Sticks and Stones

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how people talk—and how fiercely they defend the way they talk. I keep circling back to the same conclusion: it’s not the word. It’s the people using the word.

Most words don’t start as insults. They begin descriptive, practical, even clinical. Over time, though, words collect tone, context, and power. They carry history. Eventually the meaning shifts—not because dictionaries change, but because people use the words in ways that hurt.

Take retarded, for example. It began as a medical descriptor. But over the years, mockery and cruelty wrapped themselves around it. Now, if someone tells me that word hurts them—or hurts someone they love—the only reasonable response comes without argument: stop. Continuing after that point doesn’t show ignorance; it shows a choice.

Then there’s African American. Some people debate endlessly about when to use it versus Black. Which honors heritage better? Which respects identity more? None of that matters if the person in front of you tells you their preference. Their experience dictates the choice, not your opinion.

Other words carry histories we often overlook. Oriental once simply meant “from Asia,” but decades of stereotyping and exoticization turned it into a loaded insult. And words like gyp or gypped, which many use casually, carry anti-Romani prejudice baked into everyday speech. These aren’t abstract examples—they exist in daily life, often hiding in plain sight.

I don’t consider myself the most empathetic person. Sometimes I don’t understand why something stings the way it does. But I’ve learned that understanding isn’t required to change behavior. Respect doesn’t demand comprehension; it demands effort.

If someone tells me a word hurts them, I stop. No debate. No explanation of what I meant. No insistence on how the word used to be used. If I step on someone’s foot, I don’t argue intent—I move.

People love to say, “I didn’t mean it like that,” and sometimes that’s true. Intent matters, but impact exists independently. Harm doesn’t vanish just because it arrives uninvited. Both realities coexist, whether we like it or not.

Then comes the familiar defense: “It’s just a word.” But words rarely exist in a vacuum. Money counts as “just paper,” yet we fight over it. Flags rank as “just fabric,” yet people cry, rage, and die over them. Words shape reality. They carry weight because humans give them weight.

Language changes constantly. That doesn’t mean the world became fragile. It means people started speaking up. For years, silence carried the burden of harm. Now honesty does—and honesty tends to make people uncomfortable.

Even terms meant to honor identity shift over time. “Colored” once passed as acceptable, then “Negro,” then “Black,” then “African American,” and now often “Black” again, depending on the speaker and the listener. None of these shifts happened for the sake of rules. They happened because people said, “This no longer feels right. Please stop.”

Here’s the thing that frustrates some people most: you don’t have to understand why a word hurts to stop using it. You don’t need a dissertation. You don’t need a personal connection. You just need to believe people when they tell you their experience.

At some point, continuing to use a word after knowing it causes harm stops being about free speech, intent, or semantics. It becomes about refusing to adjust when adjustment costs nothing.

Choosing a different word doesn’t erase intelligence. It doesn’t weaken principles. It doesn’t hand over control. It simply acknowledges that language lives, breathes, and changes—just like people do.

This isn’t about perfection. It’s about decisions. Once you know better, what you do next matters.

It’s not the word.

It’s what people choose to do when they know the word hurts.

Caring for the Least of These: Faith, Compassion, and the Law

Scrolling through social media, you might see a reel about welcoming migrants and a comment claiming, “The Bible says obey the law, so helping people who enter the country illegally is wrong. You should be ashamed.” Such a response misses both Scripture and reality.

In the hills outside Jerusalem, Jesus spoke to crowds worried about survival, not policy. In Matthew 25:31–46, He described the final judgment, separating people like sheep and goats based on their treatment of “the least of these.” Feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming strangers, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned—Jesus tied every act of mercy to Himself. Scholars note that in His time, welcoming strangers often meant offering refuge to people fleeing violence or oppression, risking social disapproval or resources. Hospitality represented life or death, and the failure to care constituted moral failure.

Even His own birth carried a refugee story. Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem with no room at the inn. Their flight to Egypt followed Herod’s threat. Jesus identified from the start with the displaced, the vulnerable, and the hunted.

