Christian Phrases I Hate

[Wormwood]

Okay, hate is maybe a bit of a strong word here, but "strongly dislike" doesn't carry the kind of force needed to express my deep angst against the following comments. Here are a list of phrases I hear continually among Christian circles that exhibit poor theology and that I beg you to reconsider using if these are part of your Christian speech. Feel free to comment below if you agree or disagree with my ranting.

1. "I made Jesus my personal Lord and Savior."

Since when is Jesus my "personal" Lord or "personal" Savior? He's the Savior and Lord of all the world and rescues all who believe. Salvation belongs to the Church, not a collection of individuals. When you are saved, you are baptized into a body. Your are brought into a community of the saved. It's not about a bunch of individuals getting "hell insurance." Instead, it is about a long line of people of faith that we become connected to by faith in God's grace in Jesus Christ. Why do we have to make everything about "me"? Salvation is much bigger than any one person. While Jesus cares about every individual, he is not a personal Savior any more than he is a personal butler.

2. "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse."

Those who like to quote Malachi as rational for the tithe can lead people to a very poor understanding of our relationship with God in my opinion. We are not under the Old Covenant. The Church is not a theocratic kingdom and we are not bound to the laws and obligations that were tied to Israel's relationship with God. Moreover, the Church building is not the Temple and pastors are not Levites. If we are going to use this as rationale for tithing, then we are in danger of causing people to think that God will curse us if we don't tithe just like he promised to curse the Israelites. Personally, I don't think Christians are bound to any law of tithing at all, but even if you think we are, I would hesitate to use these verses as justification for it. It's important to give, but I think the generosity expressed by early Christians was not the result of legalism. Rather, their generosity exceeded legal requirements (which they were not bound by in my opinion).

3. "Where two or three are gathered, Jesus is there."

Often people like to use this phrase in reference to prayer. If two or three of us agree in prayer, then Jesus will certainly be present. While corporate prayer is a good thing, this verse is not talking about Jesus' presence vs. his absence. God is omnipresent. Jesus is there when you are by yourself. Jesus is not in heaven saying, "Well, if they get one or two more people, I'll show up then." Not only is God everywhere, but His Spirit indwells the believer. This verse has to do with church discipline and is tied to Gods backing of two or three witnesses. If two or three believers agree on something with regards to church discipline, then the authority of Christ goes with them. That is the point of this passage...not that we need a trio of people to make sure Jesus listens to us pray.

4. "Just pray this prayer after me, and ask Jesus into your heart."

Now, I'm sure this will get me in trouble, but I still think I am right here. There is NO PLACE in Scripture where people are called to pray a "sinner's prayer" or "ask Jesus into your heart." People are called to believe, repent, confess and baptism in the Bible. They are never called to pray a prayer or ask Jesus into their heart. They are called to make Jesus Lord, not come into their hearts. Where did we come up with this and why have we changed the biblical model of calling people to discipleship? Jesus commanded his disciples to make other disciples by going, teaching and baptizing. Discipleship was about a new way of life marked by repentance. It was never about a mere cognitive assent to a list of facts and saying these words after me. This leads to my next beef...

5. Close your eyes and raise your hand if you want to accept Christ.

Ugh. Usually this is a way the speaker makes the audience feel that they can anonymously accept Jesus without feeling awkward. What follows is, "Those of you who raised your hands come forward now." Its kind of a bait-and-switch thing that really looks bad. First, early Christians never called people to discipleship this way. Second, it is manipulative and is usually a way the speaker can try to draw a big response for selfish reasons. If someone wants to be a Christian, they should be discipled and encouraged to make a public confession, not encouraged to do so secretively and then try to force them into an awkward public response.

6. Confirming a Christian: "Do you believe Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, that he was born of a virgin, was without sin, died and rose again?"

These are all good beliefs to be sure. But this is now how early Christians determined if someone was a "believer." While certainly they taught the virgin birth, sinless life and resurrection of Christ, this...a Christian...does not make. The demons believe all these things. A non-Christian can believe all these things as well. The "good confession" that Timothy made based on Christ's confession had to do with Jesus being "Lord." Declaring Jesus to be our Lord is what makes a Christian, not a list of facts about Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. It's important we believe these things, but this is not the underlying issue of what distinguishes a Christian from a non-Christian.

7. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

There is nothing wrong with this phrase in itself as it is a quote from Philippians. However, it is often used in reference to sporting activities or an attempt to accomplish some feat. The context of this verse has to do with learning contentment in any situation. So instead of using it as motivation to win the ball game or being the greatest athlete, it should be used after someone suffers a heart-breaking loss because of a sub-par performance. "Even though I lost, I am still content because Christ strengthens me." That is more in line with what this verse is teaching.

8. I had a bad week so I skipped communion. I didn't want to take it in an unworthy manner.

Bad weeks and inner turmoil is the time we need communion the most. Jesus' body was broken and his blood was shed because we are hot messes. If we have to wait until all our ducks are in a row before we are "worthy" to take communion, we will never be able to take it. The "unworthy manner" in which people were taking communion in 1 Corinthians had nothing to do with having a bad week or not being able to meditate properly. It had to do with them using the communion wine to get drunk and the wealthy gorging themselves on the bread and leaving nothing for the poor. This was the unworthy manner that was bringing God's judgment, not having a bad week and not meditating properly before the consumption.

9. God wants you to be happy.

This one makes me queasy. usually it is linked to doing something that is expressly against the will of God such as a divorce or an improper lifestyle. God wants you to be holy and united with him, which will ultimately lead to our greatest joy. However, God is not overly concerned with our happiness, especially if what we think makes us happy is contrary to his will.


This is just a short list. I am sure I will think of more as soon as I post this. Maybe you can think of some of your own pet peeves in this regard. So, feel free to respond to these or post your own!

 

[HammerStone]

1. God won't give you more than you can handle.

I hate this phrase. It's a complete misquote of 1 Corinthians 10:13 which deals with temptation and not troubles and tribulations. Look at any Bible character, and you will see quite often much more than they can bear, which is the reason Paul wrote such passages as 2 Corinthians 12:9. To me, this is part of that Prosperity-esque doctrine that God is a divine butler or shrink meant to cater to every whim and not let things get too hard (wink, wink). It leaves people who experience true hardship and suffering thinking they screwed up or must be really inadequate people.

God will allow your life to collapse, if necessary, to save your soul.

2. "Relevant teaching."

I cringe at this phrase. It's the literary equivalent of fingernails on chalkboard for me. What could be more relevant than God coming to Earth, experiencing the life of any human, enduring ultimate suffering and punishment, then raising from the dead? Skinny jeans? Scarves? U2-style worship music? I am all for contextualizing and using things that people understand to talk about Jesus. However, the ultimate relevance is derived from Jesus, not the cool metaphors or trendy fashion.

3. "Pray for traveling mercies."

Stop. No one knows what "traveling mercies" are. Just say "safe trip," or either go all the way and add -eth to all of your verbs and distinguish between second person singular and plural. At least with the latter, thou wilst be-eth consistent.

4. "I have an unspoken."

No you don't; you just said it aloud. It is no longer unspoken by necessity.

5. "Have you found Jesus?"

I'm pretty sure the one whom all things hold together in is not lost nor can he be lost...

6. Gospel-centered and Missional.

Send these to the historical dustbin of cliches, please. People were missional before missional was a word, or the language the word is spoken in was conceived. Gospel-centered is another of my not-favorites. I understand the concept, but seriously, calling it gospel-centered discipleship doesn't make it a super disciple class.



I know there are others. On your list, #1, #7 and #9 are big ones for me!

 

[Wormwood]

Haha. Yes. I love those. Even non-believers pick up on how nonsensical some of these are. With regards to #1, Woody Allen was quoted as saying, "God, wont give you more than you can handle, unless, of course, it kills you."

Also, #3 is pretty funny. I haven't heard the "traveling mercies" much, but I was a guest speaker at a church that the elder actually prayed in the King's English. Needless to say, it was very difficult for me to focus.

