As odd as it is to point out, words mean things. How we say things also has meaning. A number of years ago a local pastor gave a daily devotional on the radio station where I work. One day in his message he used the word “indwell.” I cautioned him about the use of unfamiliar words like indwell. Though he was correct in the usage, most people outside of the church culture have no idea what it means. That word will make them go, “Huh?” At that point they’re diverting attention away from the message to comprehend the unfamiliar word. That means he was purchasing advertising time to “preach to the choir.” That’s what I think of many words and phrases used by the church. Are we trying to reach people outside the church, or are we simply talking to our own “saved” people? There’s a guy working at the same radio group who is an agnostic – not an atheist. Remember, words have meanings, and our use of them can either help or hinder our relationships. It’s not that he does NOT believe in God, simply that he’s not seen the evidence yet. So when people call him an atheist, it turns him off. One day we were talking about faith, and I mentioned that he had a different belief structure than I do. And that’s the literal truth. Even atheists believe something. It’s just different than what a Christian believes. This guy thanked me for not calling him an “unbeliever.” He told me he finds that term offensive. I’m a writer, so I try my hardest to be accurate and precise in my use of words. Many times I fail, but my goal is to make my point in the best way possible. Sometimes it means many words, sometimes a lot fewer. SIDEBAR: There’s a scientist named Paul Dirac (1902-1984) who had the habit of not speaking until he could express himself in the least possible number of words. He became known at Cambridge for brevity, and the “Dirac” was a tongue-in-cheek measurement of the smallest number of words a person could utter and still remain sociable. But I digress. The point of all this is for people to be careful how they use words. Propitiation, transubstantiation, and sanctification are all accurate words, but not part of the normal vernacular of the population. Using those words outside of deep philosophical discussions within the body of believers only pushes people away. It’s isolating, according to an article in Christianity Today. If you have to define terms when talking to “normal” people, you’re not spreading the Word of God. You’re only spreading the words of Webster.
Comments