I too have trouble knowing how to tell people what I do for a living. And I’m not in the ministry field. Identity is a big thing to consider and while revealing my profession does open up opportunities to know about me, I find it lacking in communicating who I am. I like how Jesus did it “drawing all men unto Him”.
Yep, I too struggle telling people what I do for a living because of the possible misunderstandings! Your thought here is key: “Always ask people what they mean by the labels they use to identify themselves.” Not making assumptions goes such a long way.
Also, your thoughts on the restrictions on language makes me think of Marcus Borg’s Speaking Christian Book. He argues faith is essentially a language and we have to constantly redefine what we mean as language changes.
Five people can say the same sentence and mean all different things.
I definitely get awkward feeling when asked about my church or my denomination. Not because I am ashamed of my beliefs but because labels don’t all mean the same thing to everyone.
There are baptists…but that can mean southern baptist, free will Baptist, and even in black communities Baptist is used to describe churches that whites would call charismatic and pentecostal.
And that same problem of language is run into with labels of every denominational sect.
No church fits into a mold that can be all encompassed by one or two words.
I too have trouble knowing how to tell people what I do for a living. And I’m not in the ministry field. Identity is a big thing to consider and while revealing my profession does open up opportunities to know about me, I find it lacking in communicating who I am. I like how Jesus did it “drawing all men unto Him”.
Yep, I too struggle telling people what I do for a living because of the possible misunderstandings! Your thought here is key: “Always ask people what they mean by the labels they use to identify themselves.” Not making assumptions goes such a long way.
Also, your thoughts on the restrictions on language makes me think of Marcus Borg’s Speaking Christian Book. He argues faith is essentially a language and we have to constantly redefine what we mean as language changes.
Wes, thank you for your feedback.
I have not heard of the Marcus Borg book, but it sounds like it aligns with some of the ideas that I was exploring in this post. I’ll check it out.
Do you know if he argues that new words must be made or that old words must be reclaimed, understood, and redefined?
He’d definitely argue old words have to be reclaimed, understood and redefined! Which I think is appropriate incarnation work.
Borg is essentially the more “liberal” version of N.T. Wright. Whatever that means 🤣
This is good. It’s making me think a lot.
Language is sooooo important!
Five people can say the same sentence and mean all different things.
I definitely get awkward feeling when asked about my church or my denomination. Not because I am ashamed of my beliefs but because labels don’t all mean the same thing to everyone.
There are baptists…but that can mean southern baptist, free will Baptist, and even in black communities Baptist is used to describe churches that whites would call charismatic and pentecostal.
And that same problem of language is run into with labels of every denominational sect.
No church fits into a mold that can be all encompassed by one or two words.