Christianity Today has a good piece entitled "Letting Words Do Their Work." The subtitle explains the main premise: "Why the care of language is more important than ever." Here are a few highlights:
If Christians could use terms like evangelical, progressive, biblical, salvation, or even believe in with more care for clear definition and context, the community of believers might be able to deliver a livelier witness to the capaciousness and complexity of our faith in spirited (and I use that term advisedly) debate.Amen! The whole piece is worth reading and considering.
... The discourse of the church, the subtleties of biblical language and the nuances of translation, the ear for poetry and care for theological distinctions may be eroded when the language of popular media is allowed to overtake the dialect of worship and conversation among believers.
... We who love the God who gave us the precious gift of language have an obligation to help each other tell complex truths and resist the lure of lies. This means to demand definitions, specific language, and clarifications; to learn methods of nonviolent communication, use them, and teach them; where we have identified lies, to turn off the TV, stop the subscription, and discredit them; and to take these obligations quite personally.
... Stewardship of words is a high calling, and truth-telling a matter of spiritual survival.
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