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CURRENTLY IN CULTURE
A disastrous disease

Philip A. Gunther

Anyone who has watched TV, read the newspaper or listened to the radio lately is aware of how the highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease has ravaged the animal population of Britain. Since its outbreak on February 19, the foot-and-mouth virus has infected thousands of animals across Britain, as well as livestock in France, Northern Ireland, the Netherlands and even Saudi Arabia.


The fallout from the disease is almost beyond imagination. Although it is not deadly in itself, any livestock discovered with this virus are quickly quarantined and eventually destroyed. Nearly three-quarters of a million animals have already been killed. The farming and tourist industries in Britain are losing billions of dollars of revenue, with no end in sight. Things are so bad that police have begun confiscating shotguns from farmers who might be driven to suicide.

The worldwide community has slammed the door shut on Britain and any other nation where there is even the slightest possibility that the virus is active. Here in Canada, British animal products are being removed from store shelves, Canada Customs is ordering all disembarking overseas travellers to step on chemical mats in order to destroy any viruses, and some bed and breakfast operators are refusing to host tourists from Britain on their ranches and farms. In short, the people of Britain have been isolated.

It is amazing that a microscopic viral organism can create a world of anxiety, discomfort and death. Once this organism is unleashed, damage control is extremely difficult, and the circle of those harmed is colossal. Furthermore, this malady culminates in the creation of barriers.

There is another affliction that has caused even greater destruction than foot-and-mouth disease. From the beginning of time, empires and kingdoms have suffered its poisonous effects. Foot-in-mouth disease does not involve a minute organism but rather a small organ of the human body, the tongue. More than a slip of the tongue, foot-in-mouth disease is the hurtful use of words against others. People afflicted with this condition create a world of animosity among those they come into verbal contact with. Once they express their acidic words, it is next to impossible to do complete damage control. Foot-in-mouth disease is also highly contagious. The fallout from it includes the erection of barriers, disunity, disharmony and disillusionment. Foot-in-mouth can even result in death – particularly the death of relationships. Perhaps that is why the Bible says that the tongue has the power of life and death (Proverbs 18:21). Ultimately, foot-in-mouth is a sickness of the soul, and carriers of it are in need of intensive divine healing.

The Bible warns us about the destructive potential of the tongue. James calls the tongue a fire, a world of evil, a restless evil, untamable and full of deadly poison (James 3:5-10). The Bible warns us not to let, “any unwholesome talk come out of [our] mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up. . . . Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking” (Ephesians 4:29; 5:4).

Avoiding foot-in-mouth requires preventative measures. The first course of action must be an ongoing Holy-Spirit-led self-diagnosis of the heart, allowing the Holy Spirit to search out any destructive thought we may hold (1 Corinthians 2:10). For it is in the recesses of the heart that foot-in-mouth takes root. Jesus said, “The things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man unclean” (Matthew 15:18). To purify the heart, we need divine help.

The Bible further counsels, “He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity” (Proverbs 21:23). How do we do that? I wrote down a list of questions I could ask myself before unleashing my tongue. They have in the past often kept me from hurting others with my words:

Will what I say be said to hinder or help? Will it enrage or encourage? Will it be said to condemn or correct? Will it be said with an axe to grind or with grace? Would I like someone to say the same thing to me with the same attitude and motive? Would Jesus approve of the means and manner with which I am about to say it?

Our words have a great power to harm others. Any effort to guard our tongue will prove to be a blessing to others and ourselves. The good news is that, with the help of the Holy Spirit and a deliberate effort on our part, the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts can be pleasing in God’s sight (Psalm 19:14).

Philip A. Gunther is senior pastor of Parliament Community Church in Regina.

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Last modified June 5, 2001.

© 2001 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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