August 9, 2026
James 1:19
A Tendency Of Our Times?
The aim of this article is my personal attempt to help address the human tendency we have of being quick to speak and slow to listen. Maybe, like me, you can relate with having this tendency yourself. Perhaps you have noticed it in wider culture. You can usually spot it wherever people are speaking many words at one another, but there is little to no hearing of one another. Sound familiar?
In the Bible, James 1 summarizes this speech problem as a moral error that leads us away from the love of God and our neighbor. In that passage of Scripture, James teaches us that listening first to God, then to one another, is absolutely crucial if we would love God and our neighbor in truth. (Consider: it does not say to stop speaking, but to speak second to hearing, and to be slow to speak). The Proverbs warn us, “Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.” (Proverbs 29:20)
A Current List Of What I Am Listening To Before Speaking:
So, in the spirit of trying to tackle this tendency in my own life, here is a current list of things I am listening to (or reading) for better addressing my speaking. My hope is that by listening first, when I open my mouth to speak, it will both bless God and my neighbor. I plan to periodically update this list month-by-month. Perhaps, you may find it helpful to listen along with me, too!
- Matthew 22:15-22 — Jesus’ command to “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
- “The Rise of Religious Anti-Liberalism” — Sola Media. May 20, 2026. “Political philosopher Kevin Vallier joins Michael Horton to assess the case for and against Catholic integralism, Christian nationalism, and the postliberal challenge to a classical liberal political order.”
- The Desecration of Man: How the Rejection of God Degrades our Humanity, by Carl Trueman. Sentinel, April 7, 2026. A contemporary critical evaluation of the difference between the Image of God in Man desecrated or consecrated.
- Religious Liberty: A Conservative Primer, John D.Wilsey. Eerdmans. April 24, 2025. A great guide on civil government’s role for establishing the “common good” of law and liberty, and of religion’s role of explaining the “highest good” of knowing God as Creator and Savior.
- “Our Freedom Still Needs Defending”, Paul Wolfowitz. The Wall Street Journal. July 2, 2026. “Social media and AI harm the body politic in ways Tocqueville and Lincoln couldn’t possibly foresee.”
God bless.