From entertainment and music to politics, classrooms, and even church settings, the language of society reflects a deeper moral decline. Profanity has become fashionable. Insults are applauded. Coarse joking is excused. Vulgarity is no longer the exception; it is the norm.
By Evangelist Peter Gee
Editor-in-Chief, Christianity News Daily
12/17/2025
Introduction: A Generation Revealed by Its Speech
Words reveal the condition of the heart. Scripture is unmistakably clear on this truth, yet modern society has largely rejected it. In today’s culture, vulgar language, casual profanity, and crude expressions have become normalized. What was once considered shameful, improper, and morally offensive is now celebrated, broadcast, and defended as personal freedom or cultural expression.
This shift is not accidental. It is spiritual.
From entertainment and music to politics, classrooms, and even church settings, the language of society reflects a deeper moral decline. Profanity has become fashionable. Insults are applauded. Coarse joking is excused. Vulgarity is no longer the exception; it is the norm.
For believers, this cultural transformation presents a serious test of biblical discernment. The Christian faith does not merely govern belief; it governs conduct, speech, and character. The Bible consistently links speech and morality, teaching that the tongue is both a revealer of the soul and a tool that can either glorify God or corrupt the hearer.
This article examines the Christian perspective on culture, showing how vulgar speech is not a harmless trend but a symptom of modern society’s moral decline, and why followers of Jesus Christ must resist the language and spirit of the age.
The Bible on Speech: A Spiritual Diagnostic Tool
Scripture repeatedly emphasizes that words are not neutral. They are moral indicators.
Jesus Christ stated plainly:
“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34, NKJV).
In this declaration, Jesus tied speech directly to spiritual condition. The mouth does not merely utter words; it exposes the heart. A corrupt mouth signals a corrupt inner life. A disciplined tongue reflects a transformed soul.
The book of Proverbs reinforces this principle:
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Proverbs 18:21, NKJV).
Words shape lives, destroy reputations, incite violence, and normalize sin. They also heal, edify, bless, and glorify God. Scripture allows no middle ground.
The apostle James offered one of the strongest warnings in the New Testament regarding speech:
“The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity… and it is set on fire by hell” (James 3:6, NKJV).
James was not describing pagan society. He was addressing believers, warning that careless speech is incompatible with authentic faith.
Jesus Christ as the Perfect Example of Holy Speech
In a culture saturated with vulgarity, Christians must look to Jesus Christ as the standard, not celebrities, entertainers, or influencers.
The Gospels record thousands of words spoken by Jesus—words of rebuke, authority, compassion, correction, and judgment. Not once do the Scriptures record Jesus using vulgar, profane, or corrupt language.
When insulted, Jesus did not retaliate with crude speech:
“Who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten” (1 Peter 2:23, NKJV).
When confronting sin, Jesus spoke truthfully but righteously. His words carried authority without profanity. He rebuked hypocrisy without vulgarity. He condemned sin without adopting the language of sinners.
Even under extreme duress—beatings, mockery, and crucifixion—Jesus’ words remained pure:
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34, NKJV).
This is the speech of holiness. This is the example Christians are commanded to follow.
The Apostolic Pattern: Speech That Reflects New Life
The apostles, who lived in a morally corrupt Roman world, faced cultures far more brutal than modern Western society. Yet their writings consistently call believers to elevated speech.
The apostle Paul wrote:
“Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29, NKJV).
Paul did not allow exceptions for cultural trends, emotional expression, or personal freedom. Speech that does not edify is labeled corrupt.
He further warned:
“But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth” (Colossians 3:8, NKJV).
Filthy language is not a personality trait; it is a behavior believers are commanded to abandon.
James echoed the same conviction:
“Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so” (James 3:10, NKJV).
The early church understood that speech was a visible mark of inward transformation.
Hollywood Culture and the Normalization of Vulgarity
The modern society moral decline in speech did not arise in isolation. It has been cultivated.
Hollywood, mainstream media, and digital entertainment industries have aggressively normalized profanity, obscenity, and verbal violence. Language once restricted to fringe spaces is now broadcast globally, often celebrated as authenticity or realism.
Children encounter vulgar speech before they understand its meaning. Teenagers adopt profanity as social currency. Adults excuse it as stress relief or humor. Even Christians increasingly mirror the language of entertainers, comedians, and musicians.
Scripture warned of this imitation long ago:
“Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits’” (1 Corinthians 15:33, NKJV).
Language spreads through exposure. What believers watch, listen to, and laugh at inevitably shapes how they speak.
The apostle Paul instructed:
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2, NKJV).
Vulgar speech is a form of conformity. It signals assimilation into the spirit of the age rather than transformation by the Word of God.
Vulgarity as a Symptom of Moral Decay
The Bible teaches that societal corruption follows spiritual rebellion.
Paul described the downward spiral of godless cultures in Romans 1:
“Although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God… but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Romans 1:21, NKJV).
As reverence for God diminishes, restraint disappears. Speech becomes crude because the fear of the Lord is absent.
The prophet Isaiah issued a sobering warning:
“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20, NKJV).
When vulgar language is celebrated rather than condemned, society has reversed its moral compass.
Jesus warned that the last days would mirror this decay:
“But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:37, NKJV).
Genesis records that Noah’s generation was marked by violence, corruption, and moral lawlessness—conditions that always manifest first in how people speak.
The Christian Responsibility in a Corrupt Culture
Believers are not called to withdraw from society but to stand distinct within it.
Jesus prayed:
“I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one” (John 17:15, NKJV).
The Christian response to vulgar culture is not self-righteous silence but holy contrast.
Peter instructed:
“As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts… but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct” (1 Peter 1:14–15, NKJV).
Speech is conduct. Words matter.
Jesus warned believers about accountability:
“For every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36, NKJV).
This statement alone dismantles the idea that vulgar speech is harmless.
Renewing the Mouth Through Renewing the Mind
Transformation begins internally.
David prayed:
“Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips” (Psalm 141:3, NKJV).
Believers must actively discipline their speech, not excuse it.
Paul instructed:
“Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt” (Colossians 4:6, NKJV).
Grace-filled speech reflects a heart governed by Christ.
Jesus summarized the call plainly:
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24, NKJV).
Denying self includes denying the impulse to speak like the world.
Conclusion: A Call to Discernment and Holiness
The rise of vulgarity in modern society is not merely a cultural trend; it is a spiritual indicator. Speech and morality are inseparably linked, and the erosion of one signals the collapse of the other.
For Christians, biblical discernment demands clarity. The language of Hollywood, social media, and popular culture must not shape the speech of those who follow Jesus Christ. The Savior never cursed. The apostles never modeled vulgarity. Scripture never condones corrupt speech.
In an age of moral confusion, the purity of Christian speech stands as a quiet but powerful witness.
“You are the light of the world… Let your light so shine before men” (Matthew 5:14–16, NKJV).
In a darkened culture, even words can shine.
