What Words in Popular Christianity Should Be Banned?

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Marrow Man

Marrow Man

Drunk with Powder
I saw a story this morning about Lake Superior State University's annual list of words and phrases that are overused and should be banned from the English language in the coming new year. Here are some of the words that made the list this year:

  • Green
  • Carbon Footprint
  • Maverick
  • Bailout

If one were to compile a similar list for overused words in popular Christianity, what words do you think should make the list? I posted a poll with some suggestions at my blog here, so if you have time, I'd appreciate your vote/opinion there as well.
 
Sodomites.

Call them homosexuals, sinners, unregenerate or something, but too many people (even some here) use the term sodomites in the same way many people call black people N*****.

in my opinion the only thing that term does is raise pride in the person saying it and anger in the person to whom it is being said.
 
Nice list, Ben. I put "missional" and "community" on my poll, but somehow I forgot about "evangelical."

"Social justice" also definitely deserves a spot!
 
1. Sanders Revolution. Come on: maybe some modern scholars have had a hard time understanding second temple judaism, but I think some of our older divines understood it pretty well. Well Sanders certainly had some insight (hey, I wouldn't trade away my copy of Paul and Palestinian Judaism), I think this so-called revolution has resulted in far more confusion than progress.

2. Over-realized Eschatology (While it's often true that this is a/the cause of a theological error, I'm growing weary of hearing, "The problem is that he has an over-realized eschatology." He probably does, but it just seems like this is slowly becoming a catchphrase.)

3. Roman Catholic/Pelagian. I'm probably guilty of this, too, but I've noticed that we often tend to apply the label RC or Pelagian to any theology we don't like in order to attach a bad stigma to it. Once someone has said, "Oh, well that's just pelagianism," then who is going to be willing to advocate it or even admit to liking certain parts of it? Again, the parallels are often there, but I think we use it as a rhetorical strategy more than anything.

4. (This one will probably ostracize me from PB members, but...): TULIP. I don't know, I've never liked this one very much. I think it normally just leads to stereotypes and confusion, as though this is what we emphasize above all, or is all we care about.

5. Missionaries. Real missionaries are great. Praise God for Perg and others out there. But my daughter is not a missionary at school. She's a student. She's there to learn.

6. (I guess this isn't really a word, but) Mission Statement. Have you noticed most churches have mission statements now? "It's all the rage."

7. Simple. Or "non-churchy." Intentionally not using "churchy" or religious words in your church so you can reach out better. The flip side of that is, of course, that the rest of us don't care about the simple man or the unchurched, that we're elitist. I kind of resent that.

8. Community. Community is great; I love community. But the connotations given to it by the people who use this word most...?
 
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Phrases pulled from Joel Osteen's web site (there's more, but you get the idea):

Achieving fullest potential
Discovering your purpose
Becoming Champions in Life
 
"bible based" when it is used to put down denominations with creeds and rules. Of course we are all "bible based", it is how one interprets what it says.
 
What's wrong with evangelical?

If restored to its original meaning, it is a great word. Maybe ditch the word Reformed, since TRs try to monopolize its usage and say that baptists ought not to be called reformed.
 
Okay, I finally have to ask: what is a TR? I've heard so many people say that on this board to refer to someone, and I cannot figure out what it's supposed to stand for.
 
I am not trying to be rude, but what about reformed, calvinists, orthodox, confessional, presbyterian, etc. People use words like missional, evangelical, community, social justice, holisitic, culture, and etc. just as often as the "reformed" "community" uses it's over played words. What might be the concern here is not the use of words that we feel are over played, but a disdain for the brothers and sisters who use them. Just my two cents.
 
