I have come to the place where I feel certain words which are replete throughout Christendom are simply unredeemable. I believe they need to be stricken from our vocabulary and replaced with words that more accurately reflect what was in the hearts and minds of the apostles.
Words are powerful in that they convey ideas, emotions and beliefs. When words become institutionalized they take on a life of their own and become inseparable from the meanings attached to them from years of use – or misuse. So then continuing to use these words in a present context hinders us from breaking the chains of religion and tradition, and perpetuate distortion. Here is my first one – maybe you have some of your own to share.
Church
The resilience of this word is amazing. It has effectively supplanted the word ekklesia (the actual Greek word used and generally translated “church”) in denoting a body of believers. Even the most recent Bible translations render ekklesia as “church” knowing it is an errant translation: if not an intentional mistranslation. The word “church” has no real connection with the word ekklesia and in fact perpetuates the fallacy of the building being the House of God. This word is laden with over a thousand years of religious baggage and simply cannot be used without evoking imagery that violates the true nature of the body.
Ironically, one usage of this word today is actually quite in line with its original definition. For instance, when someone says “Look at that beautiful church!” they are obviously speaking of the building. Or how about the old children’s finger-game: “Here’s the church, here’s the steeple. Open the doors and see all the people.”
It gets more convoluted when someone speaks of “going to church” or asks “Where do you go to church?” In the first case the word has blurred the line between building and people – in the second, they have pulled out the doctrinal GPS to determine your spiritual proximity. Both are equally insidious.
I believe we must choose our vocabulary carefully: not falling into legalism, but using wisdom. For of all the possible words used to describe gatherings of the saints the Lord Jesus and the apostles chose ekklesia, a non-religious word. It simply refers to an assembly of people who answer a summons or calling toward a particular cause. Whereas kyriakon, the generally accepted Greek word that has become the English word “church,” has definite religious connection, and yet was unused in the new testament writings.
A second witness to this idea is provided by our dear brother Alan Knox in his blog post “The Ekklesia and the Kuriakon.”
