Magpie (Pica hudsonia) ~ How We Use Our Voice

My choice for ‘Best Colorado Bird’ seems to change with every season.  For a long time i favoured the Peregrine Falcon for his speed and power.  Next i fell in love with the mountain hummingbirds; floating jewels of the pine forests.  As of now i fancy the Magpie.

Magpies are common.  There is nothing splendid about their colouration.  Yet i could watch them for hours.  The way they move is simply captivating… their walk echoes  the gait of an ancient therapod.  i love the expansion of feathers leaping out from wing and tail as they swoop in to land on a tree.  But what i love most of all is the way they talk.

Like all corvids (crows, ravens, jackdaws, bluejays), magpies speak different languages.  Alarm calls, assembly calls, scolding calls, distress calls, and many others are used in its repertoire.  Magpies also imitate other species in their vocalizations, and a youtube search will bring up all kinds of stories of Magpies who enjoy hanging around a human companion and learning words from her.  Yet the vocalization I find most intriguing is one I like to call ‘Intimate Familial Vocalizations’ or IFV.  This is spoken softly when Magpies are gathered for grooming or resting.  It’s barely audible, yet it is the most complex vocalization of all.  The interesting thing is, IFVs sound completely different within different familial groups.

When I tell people how much I love Magpies I get a common response: “Really?  They’re so annoying!”.  I agree and disagree.  Sometimes their vocalizations are annoying.  Other times they are exquisite.  It depends on which of the four languages the magpies are using to communicate.

I was thinking the other day about the languages we use in Christian apologetics.  We make different speech patterns in our presentations.  Some apologists will get up to the podium and scold you.  They use words like “Idiots!”, “Stupid!” and “Ridiculous!”  Sufficed to say, i find these birds annoying.  Still others make their defence with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3v15).  Their vocalizations are almost comforting, much like an IFV.  

In traditional scientific fashion, I formulated a table to help me understand the different uses of Christian apologetics:

	USE	EXTERNAL OUTCOME	INTERNAL OUTCOME
Tier 1	Evangelism	Benefit	Benefit
Tier 2	Exercise	--	Benefit
Tier 3	Entertainment	--	--
Tier 4	Exhibit	Detriment	Detriment

Tier 1: EVANGELISM

I would like to argue that the best use of Christian Apologetics is evangelism.  This has both an external (outside the body of Christ) and internal (within the body of Christ) benefit.  For example, last week our Ratio Christi team at Colorado School of Mines conducted an event with the purpose of evangelism.  The external outcome was very encouraging as others were brought closer to God.  Yet the internal outcome was also very encouraging because students were strengthened in their faith and more emboldened to defend the gospel with gentleness and respect.

Tier 2: EXERCISE

Christian Apologetics is also beneficial as a form of personal study.  By engaging our minds in the endeavor of seeking God, we may experience tremendous internal benefit.  Personal exercise in apologetics has the potential to strengthen our faith and strengthen the faith of others in the church.  However, it should be noted that personal study should not be the end-all be-all for apologetics.  Like a body of water with no run-off, personal studies in apologetics may become embittered without evangelism.  These efforts easily transition into Tier 3 if not directed toward Tier 1.

Tier 3: ENTERTAINMENT

Entertainment is perhaps the most common use of Christian apologetics in America.  While this function results in no benefit or detriment per se, it is easily argued to be a waste of time.  There is nothing wrong with engaging in ideas for the sake of interest, but without applying these ideas the action is useless.  Sadly, most Facebook feeds surrounding Christian apologetics are highly entertaining in content and lack the substance needed for evangelism.  Many threads contain playful (or sometimes flat-out rude!) banter between different ideas.  Mention of people accepting Jesus through the efforts of apologetics is absent.  Fireworks are celebrated more than the fire of the Holy Spirit.

Tier 4: EXHIBIT

This particular use for apologetics is one that i personally would like to see removed from the Tier system.  To my ears, it is the banging of a gong or a repetitive scolding-cry of an angry bird.  When an apologist only concerns himself with showing off his prowess, tremendous internal and external detriment ensues.  A parade of arrogance does not benefit the church because it celebrates a culture not belonging to the church; one of narcissism.  Additionally, when apologetics is used as an intelligence exhibition, those we are trying to reach with the gospel also suffer.  It’s hard to blame someone for not wanting to join an ideology that embraces a showcase of arrogance instead of soul transformation.

Matthew 12v36 says that we are accountable for every careless word we speak.  I find this very convicting.  As an apologist, i must make it my aim to stay in the top two Tiers and not dip into seeking entertainment.  Likewise, if ever i find myself attempting to impress people with my intellect or speaking skills, i have caused a detrimental outcome.

Sometimes i see a Magpie gliding overhead.  This has become a cue for me to check my heart and see where my intentions lie.  As Ravi Zacharias says, “What you win them with is what you win them to.”  Let’s win people with gentleness and respect, not by proving we are the most intelligent or entertaining person in the room.

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal." (1 Corinthians 13v1)