Critics often assume helping migrants conflicts with the law. However, U.S. statutes and international agreements protect vulnerable people. The Refugee Act of 1980 created legal pathways for asylum seekers. The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) allows individuals to request asylum, even without passing through an official port of entry. U.S. law also prohibits returning people to countries where authorities would threaten their lives or freedoms. Internationally, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 1951 Refugee Convention, and the Convention on Migrant Workers establish protections for migrants’ dignity, safety, and family unity. Showing hospitality to vulnerable migrants aligns with these legal frameworks.

Stories bring these principles to life. A Texas church once hosted a family fleeing violence in Central America. Church members provided food, clothing, and guidance, helping the family navigate asylum procedures. Later, when authorities granted them legal protection, the pastor realized: their compassion had operated fully within the law. History echoes the same truth. During the Holocaust, European churches hid Jews, protecting lives even under harsh legal restrictions, demonstrating that moral law and human decency sometimes operate in tandem with—or even beyond—civil law.

This brings up an important reality: legality does not always reflect morality. Laws have historically permitted grave injustice. Slavery remained legal in the United States for centuries while violating human dignity and God’s command to love one another. Segregation enforced racial oppression under the law. The Holocaust executed genocide under a legal framework, showing how laws can sanction evil. Other examples include apartheid in South Africa, the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, and forced labor in the early 20th century. In each case, people suffered under legal systems that contradicted the moral imperative to protect the vulnerable.

Romans 13 instructs respect for governing authorities, while Matthew 25 calls for mercy and care. When laws protect migrants, compassion aligns with both Scripture and civil obedience. Even when laws fall short, God’s call to care for the vulnerable does not waver. Feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, and advocating for the oppressed fulfill both divine and moral law.

Every act of mercy toward someone in need, every warm meal or safe shelter, reflects God’s concern for the vulnerable. Obeying the law and caring for the least of these does not conflict; it flows naturally from a heart shaped by Scripture and informed by justice. From ancient Israel to modern refugee crises, hospitality remains a sacred duty. Ignoring the vulnerable carries consequences. Welcoming them opens doors not just to temporary safety, but to the living presence of God.

Scripture References: 

• Matthew 25:31–46
• Romans 13:1–7
• Hebrews 13:2
• Exodus 22:21
• Leviticus 19:34

Legal References:

• Refugee Act of 1980 (U.S.)
• Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)
• 1951 Refugee Convention & 1967 Protocol
• Universal Declaration of Human Rights
• Convention on Migrant Workers

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Modernizing Foster Care: Promise, Pitfalls, and the Path Forward

The White House has issued a new executive order aimed at improving the nation’s foster care system and providing greater support to young people who age out of it. The order focuses on modernizing child welfare practices, creating more opportunities for foster youth, and expanding partnerships with private and faith-based organizations.

Under the order, states are encouraged to update their technology and data systems to better track children in foster care, match them with appropriate families, and measure outcomes. For a child who moves between multiple foster homes, improved data collection could mean caseworkers always have accurate information about their school, health, and personal needs, reducing delays and mistakes that can make an already difficult situation even harder.

The order also establishes an initiative called “Fostering the Future,” designed to help young adults who have been in foster care access scholarships, job training, housing, healthcare, and mentoring services. A 20-year-old who has just aged out of the system could use this platform to find a short-term vocational program, apply for financial aid, and connect with a mentor in their city—all in one place. The aim is to give youth the tools to become self-sufficient and successful as they transition to adulthood.

Another key element encourages partnerships with faith-based organizations. Supporters argue that allowing these organizations to participate in foster care programs could increase the number of families available to children in need, particularly in communities where foster homes are scarce. Critics, however, warn that religious exemptions could allow some families to refuse placements based on religion, gender identity, or family background, potentially limiting options for children who need homes the most.

While the order has the potential to make foster care more efficient, supportive, and responsive to the needs of youth, its success will depend on careful implementation. Overreliance on predictive analytics and artificial intelligence carries the risk of bias or privacy concerns, and much of the plan requires cooperation from state governments and adequate funding. For children and families already navigating the challenges of foster care, this order could bring welcome improvements—but it also raises questions about equity, inclusivity, and how federal initiatives intersect with state policies.

