Trivializing Words

As evangelicals, we believe in verbal inspiration. This means that we hold that the very words of Scripture are inspired. Words are conveyors of thought. We know the mind of God – even if only partly – because we have the words of God in Scripture. Therefore, words are significant. Christians in particular deal in words. Paul said that faith comes by hearing, by hearing the Word (Rom. 10:17). None of this is news to believers.


Why, then, do we insist upon trivializing words in order to appear "real and relevant?" One of my beefs is the overuse of the word "awesome." Everything is awesome; "we had an awesome service in church;" "he did an awesome job painting his house;" "I had an awesome bacon double cheeseburger for lunch." Really? Was the worship service on the same level as the bacon double cheeseburger (maybe, in some cases, the cheeseburger was better)? Maybe you were filled with awe and wonder when you first your new born child, but was it the same kind of wonder that you knew when you had that "awesome" banana split?


Of course, I am guilty of being a curmudgeon. Maybe some will think I am a word Nazi. But, if everything is awesome, then nothing is awesome. God is awesome; His Word is awesome; His creation is awesome; the gospel is totally awesome. Let's at least save a few words to use exclusively for the appropriate subjects.