Choose Your Words Carefully

Yesterday I wrote about spiritual burnout. Last night, it occurred to me that I never explained what spiritual burnout was; I was working from the assumption that anyone choosing to read a Christian blog would be well versed in what I call ‘Christianeze’, the language and verbiage used in the Christian community. I fell into the trap about which I have so often warned others when training them for the mission field.

There is a problem with speaking Christianeze; it does not translate well to those unfamiliar with it, this is why it is not wise to use it in the mission field or when sharing Christ with a non-believer or with those young in their faith (another Christianeze concept). For instance; using my own experience when I was a fledgling born-again (Christianeze) Christian – a phrase I heard often was that God was no respecter of persons. This caused confusion and grief for me. For anyone familiar with Christianeze, that means that God does not favor one person over another, we are on a level playing field. As the person unfamiliar with the language I thought it meant He didn’t really care about anyone. This contradicted what I thought I DID actually know about God, thus the confusion.

Years ago, I attended a congregational meeting where a dividing line was clearly marked by attitudes and opinions. The discussion of the necessity of spiritually mature leaders within the church body seemed clear enough; at least it did until one of the most vocal in one of groups asked just what ‘spiritually maturity’ meant. I was stunned by the question. It seemed to me that if you had to ask what it was, you didn’t have it. Christianeze can be detrimental to communication if everyone is not speaking the same language; even within a congregation.

I had a pastor tell me once that as a Christian I thought and reacted as a Christian. In my dealings with a non-Christian family member, I was bewildered that he was unable to see to consequences and pain his family was being put through by his choices; I had sought counseling from this pastor because I was torn by requests of me during the fallout of his actions. The pastor explained that this man could not think and react as a Christian because he wasn’t one, he did not have the mind of a Christian; he said we were speaking different languages…..and he was right. I could no more see the perspective and rationale of the non-Christian than he could mine.

This reinforced to me that Christianeze has a place when equally yoked (Christianeze) believers are together but can be dangerous and counterproductive at other times. Some people feel they are being talked down to when well-meaning albeit misguided Christians minister to them in Christianeze. On a mission trip in Africa we had translators with us when we walked the streets of the village. How useless would we have been had we shared the message of Christ in Christianeze with our Texas accents? We also used a flip chart that used symbolism meaningful to the village people. The picture words conveyed much more than anything we could have said. It expressed a language they clearly understood.

This is, in part, why I believe God has me use the life lessons He shows me as the genre for utilizing the gift He gave me. By writing about everyday life in everyday language and the role faith plays in it, perhaps I will be able to share more of Him with more people. I realize my postings have Christian written all over them and, by virtue of that alone, many will pass it by without so much as a glance. I have seen my mission field changing over the years for many reasons. It’s a far cry from an African village to my keyboard in my home office but my prayer is that I am still His hands and voice as I minister through words with His divine inspiration.

I will endeavor not to speak Christianeze, though an occasional phrase or two slip by me. And as with most missionaries, I need your prayer and support. You can support this ministry by sharing it with others. Word of mouth is how the gospel was initially shared and it is still the best way to bring a little Jesus to someone. Join me on this journey and let’s build an awesome missionary team together. There is power in prayer and power in number when Christians join forces to make a change for Jesus.