Words
I went out with a good friend of many years the other day and we got to talking and he asked me how the “worship team” was at CKC. I, because I can, gave him a really hard time for using the term “team.” I asked him when he had ever heard the word “team” in reference to a group of musicians that play music together in a group.
He kind of looked at me, knowing that he had just walked into a bad spot that he couldn’t get out of…and said, “never, I guess.” We both laughed, but this, and conversations like this, have been ones I have had many times over the last couple years and I have become increasingly more conscious of my word choice, especially terms that really only get used in “Christian” circles. Words like; worship team, fellowship, potluck, out-reach, etc. There a many, many words that get tossed around in strictly Christian circles and I think it can do two things, separate us from our culture and then teach new Christ-followers (I know that is another new one) that they have to learn to talk like all the church folk.
What do you think about this? What are some different ways to same church words that would make them more relevant to our culture? (I am not talking about foundational words like Jesus, faith, and words like that)
Filed under: Christian Life, Future, Vision
This is a similar situation that you run into often when teaching children. For example, you can’t just say “this is a piano sonata” to kids without them going, “huh?” You have to get down to the nitty gritty with them and explain the “nuts and bolts” of what a sonata is. Just like we Christians use words like “redemption”, “salvation”, and “born again” alot, just assuming everyone knows what those mean, but that is not always true. Matt, I think you’re onto something here. I think that we, as Christians, need to careful how we talk and, if we use “Christiany” words, need to be prepared to explain them in easier to understand terms. That brings up another point: we need to be certain that we ourselves understand those big words and are able to explain them; otherwise, it seems like we are just throwing out those big “Christiany” words, just to sound smart or cool. As far as what words we should use instead of the “Christian” words (fellowship, out-reach, etc.), I think that is up to each person, as long as they are able to use words their friends (especially non-Christian ones) will understand.
One of my favorite words that I have substituted and and sort of coined is “hanginoutness” in place of fellowship.
Back in the day (way back in the 90’s) when we first started going to church, we called the language spoken among Christians - “Christianese”. In my experiences, I’ve found that it is very important to find out what the other person means by their words. For example, there are subjective words - good, bad, etc. Then there are common words - football, fat, etc. that have multiple meanings depending on culture. And, of course, there are “religious” words - saved, grace, etc. that have different meanings to different religions or cults. Once we know the other person’s language, we can communicate with them using their own language (even though we are all speaking “American”).
It is easy to forget that not everyone knows what we are talking about when we use “Christian” words. It is also important for us to remember not to assume that we know what someone else is saying (even though they use the same words we use).
Thanks for getting us to think about the words we use!
So, how many of you find yourself using different words when you are with different folks? When you are with your “Churchy” friends, do you find your vocabulary changes to something different than with your “Non-churchy” friends? If so, why do you think that is? Is it different subject matter or just trying to find the commonalities within your ties? Do you think it is important in reaching “unsaved Christians”? Is it automatic, or do you find yourself feeling like you have to tread very carefully?
I find myself doing it in some situations, but I’m not sure what the base cause is….I guess the best way for me to describe it would be I certainly wouldn’t talk as openly or with even the same grammer with 103 year old great grandmother as I would with my closest girlfriends. But I often wonder if that also carries over in other apsects of my life. Does that make me fake or does that just mean I know with what reverence to talk to certain folks? Growing up I even noticed that with my parents and their friends. Certain friends they were soft and well mannered, others they were off colored and crude / Open. Is that just cultural or is there more to that?
I’m interested to hear your thoughts on this.
Kristine