Ok, this is probably going to get me in trouble…

When we are trying to attract the world to Jesus, why must we use language that is guaranteed to drive them away?

Just as an example — I do not know the writer, nor have I read the blog– the title of a blog came across my screen the other day entitled, Gospel of Jesus Christ, Gift of Eternal Life. This is the name of the blog, not an article on the blog.

Maybe it is intended for Christians, disciples, believers or all three. If so, ok; at least they’ll understand the terminology.

If it is intended to attract the unchurched or dechurched, well, it did the opposite.

Why is this necessary? Why is the “right” terminology so important that we drive away the very audience that would benefit from what we’ve discovered? What happened to “becoming all things to all men” in order to give them a fair and honest opportunity to evaluate our claims.

Don’t we want them to accept the incredible life that we have?

Please don’t lump me in with the heretical, left wing, non-evangelical, liberal camp. I was once a dechurcher; my experience taught me that instead of loving me back into the fold, my brethren would rather cast me out of the camp, brand me as unclean and stone me.

That really didn’t go very far in making my heart go pitapater to go back. The truth is that it drove me into 15 years of wandering in the wilderness.

We don’t need to candycoat, speak in unknown church tongues, nor condemn. We have the Word of Life. It is amazing what it can do.