...thoughts expressed here are not necessarily final.

July 15, 2004 The language of planet Zion

Ron Martoia explains in Leadership Journal why people today wonder what on earth we're talking about when we speak Christianese. "Words carry all sorts of definitional freight, and we can't assume our words conjure up the same images in everyone's minds. We need some dialogue on the Christian lexicon. Many of the words we use are words our people inside the church have only vague understandings of, and worse yet, those outside the church have little, if any, accurate reference point.

Their minds will fill the gaps with explanations from People magazine or a rerun of Friends." Therefore Martoia changed the lexicon in his local church. Sermon has been replaced by 'weekend talk', evangelism by 'spiritual conversations', discipleship by 'replication', gospel by 'breaking news flash', church membership by 'partnership' and conversion by 'allegiance to God's kingdom'.

LINK: http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2004/002/3.33.html

Reading: Bluspels and Flalansferes by C. S. Lewis; commentary to come.