civility

It’s Natl Win with Civility Month

August 1, 2011 by Art of Eloquence

August is National Win with Civility Month! With all the horrible things you hear people say to each other these days, isn’t this a wonderful thought? How can we celebrate this month? What can we do to further civility in America and around the world?

Let’s not compromise our beliefs or leave unsaid the things that should be said, but let’s find ways to promote civility this month. Not like these guys to my left here! lol

I posted about this on my Facebook wall last year asking folks to repost it on their FB wall in support of civility and was disappointed it didn’t get as much participation. This year, I’d love to get more support for civility and let’s make it fun. How can Art of Eloquence do this? If you have an idea for us, please post a comment here! We’ll discuss the ideas and implement the one(s) that we feel will work for us best.

So let’s hear from you! How can Art of Eloquence celebrate civility this year?

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Christian Pro Marriage Speech Shut Down by Profane Professor

February 17, 2009 by Art of Eloquence

This was in my inbox the other day:

In a public speaking class, student, Jonathan Lopez shared his beliefs on faith and marriage which was within the parameters of the assignment. After reading the definition of marriage from the dictionary, Professor John Matteson of Los Angeles Community College called him a ‘fascist [expletive]’ and told the class that anyone who was offended could leave the classroom. When nobody left, Professor Matteson dismissed the class so as not to allow the Christian student to continue his speech.

“You just cannot shut down student speech like that,” states French, who explains that Lopez was well within the confines of his professor’s assignment, and that the professor’s actions not only constitute viewpoint discrimination but also comprise “retaliation” because he disagreed with Lopez’s religious beliefs.

When Mr. Lopez complained of censorship, he was threatened with expulsion by the professor. Professor Matteson eventually refused to grade his speech writing on the evaluation form:

“Ask God what your grade is.”

Jonathon Lopez has filed a law suit against his professor for violating his right to free speech.

A few days ago, I shared about the Lost Art of Civility and that was at issue here, but what is our Christian answer to this lost art?

Christian: we need to prepare our children and ourselves to be effective in standing up in grace for our rights to free speech. I don’t know the full situation, but perhaps he could have said something at the time that would have persuaded the professor to allow him to continue. Perhaps he could have discussed the matter effectively with the professor afterward. I would suspect that a young man in his first speech class was woefully unprepared to handle such an encounter as many Christian students are.

This is exactly why I prepared my daughter before she went to college. I know how those in academia can be because I have read stories like this for the past several years. Situations like this one are why statistics show that up to 80% of Christian students who enter college come out 1-4 years later saying they are no longer born again. And this is also why I teach the Christian community effective communication.

If you are looking for a creative and fun way to begin this training with your family, please check out Art of Eloquence studies.

From JoJo’s Purple Crayon
Learning Speech Communication Skills
can ALSO be fun with Art of Eloquence!

The Lost Art of Civility: The Civility Project

February 14, 2009 by Art of Eloquence

FINALLY! Somebody gets it! In this fascinating article by the Jerry Falwell Ministries, Jonathan Falwell points out a growing concern I have had about our society for many years.

“In 2007 on the Fox News Channel, Bill O’Reilly and Geraldo Rivera went head-to-head in a debate over the deaths of two Virginia Beach girls, the result of them being hit by a drunk driver who was an illegal alien. The confrontation between the two men is now legendary as they heatedly shouted down each other with fingers aimed in faces.

This example, I believe, is indicative of a growing problem in our nation. We have grown so divided and so suspicious of those who are on “the other side,” that we have largely lost focus of the issues, centering more on inconsiderate taunts or the belittling of our adversaries. Terms such as “left-wing whacko” or “right-wing fascist” have become commonplace, and they ultimately get us nowhere in terms of achieving real social/political resolutions.

This is not the way people should be behaving in a civil society.”

In fact, I had blogged about a few other Bill O’Reilly interviews where he had approached the other party in an abrasive and disrespectful way. One of those interviews was with Barney Frank. As sometimes happens with interviewers, Mr. O’Reilly spent a monologue asking him a question and then never let him answer. Though I don’t agree with Barney Frank, I did sympathize with him in this instance. Mr. Frank did it right. He was, for the most part, respectful and gracious. This makes you look good and the other party appear to be the aggressor who is out for blood.

One man is taking a stand and organizing a response: The Civility Project.

“The Civility Project is not a call for people to surrender their personal beliefs or convictions, nor is it a call to limit free speech. It is simply an appeal to reason and respectful behavior among conservatives, liberals, moderates and all those in between as we debate and deliberate on the issues that face our nation.

If you are tired of the hostile and often petty social/political environment in which we find ourselves today, I encourage you to join me in taking the Civility Pledge by visiting this website: http://www.civilityproject.org.”

Though I have read the Bible cover to cover many times, and I have seen hundreds of scriptures where the Lord tells us how to communicate with one another, I have never seen anywhere where He tells us to shout others down the way society believes it is entitled to do these days.

“Let your conversation always be full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Colossians 4:6

Shouting your adversary down does not change his mind or anyone else’s who might be watching. It’s akin to what I call “Screaming in a Deaf Man’s Ear”. He has no idea what you are talking about, but he knows one thing for sure: you are making him angry!

It takes much more skill to be an effective communicator these days. That’s because we have allowed ourselves to lose sight of what the Lord tells us HUNDREDS of times in His Word. How we speak to each other is of vital importance, even over the words we use! The lost art of civility is only one in a long line of lost communication skills over the years.
Communication is the key to understanding each other and without that, we are reduced to a bunch of Screaming Mimi’s who affect no change but make valiant efforts at Screaming in a Deaf Man’s Ear!

Will you join me in bringing civility back to the world? Will you learn the communication skills necessary to share your thoughts effectively? If you don’t know where to begin, Art of Eloquence can help!

From JoJo’s Purple Crayon
Learning Speech Communication Skills
can ALSO be fun with Art of Eloquence!

It’s Natl Win with Civility Month

Christian Pro Marriage Speech Shut Down by Profane Professor

The Lost Art of Civility: The Civility Project

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