Why Do We Use Big Church Words?

Have you heard the old seminary joke about a professor explaining the difference between exegesis and eisegesis? Exegesis, she said is a careful analytical study of scripture. Eisegesis is interpreting and applying the exegesis, as a preacher would do in a sermon. While the class discussion was continuing someone mumbled in the back of the room: “I don’t know nothin’ about exegesis and I don’t understand eisegesis. I just want to learn about Jesus!”

Several weeks ago, I asked folks on our email lists to send me “frustrating favorites” of big church words heard recently. Here are some of their responses:

• Modality: I used the word in a sentence one time and a lady laughed and said: “You come up with the funniest words sometimes!” She almost suggested I made it up!
• Propitiation: It’s a big word in the King James Bible but what does it mean?
• Sanctification: Do the Methodists still use this word a lot?
• Any word with millennialism that seems to be used more frequently as we approach Y2K, oh yeah… that one too!

The all-time “frustrating favorite” big church word mentioned by more than half of our survey belonged to (Drum roll please!) …eschatology. Use it in a sentence and watch the modality of your listener grow strangely quiet as he mentally questions your sanctification and prays for propitiation that would end any further conversations with you… you postmillennialist crumb cake!

Larry, what does Eschatology mean? I thought you would never ask. Let’s break it down:

• Escha… short for escargot, a fancy word for snail... eat it and strange things happen.
• …tol… is pronounced “tall” as in telling a “tall tale.”
• …ogy… pronounced: “Oh Gee!” Short for… “Do you take me for an idiot?”

Escha-tol-ogy is your reaction to eating escargot, which causes you to spin endless tall tales about Y2K as the poor listener can only reply… “Oh Gee!” It sounds silly but closer to the truth than you think. One frustrated survey response asked: “Why can’t people just say end-times?”

Question: “Why do church leaders feel the need to use those big church words?” Actually, the problem is not the words as with the attitude of those using them as a survey response pointed out: “It doesn’t hurt to stretch the mind – especially with spiritual vocabulary. All one has to do is define these words for others rather than throwing them out with spiritual arrogance.”  

Jesus gave a warning to arrogant church leaders: “And how they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the most prominent seats in the synagogue! They enjoy the attention they get on the streets, and they enjoy being called ‘rabbi.’ Don’t ever let anyone call you ‘rabbi,’ for you have only one teacher, and all of you are on the same level as brothers and sisters.” (Matthew 23:6-8)

Then Jesus shouts: “Blind Guides! How terrible it will be for you. Hypocrites!” Why is he so livid? He goes on to say: “You are careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy – full of greed and self-indulgence!” (25) Jesus’ concern is not so much with what we say but with the sincerity of our attitude and the humbleness of our spirit. “For I tell you this, you will never see me again until you say, ‘Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” (39)     

Big church words can be powerful teaching tools enabling others to deepen their spirituality or they can be arrogant symbols of your sinful pride. In other words, you become coldly proficient at exegesis but neglect needed spiritual time with God to develop meaningful eisegesis and in the end say very little about Jesus and without Jesus you end up with nothing and fool no one!

Oh… As far as eschatology is concerned, I would like to quote a famous entertainer who summed up the future with this insightful statement: “Chances are, we ain’t seen nothin’ yet!”