I have been bombarded with "missional" language lately. There is actually a book out there written by leading "missional" authors who try to track the evolution of the word because basically every "missional" book defines the term differently. It seems to be one of those words that sounds potent, but no one seems to know what others are talking about when they use it. I find the "missional" authors describe the same thing the "mega-church" authors talk about...they just use business terms when they refer to mega-church process models and use spiritual terms when they describe their own. It seems to me they are saying the exact same thing...just trying to sound more "spiritual" in their verbiage.

 

[aspen]

'Put it at the foot of the cross' - people outside conservative Christian culture see this phrase as a dismissal.

'God isn't finished with me yet' - when used in the place of an apology

'I am not perfect, just forgiven' - often seen as 'I am not responsible, but I am right'

Any phrase with a desperate plead of emotionalism - usually righteous indignation or a bleeding heart

Hammerstone listed my least favorite phrase as his #1

 

[Floyd]

I ,like!
Floyd.

 

[Wormwood]

Good ones aspen. I totally agree with the "I'm not perfect, just forgiven." A few things that bother me about this phrase. First, "I'm not perfect..." Was someone claiming you are perfect? If not, is this an excuse to sin rather than to "be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect?" Kinda reminds me of the "I'm only human phrase." And "just forgiven." JUST forgiven? You mean you are JUST cleansed and washed and made holy by the precious blood of God's Son? That's it? Is that small potatoes? Grrr....I agree. Don't like that phrase at all!

 

[River Jordan]

Multi-millionaire professional athletes, on national TV saying "I give the glory to God". From where I sit, they're soaking up plenty of the glory themselves.

As far as Jesus being a "personal Savior", I've always taken that to mean that we are saved through Christ and have a personal relationship with Him. IOW, it's not just "Yeah, some dude I never knew is my savior".

 

[Wormwood]

My point with the "personal Savior" is not that its impersonal, but that this type of rabid individualism is nowhere to be found in the Bible. The Apostles never say, "Make Jesus your personal Savior." Quite the contrary. Its more like, "Repent and surrender to the risen Lord and Judge of the living and dead." The "personal Savior" makes it sound as if this whole salvation thing revolves around the individual and tends to emphasize the individual rather than the Lord. Just my thoughts.

 

[HammerStone]

To me, person savior ends up having the connotation of personalized savior.

I find a number of these phrases - aside from traveling mercies and unspokens - would be okay if used in moderation. There is a large element of truth to Jesus being a personal savior. The problem comes with that personal nature is emphasized over and above submission to the Lord. You end up with a Jesus as my homeboy relationship where Jesus begins to look a lot like you and seems to be rather forgiving of your faults. There must be a balance.

 

[aspen]

wormwood - i agree wholeheartly with you about radical individualism. i do not think Jesus had that idea in mind - the church is His bride, not th individual. We are one body in Christ. We are called to love each other and are compared by Paul to one human body.

 

[ChristianJuggarnaut]

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. (Philippians 4:13 KJV)

Individual not corporate.

I could go on for two hours.

So you don't like the phrase personal savior.

No problem.

Saying it isn't biblical. Problem.

 

[HammerStone]

This cartoon kinda brings up another one.

http://adam4d.com/lord-just/

 

[Wormwood]

Thanks for commenting CJ,

I am not discounting the fact that Jesus impacts the lives of individuals or that he cares about us as individuals. I am saying salvation is much more about Jesus than it is about the individual. Why do we need the word "personal"? Why cant it be, "Make Jesus your Lord and Savior"? Why does it have to be "your personal Lord and Savior"? What does the word "personal" add to the concept other than exalting the individual? Sounds like an advertisement for Burger King in my book. "Have it your way right away!" Christianity custom tailored to the individual....

When I say it isn't biblical, I am saying, "This phrase is never used in the Bible and no one is ever called to make Jesus their "personal Lord" or "personal Savior." I will recant that if you can show me this phrase in the Bible. Otherwise, I maintain it is not a biblical concept.

HammerStone,

Ha, right on! Ive even caught myself saying "Lord" over and over as I pray. I try to intentionally imagine the Lord before me as I pray which helps a lot.

