In Revelation 17, John warns his readers to be cognizant of the evil that is always underfoot. Sometimes we can easily identify it. But often, evil is insidious, creeping into our lives and masking itself as benign, enticing us in ways that make it difficult to resist. And once we start following its path, it can be a very slippery slope, indeed.
Charles Morris in the article “Handel’s Messiah: Lyrics and Verse References” (Nov 20, 2020) wrote about this great work of music. The Messiah has been a significant work enjoyed by multitudes of people since it was composed in 1741.
Code-switching refers to the way in which people adapt their language and mannerisms to a particular situation. At its worst it flattens cultural and linguistic diversity by forcing members of marginalized groups to adapt to the dominant culture, especially when it is required to achieve success in the workplace (if you’ve ever heard someone say a black person “doesn’t sound black,” this is likely a result of code-switching). It can damage a code-switcher’s sense of self-worth, exclude qualified people from leadership, and disrupt society’s understanding and appreciation of the breadth of experiences and values individuals have.
