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December 08, 2005
Watch Your Language!
Chris Rice, one of my favorite Christian singer/songwriters, has a blog, and he wrote an entry that communicates something I've often felt about how the Christian faith is lived out in modern-day America.
I have a challenge for all of us. It’s about our choice of words and our use of language. But I think you might be surprised by what I mean by that. Here’s where the twist comes. Let’s take a break for a little while from words like “bless,” “ministry,” “anointed,” “secular,” and “Christ-like.”It's perfectly normal for organizations to develop their own culture, and in the development of that culture, languages are formed. Anyone who's been to another country knows how of a barrier language can be. When I was in Russia, all of us Americans spent at least some time silently smiling across the table at our Russian counterparts, simply because the translator wasn't available and none of us had enough of the other's language to communicate effectively.What? What’s wrong with these words? Absolutely nothing. They are just overused by one group of people. Everyone in the group knows what they mean, but anyone outside the club doesn’t really understand. And we need practice using different words to communicate the same truth...
Maybe WE could make the same point using different language, so that we don’t alienate anyone. Maybe WE’re too afraid of ‘outsiders.’ Maybe WE’d rather not have to mingle or make sense in their world. That mentality sadly misses the whole purpose of living.
We versus Them. No such thing. There’s only We. “We” includes every messed up human on the planet (and if there happen to be any on the space station or in a space shuttle, they’re included too.) Every human who needs to be connected to God. That’s ALL of us! So, some are further along than others. Big deal. There’s no Them. We are Them. Humans. Needy humans....
Christianity is not a faith meant to be lived in cloistered comfort. Jesus said we're supposed to be set apart, but I don't think that means constructing walls of language and culture between us and the world. We're meant to tell other people about what we believe and that means going out there, dropping the masks and the lingo, and really communicating with people. Rice brings up some good points in his entry and ends it in a wonderfully snarky way.
Oh, and his new Christmas album? Very fun.
Posted by slublog at December 8, 2005 12:00 AM
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