About 20 years ago ... when I had finally shed most of my Brooklynese ... I began to realize that I still spoke two different English dialects. I spoke one flavor of English when I was around my church friends and another whenever I was around everyone else. I began then to try to synthesize these two dialects into one that could be used regardless of who I was talking to. It wasn't too hard around non-church folks but a bit different for my church friends. Thanks to
Bruce and
Bob for the link to this one minute video that captures this struggle of language in a very funny way.
Maybe, if we try very hard, we can all eliminate words like these from our vocabulary:
- Christian: why not use believer?
- Saved: why not say believed in Jesus?
- Salvation: why use it at all?
- Repentance: isn't change good enough?
- Eucharist: how about (holy) communion?
You get the idea. Maybe you can help us and comment with a few other alternatives to "Church Speak". I need all of the help that I can get.
This is CLASSIC!!!!! Thanks for sharing it here!
ReplyDeleteHeh! My husband has two accents. One Pennsylvania one Oklahoma. Yous’all. That was a fun video.
ReplyDeleteYou got it Bob!
ReplyDeleteThank you for being a minister in such a humble fashion. I can always count on you for wisdom and thought provoking stuff.
You rock!
Hey KB - that was fanTAStic! In a "funny because it's true" kind of way.
ReplyDeleteEschatalogically Yours,
Andy B.
Great vid, KB!
ReplyDeleteHey I got a few:
Fundamentalist: Biblically conservative
Begotten or beget: the father of
Tongues: other languages
Sanctification: The help of the Spirit for our growth.
Just a few...
hermeneutics
ReplyDeleteproselytize
exegesis
I dislike these three words with a passion; they are bantered about to impress. Plus, they're dang hard to pronounce! Any thoughts on rewords? :-D
Funny.
ReplyDeleteI wish we could reinvent "church" as a word and a concept.
That's a great parody of the original commercials -- but it makes a much better point. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete- Matt
church membership/community
ReplyDeletechurch service/ party
benediction/ "See ya!"
predestination/??
sovereign/ (good word, but in keeping with KB)Big, big God.And every time I hear that, I imagine angels asking,"Would you like to supersize that belief?"
This is one of my favorite vids...I've used it in church before and it always gets a laugh.
ReplyDelete