Theology: The language of “Shut up and DO Something!”

I’ve met my fair share of religious types here in Chicago.  There are certain spiritual gurus that make their religion about words.  Rastafaris say that “isms are for schisms,” (I LOVE that!) but much of their religious convictions revolve around their commitments to their vocabulary, which they believe can actually heal disease and end war.  A friend of mine is considering baptism and beginning a relationship with God, and is confused because he heard a friend (who happens to be a priest) tell him that saying the right words at the event of the baptism is what makes it “count” or not.  Say the wrong words, and there is no magic.

Christians are not without this entrappment of words.  More books are printed today on Christianity and the Christian Life than any other subject.  We have televangelists, Christian radio, and a whole industry built around the language of our faith.

What sort of Christian are you? What church do you go to?  What do you call it?  What about your church model?  Mega?  Cell?  Micro?  Missional?  Emergent?  Organic?  What word do you place before the Body of Christ?

What do your creeds say?  How are they different from what mine say?  Demarkate, delineate, and separate with your words the Body of Christ.  Even the word Christian holds with it assumptions that can weigh down or set free.

The Teacher seems to think that there is no end to the making and studying of words (Ecc 12:12).  And admittedly, we must use language to participate in the world.  But can words really solve the problems of this world?  No!  Ya gotta get out there and do something!

I just met my neighbor at the nearby coffeeshop and we chatted some about this.  We laughed about the nature of our society, where its easier for us to meet at a Starbucks 2 blocks away for a real conversation than to hang out at each other’s homes.  Our fences are much like the words we keep up to protect us from being together.  We had a great conversation about tacit and direct relationship.  We talked about how doctors use tacit touch (scalpals) while people of faith use direct touch (laying on of hands).  We talked about Twitter (tacit) or face to face dialogue (direct), about watches on our wrist, or sun in the sky, about engaging a drive thru or engaging a backyard garden.

When we reach the end of words – its not to be a scary thing.  When we can’t live with the labels of “White” “Black” “Christian” “Muslim” “Protestant” “Catholic” “Missional”… maybe we can step outside of our silos and get to know the enemy – and offer some neighborly peace, a hug, some tomatos from your garden, and the assurance of a that friendship that is willing to cross over the fence we put up in the past.  Tired of the chatter?  So shut up and go do something!

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