Comments on: Church or church? http://crazychristians.net/2007/07/15/church-or-church/ Just another WordPress weblog Mon, 16 Aug 2010 17:49:32 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: (diGG)Doug Mendoza http://crazychristians.net/2007/07/15/church-or-church/comment-page-1/#comment-40 (diGG)Doug Mendoza Tue, 27 Nov 2007 14:02:59 +0000 http://www.crazychristians.net/2007/07/15/church-or-church/#comment-40 I often think it's cool how the computing society (for lack of a better term) has added definitions to existing English words - rather than invent new words to learn. E.g. icon, chat, page, even computer. Of course, some new words are necessary - modem, IM, etc. - but they usually are derived from other words or are acronyms, and are few enough that they are easily learned. It seems that our society adds new meanings, rather than new words, as a general rule in all areas. Probably the last real explosion of new words was in the Elizabethan age under Shakespeare. Unfortunately, this can cause confusion or a loss of nuance when applied to words like church. church = building where a group meets for religious activities church = congregation or group of people who do religious activities together church = worship service church = global body of like-minded religious believers For clarity, I prefer to use terms like church building, congregation, service, church body - but that can come across as ostentatious, so I generally don't do it. If we could move towards separate words to help differentiate our meanings, then perhaps what is said would be less misunderstood or more readily received. Until then, we need to take extra care to say what we actually mean. I often think it’s cool how the computing society (for lack of a better term) has added definitions to existing English words – rather than invent new words to learn. E.g. icon, chat, page, even computer. Of course, some new words are necessary – modem, IM, etc. – but they usually are derived from other words or are acronyms, and are few enough that they are easily learned.

It seems that our society adds new meanings, rather than new words, as a general rule in all areas. Probably the last real explosion of new words was in the Elizabethan age under Shakespeare. Unfortunately, this can cause confusion or a loss of nuance when applied to words like church.

church = building where a group meets for religious activities

church = congregation or group of people who do religious activities together

church = worship service

church = global body of like-minded religious believers

For clarity, I prefer to use terms like church building, congregation, service, church body – but that can come across as ostentatious, so I generally don’t do it.

If we could move towards separate words to help differentiate our meanings, then perhaps what is said would be less misunderstood or more readily received. Until then, we need to take extra care to say what we actually mean.

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