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Scripture commentary

The Word Reworded

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Have you ever struggled to watch your language?

For some of us, that might mean trying to swear less, or trying to hold back the mean or sarcastic comments and instead choosing to be gracious (or at least silent).

In his book, Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions, author Gregory Koukl lays out a few suggestions we should consider if we want to ensure conversations about spirituality and religion are as beneficial and meaningful as possible.

He calls one of these suggestions, “Watch Your Language.” He’s quick to point out this doesn’t mean “don’t swear at people” or “don’t use cutting insults and cruelty.” Hopefully anyone claiming to follow Christ is already paying attention to avoiding such behaviors!

His suggestion is that we should watch out for loading our conversations with “Christian-ese” terminology — words and phrases that sound like they belong in church, which our fellow believers might readily understand.

This book is an excellent primer for meaningful but cordial conversations about faith.

The Problem With Church Talk

The trouble is, people outside the church are unlikely to have the same understanding of what we’re talking about. They may not know what we mean by “sin” or “blessed” or “faith” or “being saved by grace.” They may take that a whole different way than we intend, or it might sound like meaningless church talk they don’t care to hear.

Similarly, if I lead off with “Well the Bible says in Romans 3:23 that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” there’s a good chance that someone outside the church has already tuned out.

“I don’t care what the Bible says,” they might respond. And they probably don’t care about whatever it means to have sinned, and they probably don’t believe they’ve fallen short, whatever that means, so even though this verse is meant to point out a spiritual problem or highlight a crucial need, the words may fall flat.

But you can say the same thing in words people understand. “Every one of us messes up, don’t we? None of us do all the good stuff we know we could do, and we all do stuff we later regret, right? If there’s a perfect standard, none of us meet it.”

Koukl suggests practicing this kind of re-phrasing or re-wording of what we’d like to say… not because Scripture isn’t good or right, but because we want to be effective communicators able to provide a meaningful answer about what we believe and why.

I think it’s similar to how we shouldn’t really try to challenge someone’s point of view unless we understand their views well enough to restate their case accurately. We can also practice understanding what Scripture is saying to us by considering what the often-too-familiar words really mean, then rewording the verse for our own personal reflection.

An Exercise in Rewording

I’ve shared before how I practice the Topical Memory System from the Navigators. I’m trying to review a block of Scripture each day both as a personal discipline and a way to keep the verses fresh in mind.

When I heard this part of Koukl’s book, I thought it a wonderful opportunity to give the technique a shot.

Below are my paraphrased verses from Block E – Grow In Christlikeness, with the original verses in italics.

Love: Jesus of Nazareth told his followers that he gave them a new rule to follow, which was to love one another. But more than that, to love each other like He loved them. That’s how the rest of the world should be able to identify a follower of Jesus.

One of his closest followers passed on that wisdom, saying we shouldn’t love by talking the talk but walking the walk.

John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

1st John 3:18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. 

Humility:  Don’t do anything to put yourself on a pedestal or get over on others. Think less about you and more about others. They matter so much. Don’t just do what matters to you, but look out for others around you.

Young folks, listen to those who’ve been around longer, and everybody should treat each other as someone important, someone special. God opposes pride, but He shows favor to the humble. So you can stop worrying about lifting yourself up; you can even stoop down in life because God’s got you. He’ll lift you up at the proper time.

Philippians 2:3-4 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind, regard one another as more important than yourselves. Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 

1st Peter5:5-6 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time. 

Purity: Don’t let what you know is wrong or disgusting or even self-centered cross your thoughts, let alone your tongue or your deeds. That stuff shouldn’t have any place in your life or anyone else who calls themselves a believer.

Guys, I’m begging you to live counter to the way everyone around you lives. Don’t give in to whatever feels good or satisfies only for the immediate moment. These things are going to hurt you deep down, long term. They’re opposed to who you’re meant to be.

Ephesians 5:3 But immorality or impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 

1st Peter 2:11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. 

Honesty: Don’t steal, don’t do someone wrong, don’t lie to anyone.

Because of what God’s done in me, I do my best to make sure I’m not to blame for anything – so that nobody has any reason to call me out for anything I’ve done.

Leviticus 19:11 Do not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another.

Acts 24:16 In view of this, I also do my best to maintain always a blameless conscience both before God and before men.

Faith: Without trusting God, you can’t do what He wants – can’t even really have a relationship with Him. How are you going to connect with God unless you believe that He exists and that He answers those who go looking for Him?

As far as God’s promise was concerned, Abraham didn’t back down in doubt, but grew strong in his trust in God. He got – and showed others – a bigger picture of God in the process – being totally secure in the idea that if God said it, He is able and trustworthy to make it happen.

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

Romans 4:20-21 Yet with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief, but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. 

Good Works: Let’s not get drained in the process of doing good works, so that we don’t get tired or give up. As often as we get the chance, we should do good for everybody, and especially our fellow believers.

You should shine so bright in what you do and how you live that people would thank God for you being there and doing good.

Galatians 6:9-10 Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, as often as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith. 

Conclusion

I may have taken these farther afield from the original meaning than was necessary in a lot of cases. Some of the verses are pretty plain and straightforward in meaning – “don’t steal, don’t deal falsely, don’t lie to each other” for example.