 

[ChristianJuggarnaut]

And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. (Luke 1:47 KJV)

Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. (Psalms 25:5 KJV)

 

[Wormwood]

I agree Jesus is my Savior, your Savior and the Savior of all who believe. He is not my "personal" Savior, although he may be the savior of myself as a person. The difference may seem slight, but there certainly is a concept that can easily be misunderstood and abused here because of this poor wording. Again, there is not one evangelistic call in all of the NT to "make Jesus your personal Lord and Savior." Why cant we call people to faith in Christ the way it was done in Scripture? Again, I submit to you that the "personal" language has more to do with Western American individualism than it does anything written in the Bible. I highly doubt the person who started using the language "personal Lord and Savior" was basing the phrase out of Luke 1:47.

Consider what AW Tozer said along this line of accepting Jesus personally...

"Now, the particular attitude revealed here about 'accepting Christ' is wrong because it makes Christ stand hat-in-hand, somewhere outside the door, waiting on our human judgment.
"We know about His divine Person, we know that He is the Lamb of God who suffered and died in our place. We know all about His credentials. Yet we let Him stand outside on the steps like some poor timid fellow who is hoping he can find a job.
"We look Him over, then read a few more devotional verses, and ask: 'What do you think, Mabel? Do you think we ought to accept Him? I really wonder if we should accept Him?'
"And so, in this view, our poor Lord Christ stands hat-in-hand, shifting from one foot to another looking for a job, wondering whether He will be 'accepted'.
"It will be at His word that the graves shall give up their dead, and the dead shall come forth, alive forevermore. At His word, the fire shall burst loose and burn up the earth and the heavens and the stars and planets shall be swept away like a garment. He is the One, the Mighty One!
"And yet there He stands... How grotesque can it be?
"The question ought not to be whether I will accept Him; the question ought to be whether He will accept me!

 

[ChristianJuggarnaut]

Ok.

 

[KingJ]

Multi-millionaire professional athletes, on national TV saying "I give the glory to God". From where I sit, they're soaking up plenty of the glory themselves.

You would rather they gave no credit to God?

Christian Phrases I Hate

1. Agree to disagree - There is one truth and only one Holy Spirit giving it. We must agree to pray further and humble ourselves to the Holy Spirit revealing the truth. There is only requirement for fellowship 1 Cor 2:2.

2. You have not got enough faith for healing - A Christian has faith in an unseen God and that a man who came in the flesh is God. A lot more faith then a mustard seed. Moving a mountain > any healing request. God hears the prayers of all His followers John 9:31.

3. God wants you to be rich, prosperous / Jesus died in an expensive robe - Jesus was mocked with the robe. Jesus came into town on a donkey. Mother Theresa can teach many of us about what God wants us to do with money.

4. Heavenly bank account - That whole logic is warped. Scripture says we must give not expecting anything in return. We must not be mindful of our 'heavenly' bank balance. We must just know that God sees what we do in private and will reward us in His own way.

5. Be positive - So much positive teaching tripe is in modern Christianity. God doesn't want positive Christians. He wants saved and delivered from sin Christians. Being positive is mental brainwashing, we have the real answer, no need for self induced brain washing and faked smiles.

6. Being a Christian is loving others / be 'love' - No, that is the second commandment, not the first. That can lead to the first but is not the first. Loving God is the first commandment. Loving God = obeying His commandments = hating sin and loving righteousness Rom 12:9 and Josh 24:15...not an emotional feeling.

7. Don't judge others - Judge everything 1 Cor 2:15, 1 Cor 6:3. Let God be the one who hands out punishment.

 

[7angels]

most christian phases used above don't bother me at all. i will just go through a few and explain my views

Okay, hate is maybe a bit of a strong word here, but "strongly dislike" doesn't carry the kind of force needed to express my deep angst against the following comments. Here are a list of phrases I hear continually among Christian circles that exhibit poor theology and that I beg you to reconsider using if these are part of your Christian speech. Feel free to comment below if you agree or disagree with my ranting.

1. "I made Jesus my personal Lord and Savior."

