1. Welcome to Baptist Board, a friendly forum to discuss the Baptist Faith in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to all the features that our community has to offer.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!

Do you speak Christianese?

Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by Marcia, May 11, 2006.

  1. Marcia

    Marcia Active Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2004
    Messages:
    11,139
    Likes Received:
    1
    Do you speak it? Do you try not to?

    What do you consider Christianese?

    What are some of your most favorite and least favorite Christianese terms or phrases? I'd really like to know. [​IMG]
     
  2. Magnetic Poles

    Magnetic Poles New Member

    Joined:
    May 16, 2005
    Messages:
    10,407
    Likes Received:
    0
    Least favorite
    "of the devil"
    "do a work"
    "rebuke"
    "lord we just . . ." over use of "just" in a prayer
     
  3. Snitzelhoff

    Snitzelhoff New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2005
    Messages:
    301
    Likes Received:
    0
    I try not to. I have a few least favorites, some from each crowd of Christians I've been known to hang around.

    First, general evangelicals, including Baptists and Charismatics:

    "Comfort zone."

    "Legalism" when it's used to refer to any kind of order.

    "Outward sign of an inward grace" in reference to baptism. It's an accurate description, but super cliche.

    "Ask Jesus into your heart." Let's all say it together now, one, two, three: Ugh!

    And I'm with Magnetic Poles about overuse of "just" in public prayer. And overuse of "Lord." I mean, God knows you're talking to Him without you repeating it fifteen times per sentence.

    "Lord of all or not Lord AT all!"

    Edit to add:

    Yeah, some from charismatics--

    "Anointing."

    "Mighty work."

    "Speak it into your life."

    [ May 11, 2006, 02:01 AM: Message edited by: Snitzelhoff ]
     
  4. Ransom

    Ransom Active Member

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2000
    Messages:
    4,132
    Likes Received:
    1
    Do you speak it? Do you try not to?

    I do try hard not to lapse into Christianese. Fortunately, since I was not raised evangelical during my youth, I never had the opportunity to form a bad habit during my formative years. [​IMG]

    I assume you're not speaking of using biblical language to discuss theological or biblical subjects.

    What are some of your most favorite and least favorite Christianese terms or phrases?

    I definitely don't have a "most favourite." For the most part, I wish Christianese would fall into a very deep hole. I have lots of least favourites.

    "Let us approach the throne of grace," when "Let us pray" would suffice.

    A former church had a pastoral assistant who would always pray that the Lord would "undertake" for someone in distress. I was always hoping he would slip and use it of a family that had just had a death, but it never happened.

    I agree with MP about the overuse of "just" in prayer. "O God, we just want this tiny thing . . . we don't want to impose . . . hello? Hello?"

    People who overuse the word "Lord" or "Father" when they are praying: "Lord, we just love you, Lord, and we praise you Lord for who you are Father . . ." Sorry, but "Lord" is not synonymous with "Uhhhhhh." The annoying thing is that when you notice someone doing this, you stop paying attention to what he's praying and you start listening for the repetitions.

    "Will you accept Jesus Christ as your personal saviour?" It's not about how acceptable we find Jesus, it's about why God accepts us. (I also tend to notice that the people who use this catchphrase are the ones who believe in a general atonement, so they're exactly not the people who think Jesus died for anyone personally. But that's just a nitpick.)

    "worshipful" - which means the musicians are playing softly and mellowly, and the songleader has closed his eyes and drifted off into Dreamland.

    I personally intensely dislike being called "Brother Scott." Obviously I recognize the biblical origins of the title, but it's church, not an Elks Lodge. "Scott" will suffice.

    "I really feel God is leading me to . . ." Well, OK, as long as you really feel it.

    Being told not to "put God in a box" just because I limit my theology to what the Bible reveals, and refuse to let my imagination run wild. Just because God is infinite doesn't give you the right to make up any foolish thing you want about him.
     
  5. Gina B

    Gina B Active Member

    Joined:
    Dec 30, 2000
    Messages:
    16,944
    Likes Received:
    1
    "I prayed to see if I should help, and God told me no".

    If you ever hear someone say this, call them out on it. Ask them exactly what words were used, or exactly how they knew it was God. You will only run into a select few genuine people who are being honest when they say this. The rest are lying.


    "if it's your will"
    Kinda sucks the marrow out of a prayer when you tack that onto every single prayer. If you're going to pray for something, MEAN IT! If you believe God only answers prayers according to his will and your prayers change nothing, admit you're a hyper-calvinist and move along. ( :D kidding, had to throw a C/A thing in here SOMEWHERE!)
     
  6. Ransom

    Ransom Active Member

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2000
    Messages:
    4,132
    Likes Received:
    1
    A thread on the theology forum just reminded me of another cliche that really irks me:

    "Make a decision for Christ."

    Why? Can't he make up his own mind?
     
  7. Marcia

    Marcia Active Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2004
    Messages:
    11,139
    Likes Received:
    1
    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    I personally don't like "hedge of protection." It's actually something Satan said to God about Job (Job 1.10) and I think Satan just says "hedge" and not "hedge of protection."
     
