| Posted: 17 Jul 2009 05:22 PM PDT The Colors of Division in the American Church Remember that old riddle we used to ask one another as kids? “What’s black and white and red all over?”
As many of us recall, the answer was, of course, a newspaper. This answer, however, relied on the fact that that the words “red” and “read” are homophones (a word that is pronounced and sounds the same as another, but embodies a completely different meaning—not that this information was of particular importance to a twelve year-old). For those of you who take an interest in word studies and linguistics, this popular 20th century folk riddle only works when written or spoken in English. In The Language of Jokes: Analyzing Verbal Play (1992), author Delia Chiaro pointed out that is virtually and technically impossible to translate this joke into languages besides English, considering that, for example, the French, Italian, and German words for “red” (rouge, rosso, and rot) mean nothing other than “the color red.” Even worse, not one of the aforementioned languages contains a homophone for the word “red.” The riddle simply can’t translate. Although the importance of the riddle relied little on the actual colors of the newspaper, there is something in existence within this nation that does indeed have difficulty translating and remaining culturally relevant because of a problem with colors. It’s the American church. And no, the colors have nothing to do with a racial context. In fact, these colors can’t even be seen in the physical world by the naked eye. They are the colors of church issues: What worship music styles and formats are acceptable and Biblical? What movies, TV shows, and music can a Christian watch and listen to? What type of clothing is acceptable for a Christian to wear? Is it ok for Christians to enjoy the Internet and social networks like MySpace and Facebook? (Many argue the Internet is full of too many temptations). Can a church employ armed security guards (yes, it’s actually being debated)? Is a pastor required to wear a tie while preaching behind the pulpit? (I know, I thought the same thing). Does that pulpit have to be made of wood or is a more contemporary, Plexiglass lectern acceptable? (You’ve got to be kidding, right?). While many of these matters may seem ambiguous to some, they are at the root and core of countless divisions, debates, and even vehement arguments within churches and Christian culture as a whole in the U.S. Why? To some, they are black and white, right or wrong. To others, they are gray: able to be debated, interpreted, and acted upon based on an individual’s own personal and spiritual convictions. And, unfortunately, it is these two groups who are constantly clashing and subsequently destroying the testimony and witnessing capabilities of the church, not to mention their own personal testimonies–And all over issues such as where a teleprompter screen will hang in a sanctuary, what color the new carpet will be, or what construction company they will hire to build the new annex building. And the sad truth is this: Christian individuals and church congregations have been doing it for centuries…
Stay tuned. Check out part one of the series next week.
–Josh Givens, The Underground staff writer |
Posted via email from The Underground-- Not Your Average Christian Mag
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