The Weight of Words

Forgoing Religion

Just the other night my roommate and I were having a late night conversation that ended up with us talking about the power of words and the definitions behind them. I know I’ve spoken about definitions on here before when referring to the definitive title of a pastor (Titles and Bibles), but just as usual I was prompted with another thought lately as far as words go. Words have always been striking to me, and the way they interplay with tone and body language as well has such defining power; it’s remarkable. For example, one of my favorite facts is that the sentence “I never said he stole my wallet” is capable of having seven different meanings, depending on which word you choose to emphasize. Go ahead, give it a try.

The word usage I was given to recently, while reading a daily reader called “Serious Joy,” which is a break down of Jonathan Edwards’ 70 resolutions, was that in today’s evangelical circles, we often have replaced the word religion with relationship. I certainly understand the purpose of the interchanging of this word, seeing as how in the modern age, there has been a great disdain for what most consider organized religion. It was also certainly this interchanging of words that helped me understand my standing with Christ and how I ought to operate in my following of Him. That being said, when reading “Serious Joy” it made a reasonable argument towards believers not to refer to it solely as a relationship, but rather remember that it is indeed religion. By slowly removing the word religion from our vernacular, we do a great disservice to the weight of the glory of Christ. To only refer to Christianity as a relationship alone, is like that which is to call your spouse, your partner, rather than wife or husband. You would certainly feel a stark difference if I were to tell you “she is my religion” when speaking of a spouse, than if I were to say “she is my love.” Each description holds a different kind of weight to it.

There’s an old quote by CS Lewis that goes, “Don't use words too big for the subject. Don't say 'infinitely' when you mean 'very'; otherwise you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite.”
If I could, I might also add to this quote, by saying that we ought never to use words too small when describing something truly extraordinary. However, this quote I do believe, does a great job to sum up my recent revelation far better than I can describe it. I have both a wonder and a jealousy for the beauty of words. As I read many writers, especially those in the past, such as the poets of “The Valley of Vision,” I am constantly enamored by the beauty of their words, the depth of feeling each one captures, and I find myself praying that I could write one day with such a similar enchantment. For now however, I have to lean on the lyrics of songs, to describe how I feel. I have to seek out writers who have come before me to explain the experiences that I’ve had, but could never fully put into words.

This has been one of my many ramblings, but I would certainly encourage any Christian believer not to forget the word religion. We are never in danger of taking Christ too seriously, but often we find ourselves in danger of not taking Him seriously enough.