More Meaningful
Many people have made the switch from saying ‘disabled person’ to ‘person with a disability.’ The second is longer, but allows a nuance to the situation that is empowering of the described person. This was an intentional switch.
I recommend two intentional switches to slightly longer terms within the church in order to create important conceptual distinctions.
Church
If you mean the building, say ‘church building.’ If you mean the time (normally on Sundays) that you meet together, say ‘church gathering.’ The former then becoming the building the church uses. The latter becomes the time the church gathers. The church again becomes the people.
Worship
If you mean the music, when you say, “I like the worship here,†then now say, “I like the music here,†or if you need to sound more spiritual say, “I like worshiping through music here.†We can then let ‘worship’ be all those things we do to acknowledge God’s worth, even outside of singing.
January 19th, 2009 at 1:25 am
I like it. It would allow us to be more precise with our language. What about using the term “assembly” for the local body of Christ (or for describing when the local body assembles together, etcetera)? I like using that term because it does not slip in “Church.” Along those same lines, what about using “the Body,” or the “Body of Christ” when referring to the Church?
Using assembly and body might help us avoid confusing outsiders when we talk about both senses of Church.
January 19th, 2009 at 1:39 am
Rock solid. Great thoughts. I definitely do and correct people on the second one. The first I might even be at fault of frequently.
January 20th, 2009 at 3:10 am
Ariah, thanks for the encouragement. Henry, those are good ideas. The distinction can get lost in our speech. Maybe it is something we can begin to crystalize locally and see if it catches on.
January 22nd, 2009 at 4:19 pm
I’ve really been practicing these sorts of distinctions as well… I’ve begun to call K-Nite our ‘wednesday night gatherings’ and of course I’ve been careful to watch my grammar in my announcements
January 23rd, 2009 at 6:18 am
good work, JR.