Parlez Vous Christianese? (By Mark Mohr)

May. 24, 2009 - AVOID CHRISTIAN JARGON

One of the most important things that you can do as an artist is define your mission and whom you are called to reach. If your main goal as a Gospel Reggae artist is to reach the lost, you should learn to speak their language and you may want to avoid using what I call Christianese. Jargon like Holy, Righteousness, Sanctified and Anointing may win over the church but will surely confuse or deter potential unbelieving buyers from picking up your album and hearing your life-giving message.

DON'T TALK OVER THEIR HEADS

Let's face it, Christianese is rampant in the church these days. We have created a separate culture. We have our own way of dressing, our own architecture (steeple), stage setting (pulpit), chairs (pews), official titles and language. I call this language "Christianese" and some of you have gotten so good at speaking it that you have created a large chasm between yourself and the beat of the streets. It sounds weird to an unbeliever to be "Baptized in the Spirit" or "washed in the blood." A great example of this is a small church that I visited in Los Angeles (right next door to Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles). The church was great and the people were so nice, but they had a large billboard outside that was so thick in Christianese that even this Bible college student was a bit confused. The sign read:

"Royal Dominion Christian Center, Miracle and Empowerment Center: The Anointing Destroys the Yoke!"


Say what? Forgive me, but this first thing that I thought of when I saw this was broken eggs and that made me hungry for some scrambled eggs at Roscoes! Parlez Vous Christianese? When Paul was around unbelievers, or was speaking to spiritual infants, (such as the church of Corinth), he kept his message real simple. He did not come with wise and persuasive words. He allowed the Holy Spirit to do most of the work. I greatly admire Paul's ministry approach. He truly set out to become all things to all men. When standing before the government leaders, he appealed to their nobility and wisdom; at Mars Hill he spoke as a philosopher; in the synagogues, he spoke as a Jew; and while with the Gentiles, he lived like a Gentile. Paul knew how to talk to someone on his own level without compromising the Gospel. And that is very key-we can never compromise the gospel of Jesus Christ!

KEEP IT SIMPLE

“For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” I Corinthians 2:2

DO YOU SPEAK CHRISTIANESE?

I love learning languages. Every time that I travel to a new country I enjoy picking up a few new words and phrases. It's nice to be able to say "Hello" and "Thank You" in 40 different tongues. But there is one language that I wish I had never learned. It comes from a scattered group of tribes that often separate themselves from the rest of the world. They don't come out of their comfort zones unless absolutely necessary. When they do leave their bubbles, the rest of the world rarely understands them, for they all speak Christianese. You've probably heard this term before. It's been lampooned on TV and You Tube for years. I just did a Google search on "Christianese" and was amazed at what I found--countless dictionaries on the language! One described Christianese as, "A communicable language within the Christian subculture with words and phrases created, redefined, and/or patented that applies only to the Christian sphere of influence."

DROP THE JARGON

I learned it once and still know how to speak it, but would rather not. Like Ned Flanders talking to Homer Simpson, I have found this dialect detrimental when talking with an unbeliever or an infant in the faith. After all, you wouldn't feed a newborn babe a thick slab of prime rib, would you? Of course not! Yet we think that this world is ready to digest all of our gobbledygook. They aren't, and they shouldn't have to. They simply don't comprehend our nonsensical sayings or even worse, they get a laugh over our speech. That's why Paul kept his message simple; "Christ and Him crucified."

Some people think that the holier they sound, the holier they are. Instead of getting to know someone and talking to him or her casually on their own level, they speak right over their heads. "Have you been saved, born again, filled with the Spirit and baptized in the blood?" They shout! "I am feeling the anointing brother!" They scream! Let's face it, there are certain catch phrases that we say that just don't make sense to the lost to this dying generation. It took Jesus a long time to explain the concept of being "Born again" to Nicodemus. And to be baptized in the blood sounds downright disgusting to a non-believer. It's no wonder why some of us are not winning over converts left and right.

KEEP IT REAL

So keep it real. Rethink your language. Be all things to all men. Learn to speak their dialect--and for heaven's sake, drop the Christianese! Stop talking over someone's head; explain to them in simple terms what you mean. This is why Rick Warren often quotes from the Message, the Living Bible and Amplified translations in his writings to help get his point across in layman's terms. While it is essential to stay true to the Hebrew and Greek text and in line with the original transcripts, we don't need to speak in King James English in order to get our point across--So be relevant.

"And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone" (Colossians 4:3-6).

PRAYER:

Lord, please forgive me for trying to sound holy in my speech. Please help me to be able to share what is on my heart and in Your word so that others will understand me clearly. Help me to truly become all things to all men. Give me Your wisdom. Help me to make the most out of every opportunity. God, please let my conversations be always full of grace and seasoned with salt, so that I may know how to answer everyone. I love you Lord. In Jesus name, amen.

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We put the Gospel First...
Swimming in His Grace,
Mark Mohr
Christafari
President of GospelReggae.com, Lion of Zion Entertainment, GR Designs and the Positive Music Agency