Winston Salem church of Christ

What’s Gucci?  Oh snap, I am so fly I am off the heezy! 

Yes you read that right.  All the words are familiar, except “heezy,” but none mean what you think.   

I did not ask about a clothing brand.  Nor did I say anything about making a snapping noise with my fingers or flying insects.  And to me, being “heezy” just sounds like someone is having an asthma attack – “Doctor, I can’t breathe, I am so wheezy and heezy!” 

What you read is slang.  I asked, “What’s up?”  The answer was, “Oh wow, I am cool and hip.” Of course if you are younger than I am, you might not know that to be “hip” has nothing to do with being hippy around the belt and much to do with being a hippie (i.e., the sixties). 

Language is funny.  Based upon what age you are, what’s “going down” is “what’s up.”  If something is “bad,” then it’s “good.”  Some thing can be so “hot” that it is “cool.” 

Language is a sign of a sub-culture.  The culture might be age related, race based, economically founded, or work related.  It is used often to initiate, separate, or educate.  I personally think our “young-uns” get a thrill when we old folks can’t understand a word they are saying.  The whole texting generation has created their own language.  AAMOF, when it comes to txt I am 404. 

Language an identifier.  When words change meaning and become part of a subculture, the language becomes what you want it to be.  When words take on an opposite meaning, they identify the user in opposition to the original use.  “No one uses that word anymore.”  “He’s not one of us.” 

Religion is not immune to such verbal nuances. 

While out door knocking, inviting people to our “gospel meeting,” an older lady from a denomination caught me off-guard because she did not know what a “gospel meeting” was.  “They” called them revivals.   

Can “our slang” become problematic?  Yes it can if it inhibits our ability to communicate with “outsiders.”  

Colossians 4:5-6 – (5) Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.  (6)  Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person. 

Can “our slang” become problematic?  Yes, if we judge people as faithful more by “our slang” than their lives and the word of God. When a visitor comes to church, don’t we “listen” for cue-words?  If they mention a certain magazine or school, we have identified their sub-culture.  If they mention the wrong ones they are suspect.  We identify people more by their man-made language than by their lives. 

Is there a serious lesson(s) for us to learn from all this foolishness?  I’ll let you decide.