From the Barna Group researchers.

Over the past 50 years, the use of religious, moral, ethical language has dropped 50%. In a population where 70% say they are Christian, about 7% have at least one spiritual conversation a week. Of those who regularly attend church, 13% speak with someone using biblical or spiritual language at least once per week.

Words that are not used, are abandoned and behavior is changed. Words matter! The new language—formerly not used in public, or “in a mixed crowd” has main stream appeal. How many times did you hear the F-word in public discourse last week? From a public platform?

It is not just “religious” words, but words of compassion, ethical words, moral words, words of respect. I don’t know that there is conspiracy to rid our world of those words, but I can make a case for that. As the use of these words have declined, the culture has become coarser.

We have come a long way from George Carlin’s “7 words you can’t use on TV.” He fixed that!

Malachi—Old Testament prophet described his culture:

“Then they that feared the LORD spoke often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name” (Malachi 3:16).

Words influence behavior. Words can pollute the atmosphere or purify it.

For ministry centers, words are creative. In healing settings, testimonies are conveyors of God’s power—“This worked for me,” or “This is my journey through the darkness.”

“Sing them over again—wonderful words of life.”

©2018 D. Dean Benton     dean@deanbenton.org

Wonderer, Writer with expertise in Pondering & Meandering