Speaking with Gospel Fluency
by Joe Leavell
One common critique of the church world is that we use exclusive language—terminology that people must learn to understand what’s being discussed. Here’s the reality: every culture and community uses exclusive language, not just Christians.
Everyone Has a Language
Wherever you find people—whether in science, medicine, law, politics, sociology, sports, education, horticulture, or elsewhere—you’ll find specialized language. From military 3-letter acronyms to Star Wars superfans, to truly understand what’s being said and to be accepted, you must learn the meaning of the group’s exclusive lingo. If you don’t understand or adopt the language, you won’t be able to keep up at best, and likely won’t be fully accepted until you do. The more prominent the group or trend, and the more clannish the language, the greater the pressure to conform to its terminology. If you’re skeptical, try going to a football game and asking what it takes to get a “homerun” and see how the group responds.
When We Forget the Barriers
Often, insiders forget that they are using exclusive language and assume everyone else understands. Doctors are notorious for this—speaking in medical jargon until someone says, “Speak English, please! Couldn’t you just say my nose is bleeding instead saying, ‘epistaxis’?”
Christians can be just as forgetful. We often use words and phrases unfamiliar to those who weren’t raised in church or grounded in Scripture. When we do this, we risk making people feel excluded or ashamed for not knowing the terminology—and that’s not okay.
The Language of Psychology
The same is true in the world of soul-care and psychology. Listen to a podcast hosted by a clinical psychologist and you’ll hear terms like attachment theory, conditioning, narcissism, co-dependency, enablement, flow, mindfulness, attunement, and dysregulation. Each of these words carries layers of meaning that require study and context to fully grasp. As with the various Christian denominations, within the psychological community, various subgroups may even have their own unique dialect to learn and understand.
In counseling, I’ve noticed that many Christians today are quite fluent in psychological terms but often struggle with biblical literacy. There is something “off” when a long-time believer can explain to me the finer points of codependency but doesn’t know where to find the book of Ephesians.
Which Framework Shapes Us?
The reality is, there is growing pressure—on counselees, churches, and even biblical counselors—to exchange biblical frameworks for the language of the therapeutic community to gain acceptance and credibility. We feel shame when someone uses an unfamiliar psychological term, and we feel excluded when we are discovered not to know what they mean. In a culture of growing therapeutic saturation, there is a pressure to learn, read, and speak this popular language.
As a Christian and a biblical counselor, I must ask: What language and culture do I ultimately want those I counsel to be grounded in? Do I want them to adopt a secular therapeutic dialect—barely 150 years old and only comparatively recently popular—or the rich language and culture God has given His people for millennia?
Gospel Descriptors vs. Labels
There is nothing inherently wrong with using the word narcissist to describe someone who is self-focused or manipulative. Scripture even warns about descending into meaningless arguments over words and labels. It does no one any good and just ruins relationships. (see 2 Timothy 2:14-15) Descriptive language for heart issues can be helpful and useful in counseling. Yet rather than simply labeling the behavior in psychological terms as something to manage, should I not gently guide someone to see how Scripture warns how pride blinds us to Christ and His kingdom? Should they not be admonished that they are causing real harm when controlling and manipulating others into becoming vassals of their own kingdom?
Do I not have a responsibility to point them to the truth that our desire for control places us in opposition to God—that humility is the only path to God’s grace and lasting heart change (James 4:1–11)? These are fundamentally different languages with fundamentally different understandings and goals. I want those I meet with to develop Gospel fluency—to think, speak, and live through the lens of God’s Word, for God’s glory, within the grand narrative of redemption.
The Value of Biblical Vocabulary
As believers, we shouldn't be ashamed of having a unique language filled with terms like justification, atonement, sin, born again, sanctification, adoption, kingdom, lordship, predestination, and salvation. These aren’t terms to avoid in counseling—they're central to our biblical community. That said, we sometimes use this language in ways that unintentionally (or even self-righteously) exclude those who are unfamiliar with it. We truly can be cliquish or condescending in our language. If you would patiently explain the rules and language of football to someone who is not yet a fan, how much more should biblical counselors patiently explain the meaning and real-world application to those whose hearts are being shaped by the Gospel?
Building Bridges, Not Linguistic Barriers
Paul wrote that he had “become all things to all people, that by all means [he] might save some.” He was well-educated in Greek philosophy and thought and used his knowledge to engage the Athenians with the Gospel. He built a bridge between their culture and the truth of the Gospel. In that way, of course, we must understand the language of the world around us so that we can effectively communicate the practicality of the Gospel to the hurting. Our counseling team strives to be well-equipped and educated for this task. We often use common psychological terms to help bridge people’s understanding into a biblical framework from a Gospel-centered perspective, drawing on common grace insights and case wisdom where appropriate. However, these are tools utilized to help people understand a worldview centered on God and his wisdom rather than a replacement for biblical frameworks.
A Final Word
In the end, we believe Gospel centrality requires a growing biblical fluency, and we will seek to communicate God’s word graciously and effectively when you come to see us. We hope to see you soon!
For Further Study:
Gospel Fluency: Speaking the Truths of Jesus into the Everyday Stuff of Life, by Jeff Vanderstelt
Counsel from the Cross: Connecting Broken People to the Love of Christ, by Elyse Fitzpatrick
Cross-talk: Where Life and Scripture Meet, by Mike Emlett
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