When I came to the United States in 1992, I spoke English but still had hard time communicating. with people. English-speaking immigrants have no idea what “step up to the plate,” “tee it up,” or “hill of beans” means. Doing my best to fit in, I tried to use the idioms even without understanding them. Instead of “hill of beans,” for example, I would say “hell of beans.” I got some great reactions from Christians over that.
As pastors we want our message to be clearly understood. I’ve been to many conferences where pastors are coached to avoid using words that are inaccessible to nonbelievers. Words like ministry, fellowship, and testimony are often labeled “Christianese.”
While I appreciate the heart behind this sensitive use of words, in my experience it isn’t simply our words that need to change—it’s our concepts. Most people can figure out the meaning of our Christian words, just like I understood English words as an immigrant. But understanding the idioms within our Christian subculture is much harder. We run the risk of saying everything correctly, but not actually communicating what we intend.
Several weeks ago I enjoyed a latte with Reverend Ryusho, a Buddhist priest. We had worked together on a series at my church on world religions. We had invited leaders, like Reverend Ryusho, to share via video about their faith, and in my sermon I would explain the differences between Christianity and the religion being highlighted. We called the series “Faithology.” It was a great experience, and it allowed me to connect personally with leaders of other religions in our area.
At the coffee shop, Reverend Ryusho asked how I, born and raised a Muslim in Kuwait, could become a Christian pastor. I was excited because I love to share how Jesus revealed himself to me, transformed my life, and gave me a purpose beyond my imagination.
As I went through my story, he asked more questions. We found ourselves discussing the essence of Christianity. He explained that he did not believe in God because “God’s love is always conditional” and that God’s acceptance is “always tied to man’s ability not to sin.”
I was amazed. I wondered how this intelligent man, who has been in the States so long, could have such a misunderstanding of the Christian message. I was certain that he had heard the gospel before. How could he have missed it?
Reverend Ryusho had heard the words of the gospel before, but he’d never really grasped the concept. I told him that Christianity was essentially a relationship. We are introduced to God through his son, Jesus. And after realizing the extravagant love God has showed toward us, we honor the relationship (worship) and avoid anything that might interfere with the relationship (sin).
Consider communication in your own congregation. We can preach the gospel as a call to a relationship with God and not a religion. We can say it’s about Christ’s love and mission to restore us to his Father. But ask people in your church what the gospel is and you might hear some interesting answers. “It’s about not sinning.” Or, “It’s about going down the ‘Romans road’ to get our crown of glory and live in heaven where the streets are gold.” It’s amazing how we can use the right words, and people still do not hear what we intend.
The gap between words and language, between speaking and communication is one we need to be aware of. It’s isn’t enough for us to assume that we’re using the right words, and therefore people are hearing what we intend. We need to investigate whether our people are really grasping the gospel. That might include a few conversations over coffee to find out what they really understand.
And while this might lead us to change our communication strategy, our words, or even the language we employ, ultimately we need to realize that effectively communicating the gospel always involves more than the right words. As Paul writes, “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.
Naeem Fazal is the lead pastor of Mosaic in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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