The Danger of Christianese
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Several years ago, I was counseling with a young woman serving full-time in a church. During our first session, she offered this observation of her struggles: "Over the past year I've experienced the redemptive qualities of grace."
I nodded my agreement, meanwhile thinking, I have no idea what that really means. And I'm not sure she did either.
Back then, my own insecurity kept me from probing that young woman's statements further. Today, I'd likely press her to give me more words to describe what she'd been experiencing. What does redemptive grace look like to her? Can she give me an example? How is it playing out in her life? What other words would she use to describe the change in her?
It's all too easy to hide behind our washed-in-the-blood, princess-for-Jesus verbiage. Instead, let's consider our words thoughtfully, strive to promote understanding with those who don't speak the language, and be brutally honest with ourselves before we choose the easy way of Christianese.
Speaking our hearts in plain English will stretch our theology, challenge our complacency, and help us to emulate the apostle Paul, translated by Eugene Peterson's The Message: "I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I've become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life."
Nicole Unice is a TCW regular contributor and a contributing editor for GiftedforLeadership.com and works in family and student ministry for Hope Church in Virginia. She is the author of She's Got Issues. www.nicoleunice.com
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Old Lady in Africa
Thanks for another reminder. All we (don't) need in today's secular society is a special language to make us seem more irrelevent. I cringe when I hear or read things like "I covet your prayers," one of the sillier of our hackneyed phrases. Even this author couldn't resist using the verb "strive" several times. When was the last you heard or read that word used by someone who wasn't speaking to Christians? Back in the day we used to say, "Get real!" Our words should make people know we care enough about them to want to honestly communicate the joy and love of Jesus in their language, not ours.
Lisa
Great article! I remember wondering what in the world "praying in the spirit" meant.
Val
Reading this article was all I needed this morning...I really dislike jargons but I do hear them so much from other Christians that sometimes I even blame myself for not liking them (maybe less spiritual?) - I feel different form others...
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