Another good word that is losing all meaning

Last updated on: August 18, 2011 at 7:28 pm by Roger E. Olson

Another good word that is losing all meaning 2011-08-18T19:28:54-05:00 Roger E. Olson

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One of my pet peeves is how the media take good words and twist them out of all shape so that they are virtually meaningless. One that comes to mind lately (as I’ll be preaching a seminary chapel sermon on it) is “community.”

We hear it every day. It seems to be an ubiquitous ideal. And the problem is, of course, it is a Christian ideal. My friend and co-author Stan Grenz argued that it is “the” central unifying concept of the Bible and of Christian theology. (Of course, he was referring not just to human community but to the Trinity as well.)

I have been a member of two Christian institutions of higher education that promoted themselves as strong Christian communities. And they were/are. But my concern is that this term is becoming meaningless.

Think about all the ways in which “community” is used in popular language and especially by the mass media. There’s a popular TV show called “Community” in which the characters seem to form a dysfunctional group. If that show is someone’s model of “community” we’re all in trouble. Of course, I realize the title of the show is meant tongue-in-cheek. Still, many people will begin to associate the term with what goes on in that college.

Then there’s the media’s tendency to label any special interest the “something community”–e.g., the stamp collecting community (even if the collectors don’t even know each other), the dog lovers’ community, etc., etc. And, of course, the “gay community.” Any special interest, whether it actually constitutes a group or not, gets labeled “community.”

I recently googled “community” and found a web site for a “Narcissists Community.” I’m sure that’s someone’s attempt at humor at the expense of people who use “community” too loosely.

Many churches put the word “community” in the name of their church. Recently a denominational church in my neighborhood that had been “First Church of the ******” (I don’t want to single it out here) changed its name to “Faith Community Church.” How descriptive! And given the loose use of “community” in society today, I’m not sure what that even communicates.

So what should “community” denote? I would say at the very least a group of people who know each other and care for each other with some sense of obligation to each other. And “Christian community” should denote a group of people committed to each other in Christian love.

Part of the problem is churches’ and Christian organizations’ tendency to adopt business models. A business might include community, but usually it doesn’t. I would like to suggest that this is one of the biggest problems with churches and Christian organizations today–that tendency to operate as businesses using business language to replace traditionally Christian language.

For one example: people now routinely talk about the church “hiring” a new pastor. What ever happened to “calling” one? And I know churches where the personnel committee is over the pastor as if he or she were nothing more than an employee. And many pastors spend more time being CEO of the organization than being shepherd and teacher (and I would say prophet as well).

Is there a solution to these issues? I don’t have one ready made. But I think we Christians need to resist adopting the media’s use of good terms and allowing the media’s distortions from creeping onto our language and behavior. In this particular area, we need to be “Christ against culture.” Of course, a few Christians have made it their crusade to infiltrate the media and change it. I don’t see that having any beneficial effect. The problem is too large. A Christian in the media is more likely to be changed by it than to change it.

My call is for Christians to be clear and explicit and specific about what they mean by “community” and not take for granted that people know what that means. We need to take it back or stop using it. Also, my call is for Christians to shun adopting business models for churches. The pastor is NOT an employee except in the strictest legal senses (for IRS purposes, etc.). The personnel committee should oversee non-pastoral staff of a church but not the pastors. There should be a pulpit or pastoral relations committee assigned that duty.

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