The Slogan Driven Life

Do not trust in these deceptive words:

“This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.” (Jeremiah 7:4). 

Corinth Community Church gets the prize for being the most dysfunctional church in the New Testament. Congregational life was characterized by divisions, sexual immorality, lawsuits, charismania, doctrinal error, and people getting drunk at potluck dinners. No church could equal CCC for spiritual deformity and religious chaos. One symptom of the church’s pathological condition was her penchant for using slogans. These short phrases served as buzzwords, taglines, and sound bites to signal which theological group one belonged to. In his first letter to this unhealthy congregation, Paul mentions four such slogans that were contributing to the toxicity in the community.  

All things are permitted for me (I Cor. 6:12; 10:23). Building on the gospel truth that Christ has set us free from the tyranny of legalism, these believers had adopted a lifestyle of moral permissiveness that condoned sexual immorality.   

Food is meant for the stomach, and the stomach for food (I Cor. 6:13). This slogan promoted the idea that just as food is for the stomach, sexual activity is for the body; it is natural and good and should not be restrained, even among the people of God. 

Every sin that a person commits is outside the body (I Cor. 6:18). Scholars debate how best to interpret this verse, but it seems to be a slogan that promotes the idea that what we do with our bodies is relatively unimportant. What we do with our spirits is what really matters! 

All of us possess knowledge (I Cor. 8:1). This slogan was used by those who considered themselves to be spiritually mature. Their superior knowledge enabled them to engage in activities that less mature believers considered sinful (for example, eating food sacrificed to idols). By quoting the slogan, these believers gave themselves permission to do what they wanted to do, even if it caused their brothers and sisters in Christ to stumble.

Another biblical example of God’s people relying on clichés, buzzwords, and sound bites to define their faith comes from the days of Jeremiah the prophet. The temple in Jerusalem had become famous for its mastery of sloganeering. Short phrases were used repeatedly in sermons and praise choruses like a narcotic to bring comfort and reassurance to those who had come to worship. Worshippers left their minds outside when they came to the temple and dutifully repeated the mantra. “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord”, they chanted, while the prophets preached “Peace, peace” and “I have dreamed, I have dreamed” (see Jer. 6:14; 7:4; 8:11; 23:25). Jeremiah wasn’t fooled by such spiritual quackery, however, and warned the worshippers not to trust in these “deceptive words.” (Jer. 7:4). 

The most severe warning against the dangers of relying on spiritual buzzwords comes from Jesus himself. He said that those who, in worship, repeat the mantra, “Lord, Lord”, may actually be using the words to escape truth rather than embrace it! Jesus wanted us to understand that those who rely on sloganeering in worship may end up in hell (see Matt. 7:21-23).  

Perhaps more than any other church in history, the American church, has elevated sloganeering to an art form. Church consultants are paid big money to help congregations reduce their entire theology to pithy clichés that are short enough to be printed on a coffee mug!    

• It’s not a religion, it’s a relationship.

• Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven.

• Once saved always saved.

• Belong. Believe. Become.

• Love the sinner but hate the sin.

• Open doors, open hearts, open minds.

• Love wins.

• God helps those who help themselves.

• God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.

• God will not give you more than you can handle.

• We aren’t called to be sinless but we are called to sin less. 

• Let go and let God.

• Be the best version of yourself you can be.

Each of these clichés contain an element of truth and convey an important message. This is precisely what makes them so dangerous! Although slogans may sometimes help to communicate core values, when they are used as mindless taglines, they easily become toxic clichés that blind the sheep and obscure the truth. I can think of at least four reasons why sloganeering in the church is typically a toxic danger that should be avoided at all costs.  

1. It discourages serious discourse. Rather than discussing Scripture and seeking truth, sloganeering reduces conversation to the level of buzzwords, sound bites, and clichés. This promotes groupthink, where conformity to the community is prioritized over submission to the truth, creating a culture of superficiality and jingoism.  

2. It nurtures pride. Slogans are often used by churches who want to appear trendy and cutting edge, where members see themselves as a cut above members in other churches. 

3. It promotes divisiveness. Buzzwords and catchphrases are sometimes used as a sort of password, or shibboleth, to reveal who is in the group and who isn’t. Like a litmus test, clichés promote brand identity, an “us vs them” mentality. Slogans enable churches to practice a spiritualized form of identity politics. 

4. It fosters false assurance. Churches that operate by sloganeering measure faithfulness by one’s enthusiastic readiness to repeat the buzzwords. Evangelism is equated with ‘recruitment’, where outsiders are encouraged to adopt the appropriate brand identity.    

Dear friend, is your spirituality measured by clichés and buzzwords? Do you belong to a slogan driven church? Let me humbly encourage you to put a moratorium on the use of slogans in your life today. Relying on clichés and buzzwords to measure spiritual maturity is a sign of dysfunctionality, not health. 

I’ve shared a list of slogans that I’ve encountered in the church today. Perhaps you would like to share some that have been part of your journey as well. In the “Write a comment…” box below, share some of these clichés with the rest of us.  

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