It is absolutely true that the church uses words and phrases that would not be used anywhere else; at least not in the same way.
Justification.
Sanctification.
Glorification.
Washed in the blood of the lamb: apart from a Christian understanding, that is just a weird saying.
Hypostatic union: a phrase that is critical to Christian faith but probably not often used.
Even some of the classic hymns of the faith use idioms and words that aren’t used any longer or that have an obscure reference.
The hymn, ‘Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing’ uses the word ‘fetter’ and the phrase ‘here I raise my Ebenezer’.
Strange words and strange phrases. And these are just a few examples of insider language in the church. But is insider language a problem? I’m not sure that it is.
Here’s why?
Think of it like this.
Do mechanics have insider language? Yes.
I have no idea what calipers are or what they do. But my car has them.
Do physicians have insider language? Of course.
Sphygmomanometer. I love that word. And yes, I know what that one is.
How about football teams?
In football, a nickleback has nothing to do with music.
Let’s be honest. Every group has language that is specific to them. Terms and phrases. Acronyms and figures of speech. Having them is not the problem. The question is what we do about them.
Several years ago, the church went through a movement known as Seeker Sensitive. Without getting into too much detail, suffice it to say that some groups were trying to figure out how to make church more attractional to people who don’t usually attend.
Not the worst desire.
And what some of them noticed was that insider language can keep people from feeling a part of the group. It keeps them from understanding. It keeps them on the outside.
So, the solution was to stop using insider language.
But, no other group does that. And no one would expect any other group to do that.
If you were interested in football, you would just look up what a nickelback is. (By the way, it is the fifth defensive back).
I wouldn’t be surprised if you already google searched a sphygmomanometer. (Yep, blood pressure meter.)
And hypostatic union? It is the phrase that describes how Jesus was, and is, both truly God and truly man. An absolutely critical doctrine of the Christian faith.
So, what should we do about insider language?
One, let’s be honest. If something is important to you, you will learn the language.
My kids know all kinds of computer game terminology. They learned it because they wanted to.
So, let’s not pretend that specialized words and phrases keep people out of church.
Two, how about we spend some time in Sunday School (yes, another insider term) discussing these expressions. Or even within worship itself. At my church, if it applies to the text I am preaching, we will have a TTOD: theological term of the day.
This is not to say that we shouldn’t explain our insider language and help those who didn’t grow up in church [and some that did] to know our jargon. We should do that.
It is to say that dropping the terms won’t ultimately be helpful. The church has a rich history of language that should be preserved.
Think of it like a mechanic.
Does the church use insider language?
Yes.
Is that a problem?
Maybe. Maybe not.
It is absolutely true that the church uses words and phrases that would not be used anywhere else; at least not in the same way.
Justification.
Sanctification.
Glorification.
Washed in the blood of the lamb: apart from a Christian understanding, that is just a weird saying.
Hypostatic union: a phrase that is critical to Christian faith but probably not often used.
Even some of the classic hymns of the faith use idioms and words that aren’t used any longer or that have an obscure reference.
The hymn, ‘Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing’ uses the word ‘fetter’ and the phrase ‘here I raise my Ebenezer’.
Strange words and strange phrases. And these are just a few examples of insider language in the church. But is insider language a problem? I’m not sure that it is.
Here’s why?
Think of it like this.
Do mechanics have insider language? Yes.
I have no idea what calipers are or what they do. But my car has them.
Do physicians have insider language? Of course.
Sphygmomanometer. I love that word. And yes, I know what that one is.
How about football teams?
In football, a nickleback has nothing to do with music.
Let’s be honest. Every group has language that is specific to them. Terms and phrases. Acronyms and figures of speech. Having them is not the problem. The question is what we do about them.
Several years ago, the church went through a movement known as Seeker Sensitive. Without getting into too much detail, suffice it to say that some groups were trying to figure out how to make church more attractional to people who don’t usually attend.
Not the worst desire.
And what some of them noticed was that insider language can keep people from feeling a part of the group. It keeps them from understanding. It keeps them on the outside.
So, the solution was to stop using insider language.
But, no other group does that. And no one would expect any other group to do that.
If you were interested in football, you would just look up what a nickelback is. (By the way, it is the fifth defensive back).
I wouldn’t be surprised if you already google searched a sphygmomanometer. (Yep, blood pressure meter.)
And hypostatic union? It is the phrase that describes how Jesus was, and is, both truly God and truly man. An absolutely critical doctrine of the Christian faith.
So, what should we do about insider language?
One, let’s be honest. If something is important to you, you will learn the language.
My kids know all kinds of computer game terminology. They learned it because they wanted to.
So, let’s not pretend that specialized words and phrases keep people out of church.
Two, how about we spend some time in Sunday School (yes, another insider term) discussing these expressions. Or even within worship itself. At my church, if it applies to the text I am preaching, we will have a TTOD: theological term of the day.
This is not to say that we shouldn’t explain our insider language and help those who didn’t grow up in church [and some that did] to know our jargon. We should do that.
It is to say that dropping the terms won’t ultimately be helpful. The church has a rich history of language that should be preserved.
We learn the language that we find important.
Just don’t ask me what calipers are.
I still have no idea.