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Christianese" is what some people call insider jargon Christians use to talk about God and faith. One of the primary problems with Christianese is that it doesn't make sense to outsiders. Someone once compared it to legalese, which has its place and purpose, but is confusing and meaningless to people who aren't lawyers.
Christianese often takes the form of pat answers and clichés. Like superficial statements athletes say during sports interviews. When athletes say they need to "bring their A game" and "give 110 percent" they aren't really communicating anything. Overused clichés are just as empty and meaningless when we're talking about God.
Finally, Christianese does more harm than good when talking to most Canadians today. It's more likely to trigger old wounds and painful memories from their religious past than communicate good news.
I'm convinced that we must unlearn Christianese and learn anew how to speak about God and faith. We must dare to share our faith journeys and God experiences with honesty, clarity and humility.
For example, when we say things like "I met Christ," or "I was born again," what do we really mean by that? What exactly happened when you "met Christ"? Were you...