Since when is Jesus my "personal" Lord or "personal" Savior? He's the Savior and Lord of all the world and rescues all who believe. Salvation belongs to the Church, not a collection of individuals. When you are saved, you are baptized into a body. Your are brought into a community of the saved. It's not about a bunch of individuals getting "hell insurance." Instead, it is about a long line of people of faith that we become connected to by faith in God's grace in Jesus Christ. Why do we have to make everything about "me"? Salvation is much bigger than any one person. While Jesus cares about every individual, he is not a personal Savior any more than he is a personal butler.

2. "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse."

Those who like to quote Malachi as rational for the tithe can lead people to a very poor understanding of our relationship with God in my opinion. We are not under the Old Covenant. The Church is not a theocratic kingdom and we are not bound to the laws and obligations that were tied to Israel's relationship with God. Moreover, the Church building is not the Temple and pastors are not Levites. If we are going to use this as rationale for tithing, then we are in danger of causing people to think that God will curse us if we don't tithe just like he promised to curse the Israelites. Personally, I don't think Christians are bound to any law of tithing at all, but even if you think we are, I would hesitate to use these verses as justification for it. It's important to give, but I think the generosity expressed by early Christians was not the result of legalism. Rather, their generosity exceeded legal requirements (which they were not bound by in my opinion).

3. "Where two or three are gathered, Jesus is there."

Often people like to use this phrase in reference to prayer. If two or three of us agree in prayer, then Jesus will certainly be present. While corporate prayer is a good thing, this verse is not talking about Jesus' presence vs. his absence. God is omnipresent. Jesus is there when you are by yourself. Jesus is not in heaven saying, "Well, if they get one or two more people, I'll show up then." Not only is God everywhere, but His Spirit indwells the believer. This verse has to do with church discipline and is tied to Gods backing of two or three witnesses. If two or three believers agree on something with regards to church discipline, then the authority of Christ goes with them. That is the point of this passage...not that we need a trio of people to make sure Jesus listens to us pray.

4. "Just pray this prayer after me, and ask Jesus into your heart."

Now, I'm sure this will get me in trouble, but I still think I am right here. There is NO PLACE in Scripture where people are called to pray a "sinner's prayer" or "ask Jesus into your heart." People are called to believe, repent, confess and baptism in the Bible. They are never called to pray a prayer or ask Jesus into their heart. They are called to make Jesus Lord, not come into their hearts. Where did we come up with this and why have we changed the biblical model of calling people to discipleship? Jesus commanded his disciples to make other disciples by going, teaching and baptizing. Discipleship was about a new way of life marked by repentance. It was never about a mere cognitive assent to a list of facts and saying these words after me. This leads to my next beef...

5. Close your eyes and raise your hand if you want to accept Christ.

Ugh. Usually this is a way the speaker makes the audience feel that they can anonymously accept Jesus without feeling awkward. What follows is, "Those of you who raised your hands come forward now." Its kind of a bait-and-switch thing that really looks bad. First, early Christians never called people to discipleship this way. Second, it is manipulative and is usually a way the speaker can try to draw a big response for selfish reasons. If someone wants to be a Christian, they should be discipled and encouraged to make a public confession, not encouraged to do so secretively and then try to force them into an awkward public response.

6. Confirming a Christian: "Do you believe Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, that he was born of a virgin, was without sin, died and rose again?"

These are all good beliefs to be sure. But this is now how early Christians determined if someone was a "believer." While certainly they taught the virgin birth, sinless life and resurrection of Christ, this...a Christian...does not make. The demons believe all these things. A non-Christian can believe all these things as well. The "good confession" that Timothy made based on Christ's confession had to do with Jesus being "Lord." Declaring Jesus to be our Lord is what makes a Christian, not a list of facts about Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. It's important we believe these things, but this is not the underlying issue of what distinguishes a Christian from a non-Christian.

7. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

There is nothing wrong with this phrase in itself as it is a quote from Philippians. However, it is often used in reference to sporting activities or an attempt to accomplish some feat. The context of this verse has to do with learning contentment in any situation. So instead of using it as motivation to win the ball game or being the greatest athlete, it should be used after someone suffers a heart-breaking loss because of a sub-par performance. "Even though I lost, I am still content because Christ strengthens me." That is more in line with what this verse is teaching.