Why Policies Built on Vague “Ideology” Language Are Dangerous for Everyone

Policies that rely on terms like “race ideology” and “gender ideology” may seem straightforward at first glance, but their danger lies in how vague and politically loaded those terms really are. When a policy is built on unclear definitions rather than clear academic or legal concepts, it gives the people in power enormous freedom to decide what counts as a violation. That kind of flexibility might look harmless when you assume it will only be used against people you disagree with — but it never stays that way. A rule that’s vague enough to punish one group is vague enough to punish anyone, including white, wealthy, able-bodied, straight men.

The first major issue is that these definitions rely on emotional interpretations rather than clear evidence. The policy frames discussions about race and gender as attempts to “shame” or “assign guilt.” But shame is subjective. If someone merely feels accused — even if no accusation was made — that feeling can become grounds for punishment. Now imagine a white male history professor explaining the role of racial hierarchy in the Civil War. Or a corporate trainer mentioning that employees may have different experiences in the workplace. Either one could be accused of promoting “ideology,” not because their content is false or harmful, but because someone disliked hearing it. In a system built on feelings rather than facts, anyone can become a target.

That same uncertainty spills into everyday communication. When a topic becomes risky simply because it involves race or gender, people stop asking honest questions, even when they’re trying to learn. They hold back curiosity, they avoid clarifying misunderstandings, and they stay silent instead of engaging. And this silence doesn’t just affect marginalized groups — it also limits the knowledge available to those in majority groups. A straight, able-bodied, wealthy white man trying to understand the difference between sex and gender, or wanting accurate information about health disparities, may never receive clear answers, because instructors and experts are afraid that even acknowledging certain facts could be interpreted as violating the policy. In the end, he loses access to the very information that would help him personally and professionally.

The restrictions also undermine entire fields that rely on factual, evidence-based study. Disciplines like medicine, sociology, psychology, history, and public health regularly discuss race and gender because those topics are part of reality, not ideology. When a policy labels these discussions as “ideological,” it effectively blocks students and workers from accessing accurate, necessary training. A white male medical student, for example, still needs to learn how to treat transgender patients, recognize how cultural differences affect care, and understand patterns in public health. Limiting what can be taught leaves him less prepared than his peers elsewhere, ultimately harming his career and the people he will serve.

What makes all of this even more dangerous is the precedent it sets. Once a system normalizes restricting discussion of certain topics based on feelings or political wording, it becomes easy to expand that power to new topics later. A future administration could just as easily decide that conversations about economic inequality, men’s mental health, corporate privilege, fatherhood rights, or veteran support are “divisive ideologies” too. A policy that begins by targeting one group becomes a tool that can be turned toward any group, including the very people the policy initially claimed to protect.

And beyond the classroom or workplace, this kind of system erodes basic trust in dialogue. People begin avoiding important conversations for fear of misinterpretation. Supervisors become hesitant to give feedback. Teachers stop teaching fully. Coworkers avoid difficult topics even when discussing them would solve problems. These tensions don’t stay contained — they create dysfunction that affects everyone. A white, straight male manager, for example, may find himself unable to correct performance issues because he fears that criticism could be twisted into an accusation of bias. His team suffers, his evaluations suffer, and the policy that supposedly protected him ends up harming him indirectly.

Ultimately, policies built on vague terms like “race ideology” and “gender ideology” create systems where accusations matter more than truth, feelings matter more than evidence, and political framing matters more than expertise. They suppress learning, distort reality, and give decision-makers an alarming amount of unchecked authority. And while these policies disproportionately harm marginalized communities first, their structure ensures that no one is fully safe from their reach — not even those who appear socially protected.

Dangerous policies don’t always announce themselves with extreme language. Sometimes they hide behind broad definitions and comforting promises. But when the rules are built loosely enough to punish anyone, eventually, they punish everyone.