Linguistic Theft - Why Our Words Matter

In my recent conversation with Kierstin O’Brien on our episode With All Our Minds: An Intro Into Apoplogetics we opened up a discussion on the topic of linguistic theft and how a significant challenge in our society and even in our churches is this concept: Our words (Christian words) are being redefined to mean other things. I hadn’t realized until recently how large of an impact this has on our ability to share the Gospel and to disciple young believers in the world we currently exist in. 

Hillary Morgan Ferrer wrote a book called Mama Bear Apologetics: Empowering your kids to challenge cultural lies, and in her book she described and explains this phenomenon which has happened throughout history and continues currently within this present day and culture in which we experience linguistic theft. I want to share the first few paragraphs from Chapter 4  of her book because she is so well articulated on this subject.

“Linguistic theft is much more sinister than just the evolution of language. Linguistic theft refers to purposefully hijacking words, changing their definitions, and then using those same words as tools of propaganda. This is not a new technique (it’s an especially virulent form of the equivocation fallacy), but it is extremely prevalent right now. Not only are words in general being commandeered to promote the lies we discuss in this book, but Christian words, virtues, and concepts are being kidnapped as well. And the ransom-aquiescence to the new definition- is too high a price to pay. 

Far too often I see Christians succumb to these dangerous demands. We’ve lost the word gay.  But that’s okay because we have other words for happy. There are other words we are currently losing that are far more precious, such as marriage, love, hate, equality, justice, male, female, tolerance, bigotry, oppression, war and crisis. These words and more are all under siege, and if we want our children to properly understand scripture, we cannot afford to let them go without a fight. 

Who cares about words? Words are just a social construct, right? 

Wrong. Words are important. As apologist Holly Ordway says, “Once language becomes routinely distorted, it becomes increasingly easy to justify and promote evil-while at the same time hiding behind positive words.” In fact, words are so important that John 1 uses the Greek word logos to describe Jesus Himself: “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God…The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” (vs. 1, 14). In fact, now that I think about it, the war on words is essentially the same as the war on God. Postmodern culture is trying to mold God’s created reality into a reality that they approve of, one that fits their definitions of love, tolerance, etc. It’s a repackaged form of idolatry. No one is bowing down to a Jesus of their own design.”

It is striking to consider that the way we understand and use words can be either used as a weapon against the cross or against the enemy. If we are not careful to understand how we interpret the definitions of the words we use, and also being aware of ways the enemy has hijacked and redefined the words- we may in fact wield our words, our testimonies, and the Gospel itself as a weapon against the very truth we believe and live for. 

I think of words such as faith, truth, love, forgiveness, justice, equality and righteousness (some of these mentioned by Hillary), and the reality that these words have taken on new meanings and definitions which can change the very fundamental beliefs we stand on. Just as Hillary points out, this is in many ways a war on God Himself, as His very attributes and characteristics are being redefined. People are creating their own gods, their own versions of a false Jesus, and believing with all sincerity that they will be welcomed into the Kingdom of heaven only to find themselves cast out, rejected, encased in an eternal grave.   

As we share our beliefs, our stories, our experiences and the Gospel, if we are not aware of how these words have been distorted in our culture (and very often even in our churches) we risk preaching a very different Gospel than the one we find in the Word of God. We say God is love, and someone else may interpret that God is accepting and affirming of all experiences and feelings. We may even quote scripture “Sanctify them in truth; your word is truth” John 17:17 but if truth has been hijacked to mean ‘whatever feels right to you, or whatever you choose to believe for yourself’. The word of truth is no longer absolute. Truth has become relative to the reader, subject to the individual interpretation or lived experience, as fleeting and flexible as our feelings. 

How we use our words to define, explain, or justify our beliefs deeply matters. It has the potential to impact the declaration of the Gospel, our testimonies, and may, if not done with attentive care and intentionality, do more harm than good. We must be aware of the ways these words become redefined if we are to be prepared to defend truth, teach truth, and live truth.

By the way, when I say 'truth', I mean the absolute truth, grounded on God’s authoritative and divine word given to us through the Prophets and Apostles. 

I would love to encourage us to consider these few questions:  

• How do we know what the original meaning of the words are if they have been distorted throughout history? Can we even know their original meaning?

The Word of God should be our starting place when defining words that describe, explain, or define our beliefs. What were the original authors communicating?  What is the context? Was there a cultural implication or historical explanation that would help us understand the intended communication? There are many resources and commentaries that can help us easily find answers and original definitions. 

See Here: 

The Bible Hub

The Blue Letter Bible

• What can we do to combat linguistic threats in our everyday encounters?

First and foremost we need to be aware that we are facing a war on words. There are two things I can think of that anyone of us can do in our conversations with those in our lives. 

1. Ask for clarification. “Jonny, when you say ‘my truth’, what do you mean by that? Can you help me understand what you believe you are saying?”

2. Define what you mean. “Delilah, when I say, I love and accept you, I am saying that I care for you deeply and want good things for you, but I am not saying that I agree with how you are talking about your spouse or responding to this situation. Can I share with you some wisdom from the Word of God?” 

For your own consideration: 

• What are some additional reasons that Linguistic theft provides such a significant problem in our world today?

• What are some words that have been hijacked and redefined by our culture?

Here are a few examples, however there are many more to consider: 

Love

There are several words for love in both the Old and New Testament which show some of the challenges of interpreting language. There are not always word for word translations. It is important to be able to distinguish what the original author intended to communicate. In Hebrew we see two words: Ahav (love in general, affection) and Hesed (loyal, covenant love). In Greek there are also two common words Agape (unconditional, selfless, divine love) and Philia (friendship, brotherly love). 

Truth 

Emet (אֱמֶת) Hebrew found in the old testament means: firmness, stability and faithfulness.  

In Hebrew it conveys the concept that something is reliable, trustworthy, and of steadfast character. In context it directly speaks about God's dependability and faithfulness in His words and actions. 

Aletheia (ἀλήθεια) Greek found in the New Testament means: truth that is established with fact or reality, pure from error and falsehood. 

Faith

Pistis noun, Pisteuein verb, Pistos adjective 

In an Article on Bible Odyssey by Teresa Morgan she explains that the greek word and variations of the word "pistis" were translated with consideration to the historic cultural implications of the word “outside the Bible, pistis has a wide range of meaning, centering on trust and trustworthiness and including faithfulness, loyalty, good faith, honesty, reliability, and confidence. It can also refer to things that create trust, including belief, testimony, proof, and pledge”.https://www.bibleodyssey.org/articles/faith-word-study/ The idea that faith is blind or that we sincerely wish, hope and choose to believe based on feelings and personal experiences, is not the original definition of the word. In fact culturally this word meant assured, reliable, and having full confidence.