The power of words

"Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me". From childhood we are encouraged to dismiss the power of words to affect us. But how much power can words really have?

As a linguist, I'm a big fan of words and how they fit together to allow us to make meaning. I think there is a great deal of power in words and language, for good or ill. Indeed, there are some sub-fields of Linguistics - I'm thinking of Critical Discourse Analysis and Positive Discourse Analysis - that have sprung up with the aim of deconstructing, respectively, discourse that embodies "ideologically driven discrimination, with respect to gender, ethnicity, class and related social variables" (Martin 2006) and discourse that "functions to make the world a better place" (Martin 2006). The very existence of these trends of linguistic application assumes that language has the power to harm or improve society, and perhaps even individual lives.


I was thinking about this because the 'mid year conference' at UNSW, where I'm doing some ministry work with staff and postgrad students, is on the topic of 'Beyond Words', focusing on what happens when Christians read the Bible:

4000 years ago, Moses encountered God on Mt Sinai. It was beyond words. The storm raged, the lightning struck and the fire and smoke poured out of heaven. Today, Christians read a slightly beaten up paperback book over breakfast and claim to be meeting God. 

Aren't we missing something? Why doesn't God speak directly to me? Should I expect a still small voice or something more? 

 You can watch one of the video ads for the conference on Youtube - it highlights the fact that many forms of everyday language can have a significant impact on our lives. It also prompts us to wonder why Christians don't often register the same kind of impact when we read the Bible, which we believe to be the words of the Living God!


The Bible tells me that I should love it and delight in it (Psalm 119), store it up in my heart (Psalm 119:11), meditate on it (Psalm 119:148), and even value it above money (Psalm 119:72) and food (Matthew 4:1-4)! God promises that if I read His Word with sincerity and obedience, and with Him working in me by His Spirit, the words of scripture will give me life and blessing (James 1:25), guide my decisions (Psalm 119:105), and turn me from doing things that displease God (Psalm 119:11).


Furthermore, the gospel - the story that Jesus Christ, the Song of God, dies for the sin of the world and was raised again to rule the world - has the power to save those who believe it! "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” (Romans 1:16). That’s some truly powerful words!


References:
Martin, J. R. (2006). Positive Discourse Analysis: Power, Solidarity and Change, Journal of English Studies, 4(14), 21-35.

Ch- Ch- Ch- Ch- Changes (again)

The new semester has begun, and the shape of my week has changed yet again. Instead of being spread across 4 courses at 3 different campuses in two different cities, I'm very thankful to be based at just one campus this time. Unfortunately it's not very close to home, so I'm going to have to start making the most of train and bus travel time for reading and thinking.

My teaching this time is entirely in a postgraduate translation studies program. I'm teaching two subjects I haven't taught before (although one is very similar to one of the ones I taught last semester) but many of the students are the same as last semester so I'm glad to be able to continue with them, get to know them a bit better, and keep trying to equip them with linguistic skills to be good translators/interpreters.

As well as teaching, I have also started a ministry apprenticeship with the Simeon Network but based at the campus I'm teaching at. Teaching part time (and deliberately less than last semester!) gives me the opportunity to spend the rest of my week doing other things, and I was glad to be offered the chance to get some training in ministry. At first, it will mainly involve participating in training sessions in theology and ministry skills like one-to-one bible reading, leading small groups, etc. I'll also help with planning and organizing Simeon Network events and eventually help run training sessions for others. My apprenticeship includes time for thinking about the nexus between my discipline and my faith, so I hope to be able to update my blog more frequently with the fruits of those thinking times.