Speech is a valuable way to communicate with those around you and the words you choose to use can play a role in how you are received. Unfortunately, in a lot of Christian communities there is a particular type of language which is used that is not always understood by the secular world. There are lots of phrases and terms used that are not in and of themselves bad, but they do hold the power to hinder relationships. I want to take you on a journey into a little place I liked to call “Christianese”.
Here on the World Race we want to be intentional about really diving into who the Lord has called us to be. We step into a culture of feedback where we are given the chance to call someone higher and ask them to check the posture of their heart about a situation. We went to pour out and love our brothers and sisters well by helping them to seek the Lord above all things and to be slow to speak and quick to listen. Especially in a situation where they are listening to someone be vulnerable and let them in, they should listen to understand rather than listen to respond. Living in community can be hard and when we aren’t bought in to the culture and don’t strive to love others well, it can be a challenge to do life with them and there can be seeds of bitterness that people begin to harbor in their hearts. In all situations, we need to ask the Lord what He is trying to teach us and check our hearts so that we can walk in vulnerability.
Okay, now go back and read that paragraph out loud. Better yet, read it to someone who has never set foot in a church a day in their life. Someone who has no biblical knowledge and has not been on a mission trip and been surrounded by a millennial Christian community will likely feel very excluded by the way you are speaking. Let me assure you, they also probably won’t have a clue what you are trying to say. Sadly, this is Christianese. This is the way Christians have begun to speak and they are discrediting themselves and their ability to relate and reach non-Christians, solely with their vocabulary.
Now don’t get me wrong, I am in no way saying that what I said in that previous paragraph is wrong or even bad. A lot of the points I said were true and I agree with them, given some of them are even biblical. What I am saying, however, is that there are other word choices that could be made to reach an audience who does not already share those same beliefs and vocabulary. My point is, while our intentions are pure as Christians and we mean well, we miss an opportunity to minister to people who are outside of the Christian bubble because we don’t speak in a way they will understand.
I look at it like talking to someone who is learning English as a second language. While they understand a lot and would be able to carry on a conversation and understand enough of the language to get by without a translator, if they are plopped down into the middle of an intellectual debate with words they have never heard of before, they will not succeed. Those people are still intelligent and have a grasp on the language itself, but given no background or context into the subject matter, the significance is lost on them and they feel isolated and unqualified to participate in the interaction. That is not what we should want as Christians. Even I have experienced this on the race. In the same way South Americans would speak full speed Spanish with intelligent vocabulary to me, immediately following my response of “I speak a little Spanish”, I have been overwhelmed by the Christian talk on the race.
Despite having grown up in church, I have still experienced some culture shock in talking to Christians, especially those involved in the World Race. I have found a lot of times in Christian culture, trends hit and everyone begins to strive for the same diction, dress, attitude, humor, podcasts to listen to, catch phrases, sometimes even mannerisms. I have heard of countless people going to a church for the first time and being so overwhelmed by the unity and sameness that the congregation shared that they knew they could never and would never fit in, so they stopped coming. I have also heard of, and participated in myself, leaving a church after being a part of it for a while when it became evident that the congregation was more concerned about being a “cool Christian” or accepted based on that particular Christian culture, than they are about spreading the gospel and creating an environment where non-believers and new Christians alike can find a place to belong and grow in their faith. Too often there are people who turn away from the church because they feel far more accepted in non-Christian communities than they ever did in a church building- and that is a shame.
As a believer in Jesus Christ, the bible says we are given the authority of the Holy Spirit inside of us to share the gospel and tell people about Jesus. We are called to disciple one another and reach the nations for Christ. We are also called to love our neighbors and honor them. What part of making them feel excluded, inferior or unaccepted accomplishes those things?
I want to be the kind of Christian who shares the love of Jesus in every thing I do. I want to make people feel accepted and loved and cared for. I want to be a friend who tells people what they need to hear and challenge them when they need to be challenged and point them towards Jesus, even when that means having a hard conversation or saying the things they don’t want to hear. I want to provide wisdom and insight into a situation based on what the Lord has taught me in my life, have the humility to admit when I am wrong, and use my words wisely. There is that saying about sharing the gospel in everything you do in life, and if you have to, use words. If we have to use words, let’s use the right ones. What we say matters, but how we deliver it can be more important. I want to always deliver my words in a way that is considerate of the audience I am speaking to. I don’t want to stray away from the things that need to be said, I just want to deliver them in a way that is beneficial to their growth and with more concern about their advancement in their walk with the Lord than with my temporary comfort, or reputation as being a “cool Christian”.
So friends, at the end of the day I truly do want to challenge us (call us higher) to make better choices with our words and be aware of who we could be turning away by the way we speak. My desire is to let us be people who care more about winning the relationships with people far from God than cool points from those who are already following the Lord right alongside us. I want us to be a safe place for people who need love, not be the reason people feel unaccepted and search for somewhere they won’t feel excluded.
