Stealing our words

By Elizabeth Prata

SYNOPSIS: Are you confused at the dizzying pace in which commonly understood words are being re-defined? Has someone used a weaponized word against you? What IS ‘linguistic theft’ anyway? All this and more in today’s essay about the new Newspeak and Thoughtcrimes.

---

Of NewSpeak and Thoughtcrime

If you have ever read the classic book “1984” by George Orwell, you notice one of the things depicted in the dystopian future tyrannical State is that in order to get people used to the new culture, words are redefined. In the book, this re-definition of language is called NewSpeak. Its purpose was to get people to think along ways the Ruling Party of the State wanted them to.

Thinking along unapproved ways was called “thoughtcrime.”

NewSpeak also changed the definitions of words. Controlling and simplifying the language is a way to control the population.

When a Christian individual or an organization or movement tries to control the language by changing definitions, or introducing new words, it’s a sure bet they are trying to change the religious orthodoxy.

The word sin is substituted with the word mistake.
The word Gospel is diluted because there is the Social Gospel.
The word justice is redefined to mean egalitarianism and destruction of allegedly unjust systems.

For example, when Institute for Basic Life Principles founder Bill Gothard was bombarded with accusations of teaching Legalism, he tried to change the definition, then he dispensed with using the word at all. A proper response to that attempt by Source, A Matter Of Basic Principles Bill Gothard And His Cultish Teachings, by Don and Joy Veinot, Ron Henzel was stated below-

It is interesting that [Bill] Gothard seeks to legislate how Christians use words and quite ironic that the word which he seeks to legislate is “legalism.” It is reminiscent of George Orwell’s “thinkspeak” of 1984.

Words are the coins of human ideas, and whoever controls their flow becomes a kind of Federal Reserve Board Chairman of Christian thought. Should anyone have such power?

That is a powerful way to describe the importance of the power of words.

Words evolve

Words naturally go in and out of fashion. New words come in. In the King James Version of the Bible, the word “incontinent” or “incontinence” is used 3 times. 1 Corinthians 7:5, 2 Timothy 3:3, Matthew 23:25. Its use in those verses means lack of self-control, or powerlessness.

However, we use the word incontinent today more in the medical realms, to mean lack of bladder control, a loss of physical power to control one’s bladder. If you’re a King James Version user, knowing the archaic meaning of the words would put the onus on the reader to understand properly. Word spellings and their meanings do change over 400 years.

Other words come in, like flabbergasted. That was a word entering the lexicon in 1772 with 2 words cobbled together, flabber or flabby, and aghast. No one is sure what it meant then when it was invented and used in a magazine as a new, in-vogue word.

Similarly, in Christianity, aside from the natural flow and evolution of words over time like incontinent, for example, some people try to change meanings deliberately in order to enact ‘thoughtcrime’. Here are some words that Progressive Christianity tries to use negatively, or endow with a different meaning than the commonly understood definition.

Religious words redefined

Patriarchy. Progressives define and use this word to present that it’s not a Divinely ordained, male-led system but an unjust, human-constructed social system of male domination. In a patriarchy, they say, women are subjugated. They claim that the Old Testament norms of a male-led family, ecclesiastical, and social structure was done away with. You will often hear or see people who believe this definition, saying- “The first people to herald the Gospel were women, Jesus Himself told them to go!” or “The woman at the well evangelized her entire town!” They have a ‘Women above men’ attitude, finding all sorts of out-of-context ‘biblical’ examples why women should be vaulted to the top of any institutional structure, whether church, family, or government.

This is a natural result of 70 years of feminism that infected our culture.

Misogyny. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines this word as “Misogyny is the hatred of, contempt for, or deep-seated prejudice against women.”

Progressive Christians reject gender norms. Anyone clinging to (in their view) of outdated gender norms is a misogynist. Any men who adhere to biblical standards of female submission are called misogynists, someone who hates women to ‘thrive.’ Of course, ‘thriving’ in their view is different from what God in His word says is thriving for women. They even claim that saying God is presented as male is a misogyny. If you believe the Bible’s standards for gender roles, you are committing thoughtcrime, in the liberal view.

Narcissist: Law Enforcement Officer Sergeant Steve, Youtube noted, “What is with everybody calling everybody a narcissist? It’s like everybody just learned this word and then anybody at all that aggravates you is clearly a narcissist. Please stop. No.”

He’s right about the increased use of this word. Psychology Today says, “Narcissists have a prominent place in the popular imagination, and the label “narcissist” is widely deployed to refer to people who appear too full of themselves. There’s also a growing sense that narcissism is on the rise around the world, especially among young people, although most psychological research does not support that notion.“

Narcissism is characterized by a person’s feeling of “grandiosity, a lack of empathy for other people, and a need for admiration. People with this condition are frequently described as arrogant, self-centered, manipulative, and demanding” again, according to Psychology Today.

Phobia: As in homophobia, Islamaphobia. A phobia is an intense fear of something that triggers severe, uncontrollable distress and avoidance behaviors far out of proportion to any actual danger.

Of course, there are many other words that current liberal culture has redefined. The upshot of all this is that Liberal (or progressive) Christians like to reinterpret orthodox terminology by shifting definitions from literal, historical, normally accepted definitions, to metaphorical concepts that align with their own interpretations of ‘updated language’ that fits a current religious environment.

These re-defined words, inappropriately used in their out of context settings, are weaponized. They are designed to intimidate the person the word is flung toward.

How to combat the liberal redefinition of terms?

It goes without saying that we must stay in the word every day, pray, and gather with the saints to worship and hear the word from our pastors. This is what grows and strengthens us, and transforms our mind, so that we can spot weaponized or redefined words when they occur in our sphere.

Virgil Walker and DB Harrison are great at defining terms when they issue an edition of the Just Thinking Podcast. A well-known feature of the podcast is that the pair take the time to define the terms they are presenting, such as capitalism, worldliness, wokeness, unity, and the like.

But make sure your statement is, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil origin. (Matthew 5:37).

When there are many words, wrongdoing is unavoidable, But one who restrains his lips is wise. (Proverbs 10:19).

2. ALWAYS go back to the text- the word of God. The word is living and active, however, unlike other living things, the Word does not evolve. It is inerrant and remains the standard for which all Christians live and understand life. It is the authority, bar none.

All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; (2 Timothy 3:16).

3. Revert to Historical Orthodoxy: Unapologetically defend traditional doctrines such as the deity of Christ, the Trinity, and the incarnation. Point to creeds from the ancient Divines if need be. Progressive ideologies like religious pluralism and feminist theology often treat these as myths or metaphors or philosophies rather than literal truths. Insist, in love, that the biblical and historical definitions and understandings are the correct definitions.

So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold on to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us. (2 Thessalonians 2:15)

4. Be brave and call others to bravery: Succumbing to worldly concepts that change what we know and understand about the faith is a constant battle. Paul calls his churches to vigilance and strength to withstand the onslaught. And it is an onslaught. We are not of this world. Even standing on the Rock in the stream of culture will try to unbalance us or even throw us off. Keep standing even if the flow is coming downstream hard.

Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. (1 Corinthians 16:13).