yes
- Christians have a sort of "christianese," as i've heard it called (from the essentials like 'believe' to nonessentials like 'pulpit')
- there are many different dialects
- unfortunately, many are unaware of the meaning behind the terms they take for granted
no
- 'Salvation' is about experiencing the freedom & fullness of this life, BUT it is ALSO in reference to the life to come
- Belief as loyal commitment does not negate belief in the events of the Bible such as seas parting and Jonah in the fish
- 'Communion' is also a new word that has been assigned to a Biblical ideal, yet is more universally understood throughout Christendom; 'rapture', however, is one of those words with meaning that varies by 'dialect'
attempting to concretely and briefly explain the depth, textures, history, and mystery of the Christian faith into a short 3 minute video is as difficult as explaining all the nuances of the English (or any other) language in the same amount of time.
it is dangerous to present as fact simplified, one-sided explanations as definitive, black-and-white truth--yet, this is representative of the kind of conversations created in the aftermath of the Norway massacre with the perpetrator claiming to be a "right-wing Christian". we, as believers, need to be aware of these perspectives, and perspective shifting reports, so that we can respond with wisdom and grace to each challenge, each rant, each misunderstanding, and each question that will confront the Church in days like these. we cannot run and hide behind rhetoric or tradition in the midst of such events; we have to be willing to receive each challenge, listen to each criticism, and offer the mystery of Christ's transforming work in our own lives as testimony of the supernatural that cannot be explained by essays, videos, and quantifiable data.
to borrow a phrase from Erwin McManus, these create great friction for the Church, but they can be transformed to create great traction (see "An Unstoppable Force")
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