Learning to Speak "Christianese": Substituting True Christianity with Church Culture

How does one become a Christian? Well, I guess that’s somewhat of a trick question. Since the inception of Christianity, willing would-be converts have wanted to know, “what must I do to be saved?” The answer to that question should be relatively simple, right? Romans 12: 1-2 tell us that, “if you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, that you shall be saved”. This is all that must be done to be “saved”. However, becoming a Christian? Well…that’s not nearly as simple.

I remember when I first underwent my transformation and deciding to live a life in accordance with the teachings of Jesus Christ and accepting Him as Lord.  I was a “believer”, but I soon found that being a “Christian” was a completely different form of identity.  I wanted so badly to be like the saints that I saw around me. I was so impressed by their many godly catch phrases, seemingly endless catalog of memorized scriptures, and adept knowledge of church culture.  I call it speaking “Christianese”, the language and jargon of a real Christian. I said to myself, this is what being a Christian is about. I wanted to be like them. 

So I went about the task of making flashcards with fundamental scriptures known throughout Christian circles (true story), you know the usual: John 3:16, Psalm 23, etc.  When people asked me how I was doing, I didn’t just say, “fine”. No, that’s not what Christians do. I had to give a sanctified response like, “Blessed, and highly favored in the Lord”.  I learned all the call-and-response phrases.  You know the classics: “God is good, all the time! And all the time, God is good!”, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning”, and one of my personal favorites, “He may not come when you want him to, but He’s always on time”. To be honest, it felt a bit like a course in Christianity. And by the time I completed my task, I was ready. For what you ask? For the superficial examination that most church folk give you the moment you claim to be a part of the faith. I knew enough scriptures to win a Bible quiz bowl, I had all the clever Christian quips and knew how to complete all Christian clichés.  But what I noticed was while I FIRST dedicated myself to studying the basic tenets of Christianity and then adopted the cultural nuances, many of my brothers and sisters in the faith simply pursued the later and neglected the former altogether. In other words, the depth of their understanding of the faith was EXTREMELY limited and, to put it politely, cosmetic.  I soon realized, “These folk don’t know about Christianity, as much as they know church culture.” 

So much of what is acknowledged as part of Christian faith is in fact contrived.  It is learned behavior that over time becomes engrained in our psyche as part of the Gospel.  The "getting happy" dance right on cue as the drummer increases tempo, the holding up of the "baptist finger" whenever departing from service early are all examples of this behavior. I sat and watched others like myself, who accepted the faith of Christianity wholeheartedly but didn’t fit the mold of what a typical Christian looks like or acts. I observed the way they were received when noticed they hadn’t dedicated any scriptures to memory, but had a sincere and devout understanding of God’s love and the teachings of the Messiah.  I saw many of my brethren and sistren rejected simply because they were unfamiliar with the culture of the church, and not because they weren’t believers.  I saw people who where supposed to demonstrate God's loving-kindness scar young believers for life and cripple their walk of faith. It was at that moment that I decided to no longer assimilate, but to choose my own identity in Christ.  I would be exactly who God created me to be, and live out my faith in the best way I could reconcile according to scripture (not people).

So no, I don’t wear the ¾ length nine-button suits with the gator-skin loafers, not because I don’t like them (I don’t, but that’s beside the point).  I don’t do it because it has absolutely NOTHING to do with Christianity. I still play my music loudly, drink recreationally, and hang out with friends (of reaonsable character) because It doesn’t contradict my religion.  I can still speak “Christianese” with the best of them, but now recognize that this has little if anything to do with true Christianity. 

- Judah