David
Letterman’s legacy--what is it? Why lists, of course! His Top Ten List on
almost any subject under heaven is now thoroughly engrained in American
Culture. Daily, one sees magazines, newspapers, and internet sites listing The 5 Worst of this or The 7 Best of that. In that vein I
recently came across two such lists that I feel are worthy of passing on.
The
first is from a blog hosted by Addie Zierman who blogs about Millennials (basically
anyone 30 and under) and the Church. Here is her list of 5 “churchy phrases”
that are scaring-off Millennials and each one is followed by her synopsis.
1) The Bible clearly says…
“We’re aware of
the Bible’s intricacies. We know the Bible is clear about some things but also
that much is not clear and open to interpretation.”
2) God will never give you more than you can handle.
“Inherent in this
phrase is the undertone that if life has become more than you can handle, then
your faith must not be strong enough. Too much! We understand that we need
help.”
3)Love on ____.
“A kind of creepy
phrase with troubling implications...being ‘loved-on’ feels different than simply
being loved. The former feels like
contrived kindness; the latter is simpler and deeper.”
4) Black and white quantifiers of faith: like believer, unbeliever, backsliding.
“Millennials are
sick of rhetoric that centers around who’s
in and who’s out. We know our own
doubtful hearts to know that belief and unbelief so often coexist.”
5) God is in control...has a plan... works in mysterious
ways.
“Chances are we
believe this is true. But it’s the last thing we want to hear when something
goes horribly wrong in our life. We are drawn to the Jesus who cries when
Lazarus is found dead... even though he is in control and has a plan to bring
Lazarus back to life.”
The
second list comes from the ever popular magazine, Real Simple. Its June 2014 issue contains a list of 5 phrases that
should be banned from the English language. A brief explanation of the
reasoning is included:
1) It
is what it is. Critic John McWhorter says, “It means basically nothing.
You’re saying there is nothing to be done about it. When someone is sharing her
problems, you can’t have perfect answers, but you should show a little feeling
and genuine empathy.”
2) To
your point... Nancy Gibbs comments, “This is the worst kind of faux
flattery...it pretends
to be agreeing while actually contradicting. How about some honesty?”
3) Don’t
take this personally. Peggy Newfield: “of course most of us do take it personally.
You’re the only one who knows what you think and feel, and you don’t really
know what anyone else thinks and feels.”
4) When
are you going to ____? “There are so many assumptions baked into this
question. It implies that what the other person is doing now isn’t what she
should be doing. In regard to life choices this phrase tends to put people on
the defensive, and for that reason I would get rid of it,” says Emily Yoffe.
5) No
problem. Liv Tyler says, “The phrase is problematic because it is
considered negative. It is both impolite and annoying to say, “thank you” and
to receive “no problem”
in reply. How could a “thank you” be even remotely construed as a problem?
Reporting
in,
Jeff
