Vandals recently defaced the doors of a church in Madison, Ala., with slanderous graffiti clearly aimed to intimidate and mislead. The anonymous words – reminiscent of another threat lobbed at Marjorie Taylor Greene several months ago – warned of Bryan Dawson, CEO of 1819 News, who was speaking at a Turning Point USA event, saying that he “serves the Antichrist” and to “beware his falsehoods.”
This kind of malicious charge is not simply a political attack – it is spiritual warfare.
Yet when those who follow the madness of our times attempt to spread lies, ridicule or intimidation, our response must not be fear – but laughter.
There is an old saying, Risus est bellum – “Laughter is war.” Laughter is a weapon against not only the fool in his folly, but also against our own pride. It’s a weapon against taking ourselves too seriously, a tool to help others recognize their foolishness while inoculating ourselves from the same.
As Blaise Pascal reminded the church elders of his day, it is not irreverent to deride lies – it is obedience to truth. The French philosopher and scientist noted in a letter that a Christian’s love for the truth should only be matched by his or her hatred of falsehoods. The ridicule of falsehoods is not only justified, but warranted:
Nothing is easier than to convince all who were not aware of it before, that this practice [of a Christian to treat error with derision] is perfectly just—that it is common with the fathers of the Church, and that it is sanctioned by Scripture, by the example of the best of saints, and even by that of God himself.
The mocking of the fool is not justified because he has rejected our wisdom, but rather the wisdom of God. In Psalm 52, David hides in the wilderness from Saul and professes:
The righteous also shall see, and fear,
and shall laugh at him:
‘Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength;
but trusted in the abundance of his riches,
and strengthened himself in his wickedness.’
From the beginning, God declared war between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. The enemies of God are not imaginary. Indeed, their arrogance rages against His throne. Like David’s enemy Doeg in Psalm 52, they boast in their schemes and lean on their own might.
But those who fear the Lord find courage in His wisdom, power, and faithful love … and they also laugh. The righteous know that the Author of history will finish His story in victory, and thus can stand firm in joyful confidence.
The righteous also follow the Lord’s lead in how to regard the talk of fools. David speaks of God mocking rebellious nations in Psalm 59:
See what they spew from their mouths—
sharp words from their lips:
‘For who can hear us?’
But You, O LORD, laugh at them;
You scoff at all the nations.
The point is clear: that which is fallacious and rebellious deserves derision. The Church is right to laugh, as Scripture does, at the wicked in faithful defiance. We must refuse to let fools dictate the narrative; our laughter exposes folly for what it is while shielding us and others from its infection – especially when that folly is sprayed across the door of a church.
In the fight against the madness and wickedness that continue to plague our culture, laughter not only serves as a weapon but also as the best medicine – our weapon and our witness, proof that the joy of the Lord is stronger than every lie.
Jarred Pike writes on ideas and their consequences from Birmingham. As a husband, father, and longtime teacher, he's discovered that the most profound ideas are tested not in classrooms but around the dinner table.
This culture article was made possible by The Fred & Rheta Skelton Center for Cultural Renewal, a project of 1819 News. To comment on this article, please email [email protected]. The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News.
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