There is a difference between being cautious and sensitive and changing words which could needlessly provide offense. It’s not unmanly or cowardly to work towards this. It’s being pastoral and caring. It’s an effort to meet people where they are. Where we have a problem is when people begin changing the meaning of a text (or quote) because it could cause offense. That is cowardly.

There is a Spurgeon quote from Zechariah 3 that I absolutely love. I’ve shared it about every time I’ve preach on that text. Here it is unaltered from the pen of Spurgeon:

“So it is with the child of God. What is he at the best? Till he is taken up to heaven, he is nothing but a brand plucked out of the fire. It is his daily moan that he is a sinner; but Christ accepts him as he is: and he shuts the devil’s mouth by telling him, ‘Thou sayest this man is black – of course he is: what did I think he was but that? He is a brand plucked out of the fire. I plucked him out of it. He was burning when he was in it: he is black now he is out of it. He was what I knew he would be; he is not what I mean to make him, but he is what I knew he would be. I have chosen him as a brand plucked out of the fire. What hast thou to say to that?’ Do observe that this plea did not require a single word to be added to it from Joshua.”

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