8. I had a bad week so I skipped communion. I didn't want to take it in an unworthy manner.

Bad weeks and inner turmoil is the time we need communion the most. Jesus' body was broken and his blood was shed because we are hot messes. If we have to wait until all our ducks are in a row before we are "worthy" to take communion, we will never be able to take it. The "unworthy manner" in which people were taking communion in 1 Corinthians had nothing to do with having a bad week or not being able to meditate properly. It had to do with them using the communion wine to get drunk and the wealthy gorging themselves on the bread and leaving nothing for the poor. This was the unworthy manner that was bringing God's judgment, not having a bad week and not meditating properly before the consumption.

9. God wants you to be happy.

This one makes me queasy. usually it is linked to doing something that is expressly against the will of God such as a divorce or an improper lifestyle. God wants you to be holy and united with him, which will ultimately lead to our greatest joy. However, God is not overly concerned with our happiness, especially if what we think makes us happy is contrary to his will.


This is just a short list. I am sure I will think of more as soon as I post this. Maybe you can think of some of your own pet peeves in this regard. So, feel free to respond to these or post your own!

1. "I made Jesus my personal Lord and Savior."
according to scripture Jesus came to redeem ALL mankind and not just the church. we are also told in scripture to each have our own relationship with Christ. to my knowledge there is not one relationship with God among mankind that is exactly the same as someone else's relationship with God.
2. "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse."
we are commanded to tithe in scripture. it matters not if it is OT law or NT law. even though we are under a new covenant then that of the OT, the Word teaches that even though we are not under the law anymore the law is still holy and we still should try and obey that which is holy. also tithing according to scripture can bring us success/prosperity.
3. "Where two or three are gathered, Jesus is there."
first how can you discount something like this as being a bad phrase when it is scriptural? in all actuality it should be comforting.
4. "Just pray this prayer after me, and ask Jesus into your heart."
by the time this prayer is offered people have basically already been convicted by God and the prayer is a way of showing God your conviction that you are serious about what giving your life to God. read rom 10:9-10 to see why this prayer/confession is required.
5. Close your eyes and raise your hand if you want to accept Christ.
this basically goes hand in hand with question 4. it is a way of confirming your decision to give your life to Jesus.
6. Confirming a Christian: "Do you believe Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, that he was born of a virgin, was without sin, died and rose again?"
rom 10:9-10 tells us of the requirements needed in order to be saved. 'that he was born of a virgin and without sin' is not necessary but it is a true statement.
7. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
according to scripture God helps us in all areas of our lives and not just some of them. if you wish to restrict God within your life to just spiritual then great but i want God in all areas of my life. i don't care if i am driving a car, casting out demons, studying the bible, or just trying to hit a ball at a baseball game.
8. I had a bad week so I skipped communion. I didn't want to take it in an unworthy manner.
this phrase when you hear it should help you to know that this person needs help. at this point God has opened a way for you to talk to this person and to help them. don't tell me you know a person needs something but you are one of those that think 'well someone else can help them'. i pray that you are one that guides those that need it to the light.
9. God wants you to be happy.
this is true. but to tell someone this without helping them with their problem will cause the hurting person to feel betrayed.

i could go on and on. also i have found that in areas that something irritates you is an area you need to mature in. ask yourself why does this bug me so much?

God bless

 

[Wormwood]

7angels,

Yes, I have no doubt there are some areas I need to mature in and perhaps some of my distaste for the above statements reflect areas in which I need to be more patient and understanding. At the same time, in some areas I think it might be good to be annoyed by such things. Jesus certainly didn't appreciate misleading teaching. So if I am correct and some of the statements actually do reflect a theological error, it may be good to be annoyed with it.

 

[aspen]

"Where two or more are gathered" reminds me of "wars and rumors of war" being used to describe the end times. I think both phrases are used in the Bible to punctuate God's presence / immediacy of the end times. Unfortunately, ministers and others use the verses to indicate exceptionality. The point is that God is always present and that the end times are going to be on a day just like today.

Both phrases could be substituted with "the sun will rise in the East."