by Drew Godwin
This is part two of a blog series. Part 1 is here.
In part 1 of this series, we explored examples where satire was used to good effect by people who spoke for God in the Bible. It is obvious to us what Elijah, Paul and even Jesus were doing – right? They wanted to make all of their opponents look totally stupid. They wanted to smash all of their arguments and prove that they were right!
No.
As one of the oldest literary genres, satire seeks to uncover cultural, political or religious inconsistencies, encourage moral improvement, and ridicule error – and so, because of that, we need to take care. Some, like myself, are drawn to clever, biting criticisms – we feel the need to bash, rend, and maim the arguments of the opposition, sometimes with ruthless mockery, and we fail to realize when we have gone too far. I don’t want that for us – I don’t want that for you – so as we seek to shed light on this question be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and your own conscience. I think when we try to answer this question we need to take three things into account.
1. Who is my audience?
2. What am I targeting?
3. Where is my heart?
1 – Who is My Audience?
As we can see from the biblical examples in part 1, the audience was usually people who opposed the truth from a fortified or rooted viewpoint. None of the examples given, and I would venture to say that no example could be found in the whole Bible, of satire being used on those who were hurting, those who had made one-time mistakes or those who were genuinely wrestling with the truth. The audiences seem to be solely comprised of the religious elite, the powerful, and those hostile to the truth.
2 – What Am I Targeting?
Another interesting conclusion that can be drawn from the biblical examples is not just who is targeted, but what is targeted. In all the examples, the opponent themselves is not necessarily targeted, it is their argument or the source of their fallacy that is attacked. Elijah mocks Baal, not the prophets; Paul stabs at the view of the apostles, not the Corinthians, and Jesus slams the focus of the Pharisees, not necessarily the Pharisees themselves. The opponents in all three scenarios are made to look foolish, confused, and fake, not because of who they are, but because of the views they hold.
3 – Where is My Heart?
The last conclusion that can be extracted from the biblical interactions is the intentions of the protagonist. Elijah intended that Israel follow the true God, Paul intended for the Corinthians to not be prideful, and Jesus intended for the people to see the emptiness of the Pharisees ways. In all three examples, winning the argument for the sake of winning, making the opposition look foolish or bolstering one’s position – these were NEVER the intentions behind the use of satire. Satire was always employed to point to the consistency of the truth against the inconsistency of falsehood.
Will It Glorify God?
The goal of apologetics is to bring glory to God. Not everyone will agree that satire can be used for that purpose – and that’s fine. What we must realize is that satire is powerful, and risky – it can be used to great effect and misused to great harm. The line is thin, and we tread on uneasy ground. This is as much a discussion about Christian liberties as it is about what tactics to use in apologetics.
Do I think satire can be used in apologetics? Yes.
Do I think it is a main tactic that should be employed by everyone at any time? No.
In our apologetic efforts, we need to make sure that we understand why we are even engaging the person in front of us in the first place. If it is to prove something, or settle a score, or show that we’re good at arguing, we’ve already lost. We need to mindful of who our audience is, never mocking those who are downtrodden or struggling with sin. We need to remember what are target really is – satire should never be used to tear down a person, only a position. Being aware of where our heart is at the time we begin the discussion will make all the difference.
Key Takeaways
1. Satire is biblical.
2. Satire can be effective at getting people’s attention.
3. Satire can bring clarity to inconsistencies in a person’s worldview.
4. Satire can expose people’s hearts.
5. Satire should NEVER be used against hurting/struggling people.
6. Satire should ALWAYS focus on the argument, NEVER the person.
RESPOND 