I was not going to write about Imus, but some times a person just can not help themselves. For over a week now I have been barraged with news stories on Imus. Who is or who was Imus? He was a shock jock on the radio with CBS. Only he was not just on the radio for MSNBC televised his radio program. The day after Rutgers lost to Tennessee for the women’s NCAA championship, Imus made some very rude remarks about the women on the Rutgers team. Most of the ladies on the team are black and Imus used a slug to refer to them and their moral conduct.

Almost immediately people called for his resignation. MSNBC suspended Imus from his television for two weeks. When many of his sponsors backed out, he was fired from the television program. CBS then followed suit and canceled their radio program with him.

The Bible points out that what one says comes from their heart. "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man" (Matthew 15.18). Surprisingly I heard Al Sharpton on his radio program call for the firing of Imus, but proceeded to say that he was not judging the type of person Imus is. Pardon me, but I thought that was what this was all about.

The Bible also points out we had better watch out mouth. "For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison" (James 3.7-8). The more a person talks the more opportunity they have to say something they should not.

The Bible also condemns hypocrisy. Jesus criticized the scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy many times. They said one thing and did another. Many of those who were so upset with Imus and his description of these young ladies listen to music that uses the same language. The terms he used can be heard in movies, heard on television, and read in books. It is pure hypocrisy to criticize one and glamorize the other.

There lies the lesson. D.T.