Has anyone ever noticed that presbyterians don't like to use the word "Jesus"? I will hear "Lord" and I will hear "Christ". If I use "Jesus", I see people begin to pale and look uncomfortable. Perhaps they believe I speak too familiar of our Messiah or perhaps they think that I'm a baptist (the worst of crimes for some presbyterians, unfortunately). Sometimes I will use "Jesus" just to ruffle unspoken feathers. This is His Name after all. Isn't it silly that some presbyterians will not use "Jesus" because it sounds less elegant than "Christ"? Is this just me? I get the same expression, by the way, if I speak too emotionally about my relationship to Jesus. If I were to say "I love Jesus" to some presbyterians, I would get a funny look and probably misjudged for someone who is not theologically bent. They would be wrong.
Also, here is another observation of Christian culture down here in Jackson. There are some people who don't talk about God at all. They start to look weirded out if I mention the role Jesus plays in my life. It is almost as if they think it is uncool to talk about things like that--as if it should be taken for granted. These people claim to be believers and I give them the benefit of the doubt (I have seen some fruit) but I can't have a spiritual conversation with them for anything. What is up with that? They seem to think that to talk about it would overspiritualize an issue. I get that there are Christians who will overspiritualize and that is not a healthy way to go, but must we move to the extreme opposite? Huh?!
CJ Mahaney’s Christmas Book List 2017
7 years ago
What an interesting observation! I think that what you say is probably true of a lot of Presbies, which is too bad. Lofty language has its place, but Jesus has paved the way for intimacy with God. I remember once being startled when I heard someone say "Daddy" to God in a prayer; I thought about it and remembered that we can call God "Abba" (Daddy). Pretty amazing.
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