It just seems so intuitive.
If they don’t understand you, say it louder and slower; and they will
understand.
For those of us who have gotten off the beaten tourist path or
lived in a foreign country, we have learned that louder and slower does not work. If we don’t share a common language, it is hopeless
regardless of how loudly we shout. (By the way: they do not “all speak
English.”)
What is true of asking directions to the bus station is also
true of talking about our experience of faith.
If they do not share our vocabulary or know anything about our belief
structure, they are not going to understand us.
We can learn as much from the Apostle Paul.
A Shared
Language
Paul’s
practice in the book of Acts was to go to the local synagogue and argue from
the Hebrew scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah (Acts 17:2). The folks Paul found in the synagogue shared with
him a common body of sacred texts, vocabulary, religious history, and
worldview.
In our
day many of us, who have been long in the faith, assume that others are
familiar with our religious vocabulary and, even if not accepting it,
understand the conceptual architecture of our faith.
I lived
in rural Arkansas in the early 80’s. In that era if you asked someone you met
on the street if they had been “washed in the blood,” they likely would have
understood your meaning. Understanding
this language, and even using this language, in no way was assurance that they
were followers of the way of Jesus; but at a minimum they understood and could
speak the language when they needed to.
I
suspect this would no longer be true even in rural Arkansas.
Learning
a New Language
Sometimes
life requires us to learn a new language.
Paul finds himself in Athens waiting for Silas and Timothy to arrive
(Acts 17). While he waits, he begins
talking with Jews and God-fearing Greeks.
“God Fearers” were Gentiles who accepted the ethical teachings of
Judaism but had not converted and did not follow the ceremonial laws. Both these groups would have been familiar
with the language of the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible)
and the central precepts of the Jewish faith.
They and Paul spoke a common language and drew upon a shared religious
universe.
Some of
the pagan scholars and philosophers, who liked to hang out in Athens and debate
new ideas, overhear Paul and call him a “babbler,” one who proclaims some
foreign God. The problem is clear. Paul is “preaching the good news about Jesus
and the resurrection [17:18].” These scholars know nothing about any of that.
They likely had little or no awareness of the beliefs of some tiny religious
sect of people—the Hebrews—living in the backwaters of the Roman Empire. These scholars invite Paul with his strange
ideas to speak to them in the Areopagus.
The Areopagus was a rocky hilltop where philosophers gathered to debate and criminal trials were held.
Paul begins
by complimenting them on their passion for truth, saying they are “very
religious” (17:22-23). His use of the
word religious is not pejorative as it is sometimes used in our day, as in
“Christianity is not a religion; it is a relationship.” Paul in a winsome way tries to establish some
common ground in verse 23 by going on to say, "I am going to declare to you the
one you have been seeking.” Affirming
common ground is a constructive way to
begin any conversation.
Paul
then gives an unprecedented sermon. He
quotes no scripture, and he makes only an oblique reference to Jesus in verse 31 by
saying judgment will come by a “man whom he (God) has appointed.” In the place of scripture, he quotes a pagan
poet twice (verse 28). This sermon is
quite different from his arguing from the Hebrew scriptures, his normal
practice in the Synagogue.
He does take a shot at the Athenians' ethnocentric arrogance when he says in verse 26: “He made from one every nation of men to live upon the earth.” The Athenians believed they were a distinct race, having arisen separately from all the other peoples of the world. Paul knows of this belief. He was well versed in the mindset and beliefs of his listeners. In other words, Paul spoke to them in their own enculturated language of ideas.
Paul goes
on to talk of resurrection, repentance, and judgment. At this point Paul loses
most of his audience. He does not
compromise what he believes to be true as he adopts this new language, of ideas, but he
does all he can to build a bridge from his beliefs to their beliefs. Some listeners do believe
and join the movement (17:32—34), having heard the message within their own enculturated
language.
In
Our Day
We live
in a country where many around us have no awareness of the content of the Bible.
They know little or nothing of our faith.
They are clueless about what we do when we gather together. Sadly, much of what they have heard about us is unattractive to them. We must learn a
new language with new vocabulary and imagery if we want to be heard.
To learn that new language we must be among the people speaking it and
listen to what they are saying and how they are saying.
We are spiritual
expatriates in our own land; we need to acknowledge this. We must learn the
language of our land if we want to be heard. Saying the same old things louder
and slower will not work.
Jim
Kelsey
Executive
Minister—American Baptist Churches of New York State
