I think some people are what I would call third-person christians. I'm not a grammarian, and I don't know if this metaphor holds up literally, but third-person christians read the Bible in the third-person. They think in terms of "they" instead of "me." They don't personalize it by reading it in first-person terms. And so Scripture is de-personalized.
Here's another example. Third-person christians attend church in the third-person thinking about the people in their life that "need to hear this message" rather than processing it personally! They talk about church in "they" terms instead of "we" terms.
Here's a thought. Simply insert the first-person "I" or "me" or "we" when reading the Bible. It helps you own Scripture. And more importantly, it helps Scripture own you.
Here's another example. Third-person christians attend church in the third-person thinking about the people in their life that "need to hear this message" rather than processing it personally! They talk about church in "they" terms instead of "we" terms.
Here's a thought. Simply insert the first-person "I" or "me" or "we" when reading the Bible. It helps you own Scripture. And more importantly, it helps Scripture own you.
10 Comments:
This was good for me.
Well said Mark...for me & others:)
good stuff. you are so right, mark.
--Terrace Crawford
www.terracecrawford.com
www.twitter.com/terracecrawford
I know other people who need to read this:) (lol)
That's a really interesting point, and it causes me to recall my #1 pet peeve about NCC jargon. More often than not, pastors at NCC leave off the first person pronoun at the beginning of a sentence. For instance:
"Excited to be here this morning."
"Just a great time this past weekend."
"Umm....just want to put this on your radar."
It's as if you are tweeting each sentence, always aware of some character limit. Anyway - I like what you're saying here and wonder if it will cause you to notice when you tend to leave the first person out of your own speech. I'd love to see it return, because it lends an air of accountability to what's actually being said in a sentence.
So, "Excited to be here this morning" becomes "I'm excited to be here this morning." There's a pretty big difference, and might cause the whole statement to be reapproached in a way that is more inclusive, such as: "I'm excited to be here with you this morning."
Really...(I) was picking this up all the time. (It's) Worth considering!
Graham,
That was a tangent :)
I actually think our casual atmosphere lends toward a more informal speech when it comes to salutations. Might drive some people crazy, but probably makes church feel less formal for others.
My two cents,
Mark
Graham's comments remind me of what George Orwell said in Politics and the English Language:
"...but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts."
That's my two cents.
Love that Orwell quote!
Totally resonate with it as a writer. I try to measure every word.
I used to bemoan the fact that I was a "manuscript" preacher having to write out my message. In retrospect I'm grateful. Forced me to use words judiciously.
Mark
I heard that Orwell quote on the latest Mars Hill Audio Journal by Ken Meyers. He was interviewing Marilyn Chandler McEntyre on how the abuse of language creates distrust in the power of words and on how we can be better stewards of the gift of language.
Have you even listened to the Mars Hill Audio Journal? It is kind of like "NPR" within a Christian context. If you've never heard it, you have to check it out.
Well said!
Post a Comment
<< Home