s swearing-in on the very Bible he brought home from that first trip to Israel (and gave to his future wife, Janet, who was standing beside him) to the swearing-in itself, conducted by another lifelong friend, Judge Lavenski Smith of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.

But days later in his first address in Israel as the Ambassador, Huckabee referred to “these monsters of Hamas.”[1] Granted, that was not part of his prepared remarks. It was spoken in response to a question. But, regardless, it was an unfortunate wording. Such terms invariably perpetuate the dangerous trend to think of others – even those who conduct themselves like savages, with barbarism, unspeakable cruelty, and inhumanity – as though they are, in fact, no longer human.

Any serious study of Nazi Germany with regard to the Jews, the Ukrainians, and the Gypsies should convince all civilized persons today of the importance of avoiding the language of sub-humanity when speaking of other men, no matter who they are or what they have done. While most today are aware of the Nazi view of the Jews, the German term for lesser beings or inferior persons – “Untermenschen” – applied also to the Ukrainians and Gypsies. They were among those who “deserved to be wiped out,” as Time Magazine noted (Mar. 4, 2022).

On a trip to Israel in January 2017, former Governor Huckabee stated: “There are certain words I refuse to use. There is no such thing as a West Bank. It’s Judea and Samaria. There’s no such thing as a settlement. They’re communities, they’re neighborhoods, they’re cities.”

I sincerely pray for Ambassador Mike Huckabee’s success in this key diplomatic role with our closest ally in the region, an alliance holding far-flung ramifications for Western Civilization itself, the foundation of which to no small degree is the Ten Commandments. I also sincerely wish that he and others – particularly those who name the name of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord – will guard themselves against the practice of worldly men in the designating of others in dehumanizing or sub-humanizing terms regardless of the depths of their wicked behaviors. To do otherwise, it seems to me, is to negate the Bible’s teaching: “And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27).[2]

There are certain words . . . [we must] refuse to use.

Forrest L. Marion is a ruling elder in the First Presbyterian Church (PCA), Crossville, Tennessee.

[1] “New US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee speaks after visiting Western Wall in Jerusalem,” Israel National News, Apr. 18, 2025 (quote is found at the 6:45 time stamp).

[2] Those who subscribe to the Westminster Standards will note the wording of the Westminster Confession of Faith (IV.2), that “He created man, male and female, with reasonable and immortal souls, endued with knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness, after His own image. . . .”