We're not
going to compromise the
message.

Frequently, in ministry-related planning sessions, someone will say something like the following: "We're not going to compromise the message." It's a statement that catches my attention because it reveals the speaker's opinion of others in the group: they can't be trusted. Is it possible that some of what we ascribe to the "message" is not, in fact, central to what we believe? Is it possible that we sometimes confuse cultural values with moral values? Is it possible to think before we speak?