scraping the chalkboard with the fingernails

heh heh.

A friend of mine posted a blog called "Holiness" the other day. I knew he wasn't going to talk about it in the popular religious sense, and sure enough he didn't.

I replied to him that just seeing the title made me cringe.

So that sparked a thought.

What are words or phrases that make us roll our eyes from (mis)use by the Body?

What are words/phrases we don't understand (and maybe don't care to understand)?

Not all of these words cause the eyes to roll every time, but the initial reaction to hearing them is generally an "oh brother, let's see where this goes":

• holiness
• worship
• authority
• grace
• partake
• blessing
• witness
• Christian
• "at this church we have a passion for..."
• contemporary
• reverence
• felt needs
• take a stand
• integrity
• inspiring
• uplifting
• "effectively communicate the gospel"
• honor
• life-changing
• discover your spiritual gifts
• divinely inspired
• reaching one's potential
• obedience
• victory
• faith-based alternative to ___ (fill blank w/ American society something)
• get involved
• share
• good news
• anointing/anointed
• have an impact
• delight/delighting
• equipping and empowering
• "learn how to apply biblical principles to your life"
• "what we believe"
• "mission statement"
• lead a meaningful life
• authority
• reverence
• honor
• partake


(Grace is a cornerstone of the Way. Largely it's a New Testament word. Jesus didn't use it, but it's mentioned a lot in the rest of the NT. It's a bedrock, yet often gets cheapened by people using it as a cutesy acronmym, and can also be Christianese to non-Followers. Aka, Followers can cheapen it by overexplaining it or beating the word to death.)

Words I've heard but don't understand and don't care to:

• impartation (umm)
• propitiation (uhh)
• sanctification (er)
• eschatology (huh?)
• retribution (yeah...)

I can't help but overhear these and other stuffed-shirt words as I read things and hear people within the Body. I try to do all I can to avoid Christianese words, whether 2-, 4- or 5-syllable.

Some of the words in the two lists above are like hearing someone yell "fire" in a movie theater. Ad nauseum use, ad nauseum misuse.

Ad nauseum I don't know what the hell you're saying.

A good friend of mine suggests whenever I hear someone say one of these words, interrupt them and say "what does that word mean to you", then after that say "okay,what do you think that word means to me?"

I like this idea.

I'm also entertaining the idea of playing "Bullshit Bingo" at church or small group.

You know, take a sheet of paper and draw a Bingo grid of 25 boxes (5 rows across, 5 rows down). Fill in the boxes with Christianese words, then go to church or small group.

Each time a Christianese word is spoken, check that word's box. When you get 5 in a row, stand up, yell "Bullshit!!!" and then walk out.

Anyone who is thinking "that's not nice" or "that's not very Christian", send $9.99 plus $3.95 S&H and I'll send you a Relatability Barometer.

For a few months I've been wanting to read through all the gospels and see how many four-syllable words Jesus ever says.

When I first thought about that, what went through my mind was "Heck, I don't even know if Jesus uses three-syllable words."

Then I thought, forgiveness, well there's one but that's the only one that comes immediately to mind.

One of my good friends has talked recently of how simple God is. Then I look at these lists of 4- and 5-syllable words, these words that exclude non-Followers, these words that cause people who need to hear the message turn a deaf ear.

These words that make those who are angry about life stick out their stiff arm and say "no thanks" before even one word is spoken.

These words that make Christianity an exclusive club with its own lingo that only insiders understand.

And then I think about Jesus, in whom there is nothing exclusive when it comes to people who hurt, people who are snubbed, people who are outcast, people who are angry, people whose music in life has stopped, people who are poor, people who have been betrayed, people who hate, people who want to lash out, people who have lashed out, people who hunger, people who are tired of being sold, people who are underwhelmed about what they have bought into, people who are dejected, people who have been raped (literally or figuratively), people who are scorned because they don't fit how society says they ought.

And then I think "God, forgive us that we've made it this. We've taken components of society and marketing and pasted them on You, without asking.

We hype You and call it witnessing.

We misrepresent You, telling people You're effectively a slot machine, for if they'll just 'believe' You guarantee a jackpot--an earthly life of unbelievable blessing and victory beyond their wildest dreams.

We put words in Your mouth, asserting that societal values are Your values, when they are not.

We saturate 'worship services' with man-made techniques and hollow bullshit.

Church and pastor conferences are conducted which literally do nothing but talk about growth, increase, money and image. And the Body at large, and particularly its "leaders", think nothing of this.

We give lip service to things we should consume, and consume things...well, it's pretty obvious by just looking around.

Do we ponder that we are in fact salt?

Do we ever think what it means to eat your flesh and drink your blood, Jesus? You plainly say unless we eat your flesh and drink your blood we have no part of You.

Lord, how Your heart aches. And through it all You remain true, steadfast, patient and compassionate.

Forgive us, Lord, for breaking Your heart. Drop the scales which have grown over. Shatter our paradigms which need shattering.

Guide us, God. Teach us. Show us. Jesus, help us, amen."