“Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”
Quoting an ancient poet, this is part of what Paul said in his instructions to Titus on how to deal with the people of Crete. Can you imagine a contemporary church leader saying that to a pastor in the city where he serves? I used to live in New Orleans, and there are lots of "interesting" things I could say in general about the people there (who I also love, oddly enough), but I'm not sure I would actually say it to a pastor serving there, especially in matters of guidance.
But there is something to be said for blunt honesty in dealing with ministry. If you aren't honest about the issues your people face, it's awfully hard to adequately serve them. If the people of Crete were actually evil, lazy, liars and you acted as if they were hardworking, honest people, you might have some difficulty in serving them. They would be taking advantage of you left and right and you would never really be serving their needs. So perhaps there is something to be said for bluntness in ministry. But we should be cautious in who we say blunt things to.
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