Christianese (first in a series)

Clone

Anybody remember Steve Taylor?

He's a record producer now.  Mostly known for producing the Christian band, The Newsboys.  If I ever make a record, I want it to be produced by Steve Taylor.  The guy is a genius.

The title track on his debut album, "I Want To Be A Clone," has the following verse:

"Their language, it was new to me but Christianese got through to me. Now I can speak it fluently.  I want to be a Clone."

He pokes fun at our tendency in church to speak in technical terms, euphemisms and coded acronyms. 

I want to examine some of this Jesus-speak because I see a trend coming that will make our language incendiary, rather than merely irrelevant.  Here is the first example:

"You've got to hate the sin but love the sinner."

This is the Cliff's Notes version of a very complex dialectical tension in the New Testament.  When you use this expression, you're essentially condensing the earthly ministry of Jesus (hanging out with, eating dinner with, speaking in public with, proclaiming freedom to sinners) and several passages in Paul's epistles that give instruction on how Christ-followers are to handle sin (run from it, despise it, avoid it).

The problem is that we're throwing this around like we think these words mean something to people who are far from God.

Most recently, an Oklahoma State Representative came under fire for campaigning against gay marriage.  When she was criticized and verbally bashed by gay activists, she used this phrase to justify her non-apology.  Now the gay political machine is after her job.  She seems a little shocked that people don't understand her.  She doesn't hate anybody...Why are they accusing her of hate?

Let me help you understand what people far from God ("sinners" if you like) are hearing when you say this in the context mentioned above:

"You've got to hate...blah blah blah gay people."

Let me explain why this is true:  First, they know that you consider their lifestyle sinful.  If you haven't said so yourself, Pat Robertson and James Dobson have said it for you.  The gay media took that, ran with it and now they all know you think that.  Second, people in a homosexual lifestyle consider themselves "gay."  We draw a line between their sexual preference and who they are...they do not make this distinction.  To use the Christianese vernacular, the sin and the sinner are inseperable to them.  Hating their lifestyle is synnonomous with hating them.

Does the firestorm make more sense in this context?

What to say instead:

I challenge you to pick up the New Testament and see how Jesus handled sinners.  He never used platitudes and he never preached theology.  He rarely called on sinners to repent.  Generally, he didn't have to.  Just being in the same room with him, being loved by him, called them to repentance.

Let's just love the people who are far from God and leave the convicting sin to God...He's big enough to handle that little detail.

As for hating sin, remember that Paul's letters were written to Christians, most of them start out, "To the saints living in..." and in general, the context of these commands regards personal piety.  Paul is telling us to loath, despise and hate our own sin.  The idea that we would take his words and become political activists, trying to legislate morality, probably never occured to Paul (who wrote a lot of these letters from prison where he was being held for believing in Jesus).

Something lighter tomorrow...