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The Gravity of Humor
Tue, 2010-09-07 16:07 — moderator
Starting today, we here at ClearNote Blog will be posting some conversation-stirring quotes (at least we hope they're conversation-stirring). Look for them every Tues, Thurs, and Saturday. Each week's set of quotes will be connected by a general theme. This week's theme is humor, levity, and amusement. Let's begin with an excellent quote from C.H. Spurgeon:
“True earnestness may be greatly lessened by levity in conversation, and especially by jesting with brother ministers, in whose company we often take greater liberties than we would like to in the society of other Christians. There are excellent reasons for our feeling at home with our brethren, but if this freedom be carried too far we shall soon feel that we have suffered damage through vanity of speech. Cheerfulness is one thing, and frivolity is another; he is a wise man who by a serious happiness of conversation steers between the dark rocks of moroseness, and the quicksands of levity.” (Lectures to My Students, p. 151)
Below are some questions to get things going in the comments section. We realize the questions read like something your high school English teacher might have assigned you, but please take them in the spirit in which we offer them - as conversation-starters. So . . .
Do you agree with Spurgeon? Or is he taking frivolity too seriously?
How are we guilty of lessening earnestness by levity and jesting in conversation?
How does “serious happiness of conversation” help us steer clear of a gloomy disposition or frivolous disposition?
Note: As always, please use a variation of your real name when posting (e.g. John, JDoe, John Doe) and a working e-mail.
Comments
Can you ever take frivolity
Can you ever take frivolity too seriously? Frivolity is to humor as cotton candy is to food -- it looks big, but there's no substance to it and eventually it will rot the teeth right out of your head. I have been guilty in the past of lessening the impact of what I or others were trying to say by being too light with it; one of my sins is going for the cheap laugh even when it's not necessarily appropriate. That is not to say (and I believe that Spurgeon would agree) that humor does not have its place; it just needs to be tempered by wisdom.
As far as steering that middle ground between the slough of despair and the clouds of levity, our joy should always be found in the Lord. Just one look at the Psalms will show that joy is a very real and important aspect of the life of God's people. On the other hand, we should never seek our joy at the expense of others, especially in jesting, which is just one of many ways that we pervert the very good gifts that God has given us.
The inclination of my heart
The inclination of my heart at times leads me to want to protest Spurgeon's point, but I can only (at least with any degree of honesty) conclude that any appearance of error on his part--that is, taking frivolity too seriously--is merely the result of my own tendency to err toward the opposite extreme.
Of course, the real battles concerning this issue must be fought in, well, real life. It's much easier to embrace an argument about a hypothetical situation than it is to be disciplined. It's often difficult to draw the line, so to speak, and there will be plenty of disagreements among brothers in this respect.
However, when my feelings on the issue are more about preserving my personal "freedom" than anything else, there may be a problem--namely, my unwillingness to submit to God's law. That's not because God spells out specific instructions about humor in the red letters, but because my desire for "freedom" supersedes my desire to submit to God in righteousness.
kpjackson's thoughts are
kpjackson's thoughts are similar to mine. Going for the cheap laugh whether to draw attention to myself (which, for some odd reason, I insist I never want) or to "balance" the off-kilter vibe of the speaker (too harsh, too foolish, too immature--all these need my even-handed treatment via humor), it all is so disgusting now that you bring it up.
And I'm with Ryan on the joy part. Joy needs nothing extra to be what it is.
Humor can be so many things.
Humor can be so many things. One man will use a joke to distract everybody from something good and serious. Another man will use a joke to make a good and serious point.
Many of my heroes are the men who took God and his commandments so seriously, that they couldn't help giggling at their own petty foolishness, and the foolishness of their friends and neighbors. G. K Chesterton is a good example of that.
I suppose Spurgeon is condemning the sort of levity that distracts us from a serious pursuit of God. Believe me, that's something I need to take to heart. But I never want to become the sort of curmudgeon that forgets that there's a kind of levity (if I can use that word) that brings us closer to God.
"It is not funny that
"It is not funny that anything else should fall down; only that a man should fall down. Why do we laugh? Because it is a gravely religious matter: it is the Fall of Man. Only man can be absurd: for only man can be dignified." -GKC
There is a lot to be said for
There is a lot to be said for pastors having the ability to enjoy gathering together and having a good laugh. In myself, the danger is that laughter can give opportunity for the flesh to harbor contempt. When jesting there is a danger of letting a lose tongue bring forth evil speech. There are many ungodly thoughts and feelings I discipline when they cross my mind that I am tempted to "let fly" when joking with others. The excess of jesting gives opportunity for cynicism and contempt to rear their ugly heads.
We need to be cautious to watch to make sure that our jesting does not become a moment of laziness in disciplining sinful thoughts. As brothers we should always sharpen one another and, by God's grace, may it never be that we aid one another in the deceitfulness of sin.
Laughter has been at the
Laughter has been at the heart of some of my favorite times. I can also say that my sense of humor in the past has caused much trouble and tension in friendships and with new friends (or enemies). I have become a lot more serious, and have grown a lot more mature when it comes to joking around. Not to say I don't still get hilarious jokes in my head from time to time when someone is pouring out their heart of pain, but the difference is holding my tongue vs. spouting out the humor. There are times to joke and laugh, and times where it would be sinful to do so. For example, in the past I would many times laugh very freely at the unfortunate (a really fat man having trouble getting up the stairs to McDonalds). See, it's kind of funny! I still love to laugh and have a good time, but I'm more conscious of those around me and their senses of humor.
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