TR = "Totally Reformed" or "Truly Reformed." As in, I'm more Reformed than the rest of you. It is usually used as a pejorative term.
 
goretorade said:
I am not trying to be rude, but what about reformed, calvinists, orthodox, confessional, presbyterian, etc. People use words like missional, evangelical, community, social justice, holisitic, culture, and etc. just as often as the "reformed" "community" uses it's over played words. What might be the concern here is not the use of words that we feel are over played, but a disdain for the brothers and sisters who use them. Just my two cents.
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Good points. For the most part, the disdain is certainly not for the brothers and sisters who use the terms, but for the overusage of the terms themselves. I have had to read books from both church growth and emergent perspectives, and many of those terms I mentioned above are used ad nauseum throughout. But, to be fair, on my blog, I also included words like "covenantal."

I'm surprised no one has mentioned phrases like "purpose driven" yet!

:oops:, looks like A5Pointer just did!
 
he beholds said:
"Investing" as in, "Who are you investing in?"
Click to expand...

I also like this one. In opposition to some Fundy methods of evangelism where you verbally assault a stranger with the Gospel, "investing" in a person means that discipleship is a long term process rather than a one-time cold contact. I use this term regularly because the word "discipleship" is more misused today than the simple imagery of long-term investment.

-----Added 12/31/2008 at 11:01:48 EST-----

I have a personally disdain for the term "pragmatic" because this is what I have been called for being vigorous in my methods. Atleast 5 times now in 2 years. I.e. some couch-theologian doesn't like my efforts because they be less than perfect, just throw the term "pragmatic" at me.

Why can't God or our faith ever be practical? Paul's theology was written out of missionary efforts, right!

The other is "Barthian." Let someone take one course in Bible school and immediately they condemn everything as Barthian, or gnostic or platonic.....
 
Pergamum said:
Marrow Man said:
Mission Statement (or Vision Statement) -- that's good, and I hadn't thought of that one!
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I like it, it keeps us focused.
Click to expand...

I have no problems with keeping focus. As a matter of fact, I always like to think of The Great Commission as the church's mission statement! :lol:

My aversion is more to the term "vision." That's not bad in and of itself, but its when churches uses the term and then proof text Proverbs 29:18 (equivocating the two terms) that rubs me the wrong way.
 
Marrow Man said:
Pergamum said:
Marrow Man said:
Mission Statement (or Vision Statement) -- that's good, and I hadn't thought of that one!
Click to expand...

I like it, it keeps us focused.
Click to expand...

I have no problems with keeping focus. As a matter of fact, I always like to think of The Great Commission as the church's mission statement! :lol:

My aversion is more to the term "vision." That's not bad in and of itself, but its when churches uses the term and then proof text Proverbs 29:18 (equivocating the two terms) that rubs me the wrong way.
Click to expand...

Good point. I guess for church's vision statement are unneeded because we already have our orders.

For mission societies or groups that specialize in more narrow areas, however, a statement might help...This would keep a church-planting mision org from primarily pursuing orphanage work. Or an orphanage from spending half its budget on literacy. Or an educational foundation from mostly healing the sick. Many good kinds of work, but sometimes we need to specialize and narrow are focus and communicate that specific purpose.
 
Pergamum said:
The other is "Barthian." Let someone take one course in Bible school and immediately they condemn everything as Barthian, or gnostic or platonic.....
Click to expand...

How about "pagan"? Ouch, that one hits a little close to home.

I don't think anyone is necessarily saying all these words are "bad." Obviously some of them are even Scriptural. It's just that they sometimes become way overused. In some cases, perfectly good words and phrases become hijacked. Historically, this is the case with words like "fundamentalist" and "evangelical" (originally good and quality words, now more or less used negatively).
 
About relevant: When are we ever to be irrelevant Perhpas a better term would be meaningful. But, the term relevant attempts to show that we are trying to reach the culture where they can be most easily reached. I.e. if a people-group or culture is very interested in the end of the world, we shouldn't stay away from preaching on eschatology in reaction against relevance. It is not wrong to see the felt-needs of a people and answer them on a biblical basis.

Okay, now I am waiting for someone to add the term "felt-needs" to the list.
 
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