Could we remove discussions about orientation completely?  Can we not just refer to others as people, brothers, sisters, Mary or Fred?

Call me crazy but I can not think of one valid reason to be discussing some one's sexual preferences in church.  

LB - label me perpendicularly perplexed

The state has no business in the bedrooms of the nation.     Pierre Trudeau

Yes, LB, and I think the church should take a stand on this. Ummmmm, now what would that do to affirming Congregations?

Who came up with the word "straight" to mean heterosexual anyway?

I just read that article today while having my lunch.  It was about so much more than sexual orientation - in fact it really wasn't about that at all.    We have a lot of jargon in the church - we need to communicate our messages in clear up-to-date language that real everyday people - particularly newcomers - can understand.  

Here's another line from the article - "I'll just store my alb in the vestry and meet you in the narthex for further discussion.  Make sure you don't get lost in the chancel or the vestibule.  Just follow through the nave and you'll be right where you need to be."   Huh?

Do we need to pay more attention to language ... YES.

Yes, I thought it was a very good article and it reminded me of the thread that we had on acromyns( is that what they are called - initials) some time ago.

yes we have to pay attention to words and language.  But that does not mean we have to stop using ALL the "church speak".

Instead we may need to reclaim it.  WE may need to reframe it.  But there is nothing wrong with having our own language as long as we are willing to have to explain what we mean.

Otherwise the chancel area becomes the stage which means worship has become performance.

I agree with GordW; I think due to how words such as 'evangelical', 'intelligent design', etc. have been used and applied, there is a lot of language out there which we hesitate to use - and in some cases rightfully so, but we should not be afraid of labelling ourselves as 'Christian' and using specifically Christian/Christ-oriented language to express ourselves, anymore than my in-laws hesitate to orient themselves in a Jewish context, or than many Muslims I know would orient themselves using references from Islam. However, the caution needs to be that we do not impose that language on others simply because it is how we express our own direction, and that we understand what words have come to mean and represent (the example of language surrounding sexual orientation is a good example; the concept of intelligent design is another, in which I believe in a literal sense in that God created the world, but NOT as a synonym for creationism), and where using certain language would place us/our views in a certain context, we need to be aware of that.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1) Unfortunately, the author of the Gospel of John does not tell us which words are godly, so this is up to us discern.

To me, the Spirit of God is the Spirit of Unity and Synthesis. Words that are divisive are ungodly; words that are unitive are godly.

You mean .... that isn't about sex?  dang, and here I thought I had all the code words figured out.

isn't it knave?  I'm pretty sure it is knave...because I know that knave (silence knave!) came from the part of a church, called a knave.

As-salaamu alaikum

-Omni

I recall coming to the church, from a Jewish background, and I was absolutely lost. It was Christianese.  Yet, my wife was just as lost as a childhood Anglican.

We had our map (the bulletin) we saw the word Introit. Ok, now knowing it is a vocal opening means something (let's hope people do). The thing was there was nothing signifying what that Introit was. My wife said, "likely Holy, Holy, Holy". Words, for me? Where? Turned out it was not even Holy Holy, Holy and was something else the already-church folks knew.... The wife was sooo glad she did not start singing out "Holy, Holy, Holy..."

The clergy began and spoke about exegesis, my wife looked at me like "Ex-Jesus, what kind of church are we in?" I mouthed, "tell ya later".

We looked at the map, doxology? Huh? Passing the peace? Huh?

People say something and there is an expected response and we did not know it. IE. "This is the Word of the Lord" and "the Peace of Christ be with you" (the wife did know this one).

There was then a sung benediction at the close. Knowing what a benediction was helped, but no words and no place in a hymnal mentioned in the map... they all start singing again. It was awhile before we learned they had it memorized and we could find it in the hymnal.

We spent time looking words up or one teaching the other... There have been many asked of me, "what does __ mean?"

The list includes intinction, better add Eucharist (both Communion and Eucharist are used), narthex, nave, vestments, transsubstantiation, stole (looking for a fur), advent, Pentecost, septuagint, transfiguration, epistle, prayer for illumination, prayers of the people, commissioning, benediction, threefold amen....

We assume people know the Lord's Prayer.

I can imagine it would be akin to wandering in where the service was in a foriegn language.

Sure felt like it to me....

Nothing makes you feel more disconnected or stupid than not knowing when to stand, when to sit, what to say, what to sing....  

Not quite as bad as a church that uses two spaces, one summer and another winter... someone new to town showing up for church for three weeks to find nobody there at the appointed hour. Finding out  months later when one day telling people "I don't go to ___ because it is closed"

Those are good examples StevieG.  The Living the Welcome/Hope workshops addressed many of those issues with language in our services & bulletins - I'm happy to say that my church has acted on simplifying many of the the things you mention. 

At one of those workshops, they also mentioned that most kids younger than Grade 7 probably don't know the words to Lord's Prayer, since recitation in public schools was stopped as they entered the school system.  We now announce in our service where the prayer words can be found in the hymnbook.    

Step by step ...

True story....

My son one day said I want to go to church.  I, being the dutiful mother, said, OK.

I hadn't been to a church in years except for weddings and funerals.  I knew I could not go back to my original church, their political theology and mine were polar opposites.  The last local minister I had contact with was the Anglican for my grandfather's funeral.  I liked the man he was down to earth.  I had been in the church, again for a funeral, and it was beautiful and their music was wonderful.

So off we go one sunny Sunday morning, pull up at the church door, read the sign out side "Sung Eucharist".  My son says, what does that mean, I said, I'm not sure but I think that  we have to sing the service.  We looked at each other in horror and promptly drove to the United Church.  Been there ever since.

There was lots of churchspeak I did not understand at the UC, whole conversations I still don't understand, but at least we weren't stopped at the door.

LB

Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with shades of deeper meaning.     Maya Angelou

Some people from out of the country were visitng relatives in Canada.  The Anglican church had an advertisement in the newspaper about a weekday noonhour communion sservice.  They were delighted as they would be travelling at the weekend.

They went to the church.  The sign outside said there was a service that day at noon.  The door was locked.  They banged on it.  Waited around for fifteen minutes.  They left unfed.

I mentioned this to the priest when I saw him.  His response?  "We use the backdoor for that service.  Everyone knows that".

I have to share a story about a word. I was taken to a funeral and afterwards I was scared to death. Not of the dead body, I had been around tons of dead folks in a home for elderly, but I thought I had been accidently baptized. I came in and tried to explain that the priest had been at the coffin, waving "the big tea infuser on a stick" and I got splashed with holy water. One of our old fellas, who was Catholic, said he priest had sprinkled the casket with the aspirgillum. I told him, "no it was not asparagus, it was a giant tea infuser!"

Some good chuckles here today!  Thanks. 

Oooo  that swingin' tea infuser --- -- that would have given me nightmares!

The mass lends itself to misunderstandings -- especially when they were in Latin.   When I was little, my dad told me for fun that the priest had lost his hat (when Eucharist was being served). 

Pretty comical -- looking in the little cupboard -- the priest turns around and shrugs, "Not in there.."