Questions to focus on: Use of Jargon

These questions can be used at different levels. You can take 30 seconds to think about one or two. You can discuss them in a team or group of like-minded Christians. Or they can be used in a college class, including assignments and research projects, and answered in writing at any depth. They may be freely reproduced for this purpose. Please email us additional questions that could be added to this page.
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  1. Print out 'When Words Get in the Way', 'Unlearing the Lingo' and similar resources. Select several articles from Christian magazines, and mark with a highlighter pen every use of 'insider' Christian words. How accessible would the articles be to non-Christians?
  2. Do the same exercise on tracts or other writing intended to be evangelistic. What assumptions of Christian knowledge have the writers made?
  3. Try rewriting one of these articles, using no Christian words except God, Jesus, Bible, Spirit and heaven
  4. Find a technical article (computing, science, whatever) which is at a higher level than you are in that subject. Highlight the technical words which 'exclude' you.
  5. Why do almost all modern Bible editions use lower-case letters for pronouns referring to Deity?
  6. Can you think of any names of Christian organisations or churches which may communicate their purpose to Christians, but are 'cringeworthy' to non-Christians?