Sojourners - meaningful en Meaningless Church Jargon <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Earlier this morning, I saw a tweet from @JesusofNazareth316: <em>Blessed are they who stop using the word “<a _fcksavedurl=";src=hash" href=";src=hash">‪#missional</a>,"&nbsp;</em>which caused me to post something on Twitter and Facebook asking people what their favorite church jargon is — mine being “Missional Imagination.” The response was unbelievable and also quite interesting.</p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I realized upon reading the #meaninglesschurchjargon tweets that the responses tended to fall into several categories:</p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><strong>1.&nbsp;</strong><strong>Mainline Protestant church consultant/bad seminary class lingo</strong>. (“Missional imagination”; congregations as “centers for evangelical mission”; pastors as “transformational leaders”; referring to members as “giving units”; and churches “doing life together”) this language has a commonality with corporate jargon and like corporate jargon, refers to the culture and practices related to an organization.</p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><strong>IDEA:&nbsp;</strong>Let’s make sure that in seminary classrooms and at church conferences and in congregational life when we use a term or a phrase, that it points to an actual thing or person or event and is not just a string of words that sound like something meaningful but, in fact, lack real meaning. There is a reason that my computer does not recognize the word&nbsp;<em>Missional.&nbsp;</em>Try it at home. Go ahead. Type that shit and see.</p><p><a href="" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Christian Church cliche God's Politics jargon Language meaning meaningful Nadia Bolz-Weber Faith and Spirituality Life and Peace Wed, 05 Feb 2014 18:42:03 +0000 Nadia Bolz-Weber 52739 at Six Reasons Americans Still Need Christianity <p>In a secularized society obsessed with consumerism, entertainment, and modernization, Christianity is often portrayed as being old-fashioned, irrelevant, and useless, but it still serves some very valuable and profound purposes. Here’s why Americans still need it:</p><p><a href="" target="_blank">read more</a></p> America Church Community cultural awareness God's Politics inspiration Jesus list meaningful Prayer purpose six reasons Faith and Spirituality Life and Peace Fri, 20 Dec 2013 16:13:02 +0000 Stephen Mattson 52043 at