Ok...I am still in the introduction of the book by Viola and he makes a statement that rings with me... Frank writes..."If you have been a Christian for any length of time, terms like "Bride of Christ," "Body of Christ," "House of God," and "Family of God" are all too familiar to you. They may even be worn out and tiresome. It's not an overstatement to say that our wearied familiarity with these words has blunted their edge and diluted their impact. We Christians have been given a steady diet of Biblical terminology. We speak it fluently because it's the tribal language. But the reality and the power behind our terminology has largely been lost."
WOW, what a statement. What your thoughts on this?
5 comments:
When I first became a Christian I used to think that everyone else knew about what those 'church phrases' really meant. When I got to a high enough level of comfort with my friends I started to ask my friends. They didn't actually know either.
Now when I hear people use phrases that are not part of secular language I tend to want to dig into what they are saying. Do they really know what these phrases mean? Do the other person and I have a common understanding of it? Unless they unpack the phrase for me I can never be sure what they are talking about.
To be honest when I hear someone speaking or read a book and the speech or the book has I lot of church-eze in it I tend to either stop listening or stop reading the book. The phrases are steeped in meaning but they are no longer a common meaning. When someone is using a lot of church language I tend to wonder if they are just trying to add validity and authority to their content.
Christianeze is a funny language. It has the most powerful words you can utter and at the same time it can be without any sense at all.
I became a Christian and started to speak it very fast. I'm not to bad at languages. After a while I stopped saying all the words and started thinking about it. It makes way more sense then. So, if somebody uses these "Christian phrases" I always (often) try to get behind the meaning and it's much more powerful then just letting it rain on you.
Also, if you notice the Speaker is speaking about those words "in the Spirit" (there we go!! :D ) and you are tuned in to 77.7 Spirit FM, too, you're on the same wave and you can learn a lot more about God then when somebody always tries to describe everything he talks about. This was idealized and apologize but I think the bible tells us that we are to watch out, that we are one in the Spirit... So we CAN have a language.
What you do out of it... Everyone's own matters...
OK, there is something I want to ask. Has to do with Christianeze, too... In a way.
Where do you think, expressions like:
Oh my Gosh, Geeeez (Jeeeees???), JEeper CReepers, My Goodness (who would that be?), My word, darn, what the heck... come from? Where did they origin??
When I first heard Jeepers Creepers (in Over the hedge) I thought man, that sounds just like somebody doesn't want to say Jesus Christ (JE and CR). Or who may be My Goodness?? Or who might be that mysterious "word of mine"??? Jesus is referred to as the word of God (christianeze again ;) ), remember?
On the other side, why does nobody say: Oh my Buddha, Mohammed, that hurts!! or Gun-Dee ???
I would like to connect this with the 2nd Commandment: You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.
Allthough we do not say Oh my God, or Jesus Christ what is the intention of uttering expressions as listed further up?
I disagree with what the writer (frank - not u Pastor Gerry) is saying. I don't take the fact that I am part of the "Body of Christ" lightly. I don't think a person can and feel significant. I work as a small piece in a puzzle to make a bigger picture. (And I have songs from Psalty the Singing song book - kids praise 3 running through my head now!!!! :D)
You may not take them lightly, but you have to admit they have been used a little to much.
I understand what you are saying, but the words have been worn out. Dont ask me what else to use, i have no solution for this one, but these words become meaningless after a while. Its like a song you like on the radio, you like it, you go buy the CD to listen to it all the time, and after i while the song becomes over played and even annoying. Whats wrong with new? Whats wrong with making those old words meaningful again with better vocabulary, or at least relevant vocabulary?
If anything this guy points out a great point, that the church is overusing words, so much that they arent being received in a manner they should be.
I believe Viola's comments are an attempt to make Christian's aware of the inward looking culture that we have created. It is a culture of indoctrination that feeds church goers who love experiencing God and His blessing but it lacks the genuineness that comes from knowing and hearing from God.
The issue simply is that the church has gotten good at "doing" church and has not developed the more important part of "being" the church. Learning to speak the language of the church in most cases is part of doing and not being.
I would add that "being", in my mind, would bring us to recognizing how church language limits the work of God to reach those outside the church. That is not to say that church lingo is bad in itself. I merely point out that we (the Church) are far from capable to engage those who are not Christians because are hearts and character (regardless of the language) a not where they should be.
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