Not really. Not unless the person you are talking to understands what you are saying. Otherwise, you're just spitting into the wind.
In case you don't know, that's counter-productive. I know. I've done it.
Christianity is full of big words.
Substitutionary atonement. Propitiation. Eschatology. Hermeneutics. Transubstantiation. Dispensationalism.
Don't know some of those words, or all of them? Don't worry. My spell-checker doesn't know a few of them either. That doesn't mean my word processing program is worthless. What it means is I've thrown a word out there that a lot of people have never heard, will never use, and really don't care what it means.
That's my mistake, not yours.
Big words have a place. Keep them there.
Going to a Christian symposium on the End Times? Feel free to throw around dispensationalism and eschatology. Talking to your unsaved friend about how to get to heaven? You're probably best served to leave substitutionary atonement and propitiation in your Bible dictionary at home.
You see, big words are great in that they convey an exact meaning of what we want to say--but only if everyone involved understands what they mean. Substitutionary atonement or Christ died for our sins; Which do you think most people would understand?
Know your audience.
If you want to introduce someone to Christ, understand where they are. If they know what these big words mean, you're not having a Let me introduce you to Jesus conversation. You're preaching to the choir. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I'm just saying know who you're talking to and bring it to their level.
If you're talking to someone who has never been to church, hasn't read the Bible, and isn't into reading dictionaries for fun, don't break out 5 dollar words when 50 cents will accomplish more. After all, there really isn't that much difference between saying, My eschatological opinion is . . . as opposed to here's what I believe is going to happen in the end, is there?
Not a dime's worth of difference, if you ask me.
I started this week by saying I love words, and that's true. And yes, I like big words. I'm even guilty of throwing one out there every now and then. Sometimes on purpose, sometimes it just happens. But I try to be mindful of who I'm talking to, and if they're with me or not. If not, I don't dumb it down, I smarten it up. You see, if I'm trying to say something, and I don't make myself clear, who's the dumb one?
Being sesquipedalian isn't a compliment. It means using unnecessarily big words to convey a message better communicated by common language. And loquaciousness? That's the gift of gab. Using too many words to say something.
Sesquipedalian loquaciousness. Excessive diarrhea of the mouth.
Doesn't sound so glamorous now, does it?
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