"Because it paints us as ignorant know-it-alls who believe we have all the answers."
As an outsider, the first two examples you posted really do strike me as attempts to make arguments from authority, whether it's authority from scripture, or a sacred language, or academic credentials, or whatever else. And arguments from authority, like as you mentioned here and in other posts, has pretty dubious effectiveness in a contemporary Irish context (and elsewhere).
Even apart from practical effectiveness though... I do also think it's just really sad that so many people seem to only know how to "Christian lead" from positions of authority, power, and privilege.
The third one I actually don't mind as much. I think it's kind of funnily worded, but more like poetry in the way that the unusual configurations of words help my mind open up to different ways of understanding familiar things. Though, again... if your target audience doesn't have that familiarity, all you end up with is funny wording.
"Because it paints us as ignorant know-it-alls who believe we have all the answers."
As an outsider, the first two examples you posted really do strike me as attempts to make arguments from authority, whether it's authority from scripture, or a sacred language, or academic credentials, or whatever else. And arguments from authority, like as you mentioned here and in other posts, has pretty dubious effectiveness in a contemporary Irish context (and elsewhere).
Even apart from practical effectiveness though... I do also think it's just really sad that so many people seem to only know how to "Christian lead" from positions of authority, power, and privilege.
The third one I actually don't mind as much. I think it's kind of funnily worded, but more like poetry in the way that the unusual configurations of words help my mind open up to different ways of understanding familiar things. Though, again... if your target audience doesn't have that familiarity, all you end up with is funny wording.
Thanks, Mike.
It reminds me of Paul saying, "I become all things to all people." Rather than condemning a culture that has moved on, learn to talk to them.