BROOKLINE, Mass. — Pastor Terry McCann was pleased to see his associate pastor interviewed on the local news about helping to solve school truancy. But he was mortified when the associate used the word "sucks."
"I called him immediately and said, 'What on earth are you doing?'" says McCann. "He told me, 'Relating to the younger generation.'"
The staff of Rolling Hills church is evenly divided over whether the word "sucks" is appropriate or not.
"I don't think twice about it," says the youth pastor who uses it commonly with youth. He bonded with his new associate pastor by using the word.
"When you can freely say something sucks, it feels good. It's like letting your heart out," he says.
But he catches continual flak from pastors who find the word offensive.
"Do people know what it means?" says the executive pastor incredulously. "I don't care if everyone says it. It's beneath us."
He and others send out emails that remind their co-workers to "Let no unclean words proceed from your mouth." Some roll their eyes at the "sucks police." The singles pastor, a die-hard "sucks" devotee, responded one time with a reply that said simply, "That sucks!" He included a photo of a vacuum cleaner in the message, to cover himself.
During a recent sermon while McCann was on vacation, the college and career pastor used the word "sucks" off-the-cuff. When his wife pointed it out, he absconded with the sermon recording so McCann wouldn't hear it. But McCann found out anyway because members of the church sent him angry emails.
McCann finally insisted that no church staff member use the word, especially during ministry. He suggested alternatives like "that stinks" and "that's terrible."
"Saying something stinks sounds like you're just afraid to say 'sucks,'" gripes one staff member who says it "may take me a while to get around to changing my habit."
Meanwhile, McCann recently used the words "scumbag" and "brown-nose" in a mid-week sermon. Staff members later called him on the carpet.
"Do you know what those words mean?" they said with mock outrage. McCann looked up the definitions, turned red and vowed to ban the words from his vocabulary. •
This story gets me thinking - what is the "corrupt communication" we are encouraged to avoid? Some thoughts I had while considering this --
When I was growing up - OK that was more than 40 years ago and I suppose that is relevant to the point I am trying to make here - the word "fart" was considered in my home to be in same category as the word "shit" - a bad word, a "swear" word. Today I allow that word in our house (which includes 5 boys) not considering it as a bad word. Does "corrupt communication" change over time or are my standards becoming "corrupt"?
- Are "substitute words" (frinkin'; freakin') not as corrupt as the real words they stand for? How can something be not as rotten; not as corrupt? if something is rotten, isn't it rotten - not just a little bit rotten?
Overall, I'm wondering what you think the "corrupt communication" -that's the King James Version of "unclean talk"- (That's the version I grew up memorizing) - what do you think that means and how do you try to avoid it?
6 comments:
Good thoughts Rob - even after 2am! It does sound like a very liberating thing - to live that way as Christ follower.
When I was growing up me and my siblings were not allowed those words either. Damn was another word. When we sang Down in the meadow in a idi bittie pool swam 3 little fishes and the mamma fishey too, swim said the mamma swim if you can and they swam and they swam all over the POOL!!!no Dam wether it had to be a beavers home or not. Was not said in our house. I now sing Dam when i sing this fishy song.
dynamiteterri - I never heard that song before. You'll have to pull that out in the kitchen sometime - I'd like to hear how it goes.
yeah.. amazing style.
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Well, it seems to me it's silly when older people attempt to use youthful slang in any circumstance. They're really not kidding anyone, nor are they "relating".... adults need to BE adults and not stooping to the level of the youth. Young people need adults/parents to GUIDE not to be their "best friends." That's a big problem for today, too much buddy-buddy and too little respect.
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