Reflection for June 26

I’ve been visiting a lot of churches.... One thing I’ve been struck with in many of the places I’ve visited—from High Church establishments to evangelical church plants to Pentecostal prayer meetings to fringe missional collectives—is how thoroughly their liturgical words and practices assume that Christianity is the first language of the people gathered there. Words like sin, grace, gospel, atonement, salvation, offering, tithe, and communion are most used without being defined or interpreted.

To be sure, many such words are particularly beautiful and beautifully particular. Few synonyms could adequately convey their richness. So don’t get me wrong: I don’t believe that we should jettison our ancient vocabulary. Instead, we should teach it compellingly and as early as possible. When it comes to learning languages, children have a tremendous advantage. After puberty both the brain’s plasticity to internalize new construction and the mouth’s flexibility make new sounds begin to diminish. Likewise, it’s important to learn Christianity early, as a first language (“Faith in translation,” Trey Hall, Christian Century, June 22, 2016).