Do you speak Christianese?
Tripp and Tyler produce a thought provoking and ridiculously hilarious video about Shoot Chrisitans Say.
Humor can sometimes be a great way to shed light on a sensitive subject and that’s exactly what this video does:
Shoot Christians Say [Video]
[tentblogger-youtube 7Dxo0Yjno3I]
When you hear Chrsitianese, you begin to realize how goofy it must sound like to those outside of the Christian world.
Do we use these terms too much?
All sub-cultures have their own language. Here on ChurchMag, there is a language of geek. If someone who didn’t know anything about PHP and CSS listened to a conversation between two web developers, they would be confused. There would be words, but no understanding. The same dynamic is found in those who follow the same TV programs, use Apple computers and so on.
This video is both funny and a good reminder to avoid using Christian buzzwords with those that are not part of the Christian culture.
Maybe we should practice that more?
Don’t use words that are only understood within our subculture. That being said, keep in mind that words are used to convey meaning and to say we shouldn’t be speaking Christianese at all, misses the point of language all together. Often times these buzzwords carry more meaning than other words used in our language, as it refers to a common, identifiable experience.
So, keep speaking Christianese with each other, but make sure you know how speak plainly, too.
What do you think?
[…] A good reminder to speak plainly about the Gospel and to be careful about speaking too much Christianese. […]