Do you remember that scene in the first Airplane movie where the African American passenger is sick but the stewardess can't understand what he is saying. Fortunately, an elderly white woman offers to translate because "she speaks jive".
How often in church do we speak in a language that the un-churched can't understand? We've all got our own religious language, or "God-speak", that only other Christian's (and sometimes only our church) understands. Do the un-churched in your service need a translator to understand what's going on?
I catch myself saying things like "give glory to his name" or "let's give him an offering of praise". While meaningful to those of us who have been in the church for awhile, imagine hearing these phrases for the first time!
Very good point. Christianese is not often understood by first timers or folks who have never been exposed to Christianity, church or Jesus.
A good reminder to keep it simple and be aware of how we speak.
Posted by: Louise | July 16, 2008 at 04:53 AM