Cussing won't send you to hell...

Here in Cleveland, Ohio we have experienced the reverse of the curse. The long drought without a major sports world championship is over! The Cavs won the NBA championship on Sunday night, June 19, 2016 – the first world championship for any major sport in Cleveland since the 1964 Browns. On that next Wednesday, we had our parade which drew 1.3 million people. And Northeast Ohio's hero, LeBron James, gave a memorable thank you speech as part of the parade program.

Personally, I think he hit all the right notes. He said the right things about the fans, the organization, the coaches, and the players. It was another superb performance by our megastar except for...

... his cussing.

I heard snippets of his speech online at work. But I missed a few things of note.

When I came home from work, I heard from family members, who listened to and watched the entire speech, that James used the A word, the S word, and the F word.

Over 35 years ago I worked for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Jacksonville, Florida. We once brought in a speaker, John Bramlett, who was an old time linebacker with the Denver Broncos. Bramlett would often use a line in his talks that was a sure attention–getter. "Smoking won't send you to hell; it just makes you smell like you've been there, that's all."

The good-natured speech of James today at the championship parade in Cleveland makes me want to tweak that one liner. "Cussing won't send you to hell; it just makes it seem like you were raised there, that's all."

As a former minor-league baseball player who heard lots of cussing (and, yes, at times used some salty language myself), I am not particularly surprised by the language of any professional athlete. After all, my first manager in minor-league baseball was named Harry F. Warner. He was a good guy. He coached us thoroughly without showing us up. I learned a lot of baseball from him. But the F in the middle of his name was not for Frank. It was the first letter of a four letter word that he used about every fifth word no matter what the topic. And that's no exaggeration. He just couldn't talk without dropping the F bomb in just about every sentence even when he was not angry or trying to make an emphatic point. It was a habit. So, I am personally not shocked or offended by cussing and profanity.

As a pastor, I would love to know more about the faith of LeBron James. He does talk about "The Man Upstairs" - saying that He won't give us more than we can bear. (I disagree. I think God often gives us more than we can bear so that we have to rely on Him. He, then, bears the load for us so we will draw closer to Him, find in Him a strength that we don't have in ourselves, and give Him praise and glory as a result.) Earlier this season when he was asked whether or not the return of certain players would make the Cavs better and fix the team's problems, James said that there was only one Person who when He returns will fix everything; and that's Jesus Christ. (For what it's worth, I give my hearty "amen" to that statement!)

So, it does appear that LeBron James has some pro-Christian/biblical viewpoints. That is even more reason for our hero, LeBron, to be careful with his words.

I'm hoping that someone close to LeBron – maybe his wife – will remind him that hundreds of thousands of children in his beloved Northeast Ohio heard his unwise choice of words. Some mothers and fathers may be having to explain to their children what those words mean and why they aren't allowed to use them in spite of the fact that their athletic hero obviously does.

As far as I can tell, we have never really heard LeBron use language this way in the past. Sure, there have been some language slip ups. But not to this extent.

I'm not sure what happened. Perhaps he was just relaxed on the stage with his band of brothers and reverted to locker room slang. If that's the case, it's understandable. But it's not acceptable.

See, not only did James' unwise choice of words hurt the ears of hundreds of thousands of children, but they hurt the ears of James' "Man Upstairs." Now, the Lord is used to hearing bad words. Think of how much cussing has happened since the dawn of time. God hears it all. But that doesn't mean that He likes cussing. In fact, He says, "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear" (Ephesians 4:29).

Don't get me wrong. I'm a big LeBron James fan. Even after the celebratory speech. I'm thrilled that he brought a championship to Cleveland. I will revel in it and celebrate it. I want a T shirt! I don't expect LeBron to live totally "cuss free" (although that would be a lofty, God-honoring goal).

What I am hoping for from LeBron is an apology to the moms and dads and kids who are confused and concerned about the cussing that took place today – which was, by the way, unnecessary. They were stains on an otherwise almost flawless tribute to our city and to his teammates.

I am hoping that his unwise choice of words will be a thing of the past. I'm hoping that someone will point out to him that cussing won't send you to hell; it just makes it sound like you were raised there!

I believe in the grace and forgiveness of God through Christ Jesus for everyone and for everything. (God knows I need it for my own unloving words as well as for my inappropriate ones!) So, I'm not throwing stones here at LeBron. As we all know, there are sins that damage others much, much more than a few bad words. LeBron appears to be a very devoted dad and friend. He has overcome being raised in an urban environment that has derailed many lives. LeBron is a powerful example and role model in many, many areas of his life. I'm thankful for him! I'm just hoping that in this tiny area of his life, LeBron James will reach out to receive the grace of God and then live a life in a manner worthy of that grace. 

Celebrate sweetly, Northeast Ohio. The long, long, long championship drought has ended. And thank God for giving an incredible, indescribable amount of talent to a young man from Akron who made it possible. And while you're praying, ask the Lord to to help our star to use words that are worthy of the gifts the Lord has given him.