  8. Marcia

    Marcia Active Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2004
    Messages:
    11,139
    Likes Received:
    1
    [​IMG] I really go along with you on this one!


    Gina, I'm not even a Calvinist but I don't believe that prayer changes God's will or mind. I do believe that because of the way Jesus taught us to pray ("thy will be done") we should pray this way, though maybe we don't have to say it more than once in the prayer. I think prayer is to align ourselves with God's will and to glorify Him when we see Him work through prayer.
     
  9. Emily25069

    Emily25069 New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 5, 2005
    Messages:
    251
    Likes Received:
    0
    conviction in the place of "my conscience" really bothers me.

    If it is a true Holy Spirit conviction, wouldnt it be given to everyone?

    My friend is constantly "convicted" of things that seem odd to me, such as wearing only skirts or singing only hymns. Its all conviction as opposed to personal conscience or being uncomfortable.
     
  10. standingfirminChrist

    Joined:
    Dec 25, 2005
    Messages:
    9,454
    Likes Received:
    3
    Marcia,

    Prayer can change God's mind. God was going to kill Hezekiah, but Hezekiah after prayer moved God to add 15 years to his life.
     
  11. Alcott

    Alcott Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Dec 17, 2002
    Messages:
    9,404
    Likes Received:
    353
    Faith:
    Baptist
    A cliche' I never really understood the reason behind... "I covet your prayers." What is that supposed to be? A flagrant, but somehow acceptable, violation of a commandment (both OT and NT)? Other than the subject of biblical morality, the word 'covet' is in virtual non-use any more. Perhaps it's another case of thinking most, but not all, of a commandment is still valid, since in the OT the words are "...not covet...anything which is your neighbor's."
     
  12. J.D.

    J.D. Active Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2006
    Messages:
    3,553
    Likes Received:
    11
    Makes my skin crawl: "of the devil" (everything we don't like is of the devil, isn't it convenient?)

    I do like the expression "brother" or "sister" so-and-so, but that's about it. I can't stand cliche's even if they do accurately represent the truth.

    But I find that when I avoid using them when talking to the average christian, I get funny looks - like, "you were supposed to say "Lord willing" right at the end of that sentence, are you crazy?"

    However, I think "if it be thy will" is a pretty neat thing to say in prayer, or to at least think it in your mind, as that is the very foundatin of prayer. The effectual, fervent prayer avails much, but it should be understood that what makes a prayer effectual is that it is grounded in God's will. Elijah prayed and it rained on the earth, but only because it was God's will all along. Same with Hezekiah.
     
  13. Lagardo

    Lagardo New Member

    Joined:
    May 10, 2006
    Messages:
    691
    Likes Received:
    0
    I've always thought we toss "the Devil" around way too much. The way we talk about him, he's just as all knowing and all present as God, and that simply is not true.

    We give him way too much credit, me thinks.
     
  14. mesly

    mesly Member

    Joined:
    May 7, 2002
    Messages:
    285
    Likes Received:
    0
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Here is a phrase that I just recently started hearing (ie. last couple of years) and I have to say I find it very annoying.

    "... love on you."

    Examples: At our church, just come as you are and let us "love on you.". You need to rest in the Lord and let Him "love on you.".

    Where did that come from? I'm not sure I want anyone "loving on me". Is that even proper English? Has anyone else heard this before?
     
  15. J.D.

    J.D. Active Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2006
    Messages:
    3,553
    Likes Received:
    11
    Where did it that come from? "It's of the devil".

    Oops, I used the very cliche that I hate. I hate when I do that! [​IMG]
     
  16. Daughter

    Daughter New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 25, 2000
    Messages:
    194
    Likes Received:
    0
    sorry just realised I posted on the Baptist-Only board!
     
  17. PJ

    PJ Active Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Feb 20, 2003
    Messages:
    3,954
    Likes Received:
    0
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Ick! [​IMG]
     
  18. Ransom

    Ransom Active Member

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2000
    Messages:
    4,132
    Likes Received:
    1
    Alcott asked:

    A cliche' I never really understood the reason behind... "I covet your prayers." What is that supposed to be? A flagrant, but somehow acceptable, violation of a commandment (both OT and NT)?

    While covet is certainly quaint, there's nothing intrinsically wrong with telling someone you "covet" their prayers.

    Covet is simply synonymous with desire. What the Tenth Commandment forbids is the desire to possess another's material goods. It's a desire borne out of envy, whereas the desire to be prayed for is a godly one.

    That being said, since pretty much its only use these days is negatively, with respect to the Ten Commandments, I can't help thinking there's a tinge of irony when someone uses it in another context.
     
  19. Ransom

    Ransom Active Member

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2000
    Messages:
    4,132
    Likes Received:
    1
    Another recent Christianese thingamabobby that has been making the rounds: Some people no longer pray about things, they pray through them. (As though the crisis is passed when you finally say "Amen.")
     
  20. StefanM

    StefanM Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Jul 4, 2004
    Messages:
    7,333
    Likes Received:
    210
    Faith:
    Baptist
    "Comfort zone" is definitely the cliche I cannot stand.
     
Loading...