Christian Vocabulary
Specialists in every discipline use terminology peculiar to their own field of work. Medical doctors, for example, are famous for language only other doctors can understand. Electrical engineers speak in terms of art, such as phase angles and decibels. Such words mean nothing to most people. Special words and phrases are a kind of shorthand to specialists, enabling them to convey complicated ideas quickly and without a lot of explanation to other specialists in the same field. To those unfamiliar with their vocabulary, however, it sometimes sounds like the specialists are speaking in a foreign tongue.
Christian theologians, like other specialists, have their own unique terminology. Some of the terms they use are in Latin, words and phrases that have been handed down to the modern church from hundreds or even thousands of years ago. Others include quotations from scripture, references to biblical doctrines and the names of the many subdivisions of theology. One such subdivision, for example, is called eschatology. Eschatology is the study of the End Times, also known as The Last Days or The Day of the Lord, as described in the Bible. Most people are unfamiliar with the word eschatology, so if it is used in general conversation without clarification, it can become an obstacle to effective communication.
In addition to unfamiliar words and phrases, there is something about Christian expressions, like the phrase, “born-again,” that seems to elicit negative reactions from many non-believers. To be born again is a biblical concept that has a very specific meaning to Christians, but to those outside the faith, it sounds strange, even ridiculous. They don’t see how anybody can be born more than once and they have no idea what Christians are talking about when they refer to being born again. This expression is an example of what some refer to as “God talk.”
Another example of God talk is the phrase, “bride of Christ.” This comes from an analogy in the Bible that likens the close relationship between Christ and his church to the relationship between a husband and his wife. Accordingly, the church is sometimes referred to as the bride of Christ. Since it is well known that Christ was never married, the phrase, “bride of Christ” is at best confusing to those outside the faith.
The list of terms unique to Christianity is long and it would not be profitable to go into many of those terms here. Most of them would be unfamiliar to me anyway, making me unqualified to compile even an abridged glossary of Christian terminology. The point is that for Christians to have meaningful dialog with non-Christians, Christians should go out of their way to speak plainly, avoiding terms of art whenever possible, and clearly defining those terms when they are essential to a discussion. For their part, non-Christians, if they are sincere and truly interested in an exchange of ideas, should not bristle at words with which they may be unfamiliar, merely because they have not heard them before.
Christians who try to explain God to people outside of the faith using esoteric terms and expressions do themselves and God a disservice. Of course, there are many non-Christians who have no interest in an honest exchange of ideas concerning God, no matter what terminology is used. Some are so blinded by animosity toward God and by extension, his church, that there is little point in talking to them about God at all. With such people, uttering any Christian reference, but especially one that involves a Latin phrase or biblical terminology, is like waving a red flag in front of a bull.
Another thing that seems to turn some people off is the Christian use of archaic language in prayer. For example, if a Christian recites the Lord’s Prayer as it is given in the King James version of the Bible, the words, “thy,” and “thine,” are unavoidable. Another example of archaic language is the phrase, “believe on,” which in contemporary English translates to, “believe in.” To believe “on” Christ, therefore, means to believe in Christ, but to say it the first way sounds odd to modern ears, like some sort of grammatical error. I suspect that to many, using archaic words and expressions sounds phony, like the one using them is trying to impress the listener with their piety. For that and other reasons, it would be better, in my opinion, for Christians to avoid using obsolete English in conversation or prayer unless they are quoting the Bible or in the company of people who will understand why those words are being used.
Finally, there are words in scripture that remain in regular use today but which have different meaning to Christians than they do to non-Christians. An example of such a word is hope. The common use of the word today is to describe something that you wish for, but may not get. For example, you might hope to win the lottery, but you can’t count on it. The hope a Christian has of eternal life, on the other hand, is not merely something he wishes for. It is a certain expectation, something guaranteed to happen. Words like hope, if defined differently by two parties to a conversation, can be stumbling blocks to communication.
Depending upon the context, love is another word that may need clarification in order to make sense to a non-Christian. This is because the word love has so many different shades of meaning. God’s command to love your neighbor, for example, calls for a different kind of love than the love one has for his children or his spouse.
One of Christ’s great commands is for his followers go into the non-Christian world and spread the gospel, which is the story of Christ’s life and work on earth. In order to do that effectively, Christians should avoid raising unintentional and unnecessary impediments to communication. They should choose their words carefully, speaking plainly and in contemporary English. They should avoid terms that might be unfamiliar or misinterpreted by others. If special terms are necessary to the subject at hand, it is essential that they be clearly defined in order to avoid misunderstanding.