I am concerned as I see a growing trend of Christians using slang terms. We are told by James, quoting Jesus, to let our yes, be yes, and no, be no, but some have an attraction to silliness.
Most have no understanding of where the slang they use comes from. Further, using slang actually devalues language, misrepresents the user, and misrepresents Christ. To the best of our ability, we should use the correct words and explain what we mean clearly, not with foolish slang and dark sayings. Using slang, instead of proper English, is to speak vanity which is valueless and empty.
Fam
Let's start with "fam": It is not because it is much harder to say family. No, it is a term that diminishes family values and the sanctity of Christian family. It is often used in a derogatory or condescending manner, such as "idk fam that doesn't sound right", or "calm down fam, it's not that important". It cheapens the Biblical idea of family.
Golly, Gosh, and Gee: In every case, these are derogatory euphemisms of God and Jesus. If I used your name in this way, I would be considered disrespectful, but when done to God it is normalized. Some Christians would not use these terms, but make up substitutes like "good grief", as if a form of grief could be good. Or "Oh my goodness", when the Bible tells us there is none good but God, so to use this phrase is to lie.
Sis
"Sis": Most people do not realize that this term is used by the LGBT community and that it is through their influence that it is so widely used. Before this, the term was mostly used in black communities.
While the term 'sister' has been used by Christians, since we are the family of God, the term 'sis' has no part in a Christian's vocabulary. According to popsugar.com "Sis is the new bro.
However you'd use bro, just replace it with sis and you're good to go."
No thank you, this sounds a lot like confusing the genders to me. (How about we stop using both!)
Linguistics professor Nicole Holliday at Pomona College in California—a school that is part of the "Queer Resource Center"—says that “For [gay men] it's [sis] subversive because they challenge hegemonic masculinity,”
In other words, the term 'sis' is used by gay men to 'subvert' the established norms, that is Christian morality and Biblical principles—and challenge God's design of family, gender, and masculinity.
Holliday goes on to express that "[sis] represents kinship and power amongst marginalized groups, especially in the LGBTQ community."
Vice.com, a website opposing morals and dedicated to all that is evil, calls the term a part of "Black LGBTQ nomenclature". (Some misguided Adventists freely use vice, in spite of its proclivity to iniquity.)
I posted this to my profile and several people were upset thinking that I was attacking "culture". I am not! Culture is beautiful as long as it does not misrepresent Christ. Why are we so attracted to the cheap, the easy, the worldly?
Is it so hard to say "sister Anna" instead of sis? "Bro" or "bruh" fall into the same category. Christians have no business using these worldly terms.
Does this actually matter? We are strictly forbidden from using slang and told it misrepresents Christ:
"Do not let anyone's speeches, or thoughts revealed in actions, affect you. You want an abiding Christ. He loves you. He has drawn you by the cords of His love. Let it be seen that your life is hid with Christ in God. Let there be no hasty speech, no cheap words, no slang phrases. Let it be demonstrated that you are conscious of a Companion whom you honor, and that you will not make Him ashamed of you.. we are representatives of Jesus Christ!" (CTr 45.6).
So, let your yes be yes, and your no be no. Be intelligent, speak and write remembering that we are made in the image of God. As Christians we have no business talking like the world, using their words, their slang, their foolishness!
We are children of the light, not children of the night.
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Randall lives in Syracruse, New York and is Co Founder at LaCelle & Co., President and Co-founder at SellerDesk and Owner at LaCelle Brothers Enterprises. He is happily married to Faith Hoyt.