The Language of Christianity

Taken from CNN.com

Lately I've found myself reading the articles in CNN's Belief Blog.  It's simple; a blog about Christianity, or Islam, or simple matters related to the more complicated area of "faith" that as a Christian can be really hard to read. Not hard to read because it smacks on Christianity (well kind of it does) but more so because it calls Christian's out on some of our worst habits.  And today was no different than any other venture into the Belief Blog when I stumbled upon an article titled "The risks of speaking 'Christianese'"

I'll let the article do most of the talking, but it's something that's been on my mind for a long time now and I would like to point out a few excerpts that trouble me (because they're true).  I greatly encourage you to read the article for yourself rather than take my few words for it... though you can still keep reading :)

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To begin with, it seems that we, as a society, have convinced ourselves that if we want something in a more "Christian" manner, then God will be more likely to grant you said desire.

Prosperity Christians don’t say “I want that new Mercedes.” They say they are going to “believe for a new Mercedes.” They don’t say “I want a promotion.” They say I “name and claim” a promotion. - John Blake, CNN Writer***

For some reason we've found that if we change the way we talk about our walk, the walk becomes "better".

Another interesting point raised in this article is the variation between what the church says about the bible and what the bible actually says..  It tears me to pieces as a Christian to sit through a sermon and, as a 19 year old, listen to what the pastor says and know that the bible actually says something quite different.*  Below is a perfect example of something that was created more by the church than by what's said in the bible.

The rapture has become an accepted part of the Christian vocabulary with the publication of the megaselling “Left Behind” novels and a heavily publicized prediction earlier this year by a Christian radio broadcaster that the rapture would occur in May.
But the notion that Christians will abandon the Earth to meet Jesus in the clouds while others are left behind to suffer is not traditional Christian teaching, Borg says.
He says it was first proclaimed by John Nelson Darby, a 19^th century British evangelist, who thought of it after reading a New Testament passage in the first book of Thessalonians that described true believers being “caught up in the clouds together” with Jesus.
Christianity’s focus has long been about ushering in God’s kingdom “on Earth, not just in heaven,” Borg [an Episcopal theologian] says.

- John Blake, CNN Writer

Frankly this disparity between the way Christians talk/walk these days and what the Bible tells us we should be doing is arguably the biggest reason people are turned away from Christianity. Any Joe off the street can watch a "Christian" look down their nose at a homeless person sitting on the church bench outside and say "that's different from what the bible says to do".

How can we expect that person to not view all of Christianity as hypocritical when the majority** of them blatantly are?

Food for thought - more for Christians than for anyone else. 

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*Something to research in the bible - the issue of homosexuality. Mentioned clearly once by Paul in the New Testament yet is frowned upon more than divorce which is widely discouraged throughout the entirety of the Bible. 

**I do not think that I am exempt from this statement. I am all too aware of my flaws as a Christian and the times in which I have done more harm for Christianity than I have done good towards others.
***Not sure why this background is white. Guess that's what I get for copy/pasting. All credit for excerpts goes to John Hill, CNN Writer and author of the original article "The risks of speaking Christianese".