Preaching like a Pirate???

In honor of "Talk Like A Pirate Day" some suggested that I preach like a pirate with all the arghs and avast mateys.  Although I think the youth would like it, most of the church would probably want to make me walk the plank.  (Into the drink with yer...)  But it did make me think about how we communicate the gospel.

Many arguments have been made that we need to "dechurch" our language to attract Spiritual seekers who want to find God, but have been turned off by the church.  They have a point.  We use words in our worship that are not used in common culture.  That is why we keep re-translating the Bible.  It is only Good News if they can understand it.  The opposition's argument is that if they can learn to order a "grande, decaf, Carmel machiato cappuccino" at Starbucks (also words that are not in common use in regular society) then they should be able to learn terms like lectionary, intinction, and epistle.

For the most part I try to write my sermons and my prayers in the same way I talk.  I take to heart the advice of my preaching professor, "If you preach above the heads of your middle schoolers, then you have probably lost half the adults, too.  Now, I do not dumb down my sermons.  I believe that our youth are smarter than we give them credit for.  But I try to use everyday language.  If I want to talk about a Hebrew or Greek word, I define it first.  I have heard sermons that could have been used as doctoral thesis, and even though I could understand them, I want to know who they were trying to impress?

The core of the Gospel (Which means the Good News, by the way) can be summarized in the preschool song, "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so."  That is what we need to get across...  If we suddenly had an influx of Caribbean pirates, then I would not be adverse to  singing, "Jesus, loves ye, argh, ye kin..."  On World Communion Sunday I invite church members who speak another language to participate in their native tongue.  I am all for Christian music being written to Rap or Techno beats.  (I would prefer not to listen to Rap for long, but I understand that it reaches some people that I can't.)

So, the neighborhood around the church is changing.  We need to listen to and pay attention to their language if we want to reach out with the Good News.  Shiver me timbers, that can be a terrifying thought.  Some of ye would probably rather face the Kracken than change the decent and in order way that we have always done things. 

But here is one last parting thought to chew on.  Where are Presbyterian Churches the strongest?  In Korea, Several African Countries, and on Native American Reservations the Presbyterian church is thriving.  It is growing in Latin America.  Where our church is thriving is where we HAD to learn to speak their language and relate to people in their culture.  Our culture in the US is changing.  Our language in the US is changing.  Our church needs to learn to speak that language if we are to survive.  (On a lighter note:  The Spell check had as much trouble with our Presbyterian liturgical language as the pirate speak!)

Love an peace