Recovering Theological Language

"...as Christians we have increasingly secularized our own language. Outside worship, and sometimes even in worship, we have tended to adopt nontheological language to describe Christian theology and Christian life. For example, instead of baptism, we talk of 'getting the baby done.' Instead of sin and grace, we talk about 'accepting that you are accepted.' And instead of practices of reconciliation, we talk about 'managing conflict' or 'coping with difficult people.' Indeed, it would seem as if Christians - laypeople, clergy, and theologians - have become immunized against the use of theological language for characterizing our lives in general, and forginveness in particular. Unfortunately, we have not been as effectively immunized against 'therapeutic' language. The grammar of Christian forgiveness has been largely co-opted by a therapeutic grammar. Theodore Jennings has characterized our culture as being caught by 'mental health moralism and therapeutic narcissism.' When forgiveness is seen in primiarily individualistic and privatistic terms, we lose sight of its central role in establishing a way of life - not only with our 'inner' selves but also in our relations with others." - L. Gregory Jones, fromEmbodying Forgiveness