I certainly don’t need to try writing a paraphrase of the whole Bible. (We have The Message by Eugene Peterson, which I like as a secondary or tertiary perspective on the better, more faithful, direct translations. That’s plenty enough.)

Romans 4:20-21 was full of terms I might not expect an outsider to understand with the same meaning I’d intend. Ephesians 5:3 is another one that might not resonate with a modern non-believing hearer in the way I’d want it to.

I don’t know that I would actually phrase things this way in conversation with someone. But it was a good exercise in thinking about the meaning of the verses, and how they could be rephrased without destroying their original message.

It might be something worth trying in your own devotional time – whether you’re hoping to have an answer for someone who would ask about your faith, or simply trying to ensure you have a clear understanding of what God is saying to you through Scripture.

What do you think? If you take a stab at this, share a version of a verse in the comments.

Poetry, Writing

Whispers in the Wind

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It’s time to write now,

Right now, this moment, create!

A world of options

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To think that somehow

The prose, the poems that we make

Can last beyond us

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A word legacy

Waves of rolling syllables

Flowing in our wake

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“What’s the point,” I ask,

Afraid I know the answer:

Maybe there is none.

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The question becomes:

If we’re mere whispers in wind

Will we not still speak?

Writing

Elements of Critique: Meaning

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In my work community, The Princess Bride holds an honored place in our geeky hearts. This often results in quotes at best, and renditions of entire scenes at worst.

One of my favorite lines comes from Inigo Montoya: “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

Yes, when critiquing someone else’s writing, I do look closely at meaning.

That may be as simple as a word used in the wrong way. When someone types “their” instead of “they’re,” it’s what the Air Force calls a word choice error. The word is not misspelled, but misused. It doesn’t mean what the writer thinks it means.

I saw this CNN quote in an article today: “…the horrors that fundamentalism can wrought on an individual.” In this tight job market, it’s good to know some editor positions should be opening up soon. Spell check won’t catch that error. ‘Wrought’ is a word, but it’s the wrong word. That’s an example of what I’m looking for when I critique.

Mistaken words are frequent because the rules of use can be complex and confusing. The judgmental grammar Nazi in me says “No, they’re not.” But there are different applications of intelligence in life that each require some study to get right.

The reason I go to a mechanic is because I barely know how to put oil into a car. In the same way I know very little about car engines, some people don’t have to worry about whether to use “effect” or “affect” in a sentence.

There are great resources online that explain the use of commonly mistaken words. And as mentioned before, if ever there is a doubt about how a word should be used, research it or reword it.

That said, I realize that probably all of us will use whatever word, right or wrong, with full confidence. We don’t use words when we are unsure about them. Our certainty creates blind spots, which is why we’re surprised when someone points out, like Inigo Montoya, that what we’re saying doesn’t mean what we think.

That outside objective viewpoint is critical, to help us see past our blind spots. (Obligatory “join a critique group” plug complete!)

And the outside view helps identify a bigger problem of meaning that might come up in our writing.

Meaning becomes a problem when what we’re writing doesn’t fit. When critiquing, I look for anything that doesn’t support or match up with the greater whole: sentences that don’t fit paragraphs, and paragraphs that don’t fit the point of the piece. (Think useless scenes in fiction, useless facts in non-fiction.)

For example:

The seasons on Okinawa are not the same four seasons as in the temperate climate of the United States. When the US Government turned Okinawa over to Japan in 1972, the action upset many of the residents. Okinawa, like most tropical islands, has two seasons: the rainy season and typhoon season. Typhoon season lasts from about April through October, and the rainy season occupies the other months.

That second sentence takes me right out of the paragraph wondering why it’s even there. It doesn’t support anything related to the meaning of the paragraph. If this piece is about weather on Okinawa, that sentence doesn’t even relate to the whole article.

Writing well is about economy of words (though you wouldn’t know it from my lengthy diatribes). We can’t afford to include something that ignores, or worse, contradicts the main point of our piece.

Failing to consider meaning in writing will have a drastic negative effect on how our writing affects our readers. Before our writing gets put out there for readers to set before their eyes, we want to make sure they’re going to get the meaning we intend.

Otherwise, I fear I’ll hear that thickly-accented voice say: “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my language. Prepare to die.”

Culture/Politics

Frozen Fresh

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“Do you want to build discussion?”

I’m sitting with ice on my Frankenstein foot following physical therapy. The chill is comforting and soothing.

And I’m thinking about a Facebook conversation with some friends about the meaning and messages (overt or subtle) of the movie Frozen.

There’s no doubt that the movie took the world by storm. It’s made over a billion dollars if memory serves; the movie and its well-known song “Let It Go” won an Oscar; it even forced me to run out to find my wife a talking Olaf snowman for her birthday.

The movie does things with the plot and characters that no Disney movie has tried before. It’s refreshing and different. One of the main characters doesn’t even get a love interest. And the hero is not the prince or charming guy dashing in to save the day. The typical love story is off to the side while the spotlight shines on the bond between sisters.

But there’s some discussion in some corners of the Internet about what exactly the movie is teaching our kids. So I thought before I make a couple posts, I’d ask you, dear readers, for your opinions.

No wrong answer. Just wondering what you see when you watched it. Let me know in a comment please.

(Let me know… Let me know… Don’t hold it back anymore…)

Thanks for your time.
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