Lift Him Up don’t Pull Him Down
by Debra Pedrow
Lulu Publishing Services, 2015
I recently finished the rough draft of a book, and I’m considering my publishing options. I was pleased to find out that a friend’s sister, Debra Pedrow, just self-published a book.
The author has a personal passion and concern for the misuse of our God’s name. It has become commonplace to use some version of God’s name as a curse, exclamation, or simply in other “common” or disrespectful ways. Sadly, even believers can take God’s name lightly. I agree and share the author’s concerns. In 7 chapters in this 100 page book, the author thoughtfully shares Scripture and personal stories expounding upon why God’s name should not be misused.
She begins by talking about trash, literal garbage, ya know the junk we throw away. She compares this to the wrong use of God’s name. It is like we are spewing garbage from our mouth and treating God’s name like trash. This theme continues through the book. Here is an excerpt:
“God, Jesus, Christ, and Jesus Christ are positive and loving names. Names that demand the highest regard of human respect our finite minds can conceive. These names should never be used as trash words. Yet, we trash them daily when we use The Name incorrectly in any unloving or unholy manner. This improper way of speech includes expressing pleasure when using The Name in a common way….To misuse the Lord’s name in vain even while in a joyful mood speaking about a joyful event, turns The Name into an ordinary adjective erasing all sovereign authority.” (page 21 -22)
We might only think of God’s name being misused as a curse or in anger, yet Debra points out that it can be misused in positive times as well. She does clarify that, of course, God’s name can be exclaimed in respectful and appropriate ways in life. Yet the difference is usually apparent in whether the name is being used in worship/respect/thanks or in a common or light way that is not honoring to God.
The book focuses on the 3rd commandment found in Exodus 20:7. In one chapter, she looks at the verse in multiple (12) versions of the Bible. Each verse says the same things but with slightly different words, and it is really interesting how the various translations help bring out a different nuance of this command. Debra also does a good job explaining the word YHWH in the Hebrew.
While I thought the New Testament could have been given a bit more focus, Debra does bring in the New Testament as well, pointing out how the name of Jesus is one of power, truth, and authority. At least a couple times, the gospel or good news that we are saved by faith through Christ’s sacrifice for us on the cross is mentioned. It is not what we do, but what Jesus did for us. We can have full forgiveness for our sins, including misusing God’s name.
The end of each chapter has questions for group discussion or personal reflection. If you are a reader, you could easily read this book in a couple hours. In a society where the misuse of God’s name has become commonplace, even among some Christians, the message of this book needs to be heard. Thanks for your efforts Debra, and sharing your concern and passion for this topic. Book available from Lulu and Amazon.
**For anyone interested, here is a past post of mine on a related issue: It’s about Jesus…part 6. The honor of His Name.
I clicked through to this after I read your reply to Debra’s comment. I agree with her concerns, too. I’ve seen/heard “OMG” used by Christians too much to think this isn’t an issue. In my fiction, I try to keep my use of “rough” language to a minimum. (Some characters can’t have completely clean mouths because of their role in the plot. For example, the trafficking victim’s pimp uses some horrible words for women. I try my hardest to keep it to a minimum yet still maintain realistic characters.) But one thing I really, really try to do is not use God’s name in vain.
But in that same novel, I do have the victim say, “God” at one point. She’s running from a stalker, using God’s name as a curse, and then starts to realize that she’s hearing her own name echoed back to her and she realizes that it’s from God. That’s a huge turning point for her. The name she started cursing is becoming a prayer. Considering that she didn’t believe in God’s existence before that, it really freaks her out and causes her to explore faith further. I’ve pondered whether or not this is an appropriate way of handling the name of God, and I’m still uncertain. I don’t intend to slander God’s name, but I may be doing so inadvertently. Do you have any thoughts?
Hi Laura, I totally understand and agree that sometimes a little “rough language” (but not God’s name) must be used in order to be realistic. In a movie or book, bad language can be realistic or just gratuitous. The later is the problem.
Regarding your book and how the character says God – I really like how you use it! Yes, she is cursing but then you use it in a creative way to make her and your readers think.
My husband and I had a discussion the other day in regards to how to respond (if at all) when people curse using God’s name. Sometimes, I think, we can use humor, surprise or friendly sarcasm to get someone to think about how they are mis-using God’s name. Might be better than some type of holier than thou response.
Maybe Debra will see this and have some thoughts too.
I heard a story about Tim Tebow that might or might not be true: one of his fellow football players said “Jesus” in the locker room and Tim looked at him and said, “He loves you!” Even if it’s not a true story, that struck me as both unexpected and attention-catching (especially in a locker room for a football team). 🙂