Doublespeak

by Jeff Himmel
as originally published in the February 14, 1999, edition of Life Lines

     One of the most entertaining and enlightening books I've read is Doublespeak, by William Lutz (Harper & Row, 1989), It describes how people often use language which gives a false impression as to what they're actually saying. Lutz gives the name "doublespeak" to speech or writing that employs inflated words in order to confuse, mislead and deceive.

     Lutz's examples range from humorous to infuriating. Some of the best ones occur where someone is trying to divert attention from a harsh, unpleasant truth. Companies who lay off workers are merely "initiating a career alternative enhancement program." Besides, the workers aren't fired, they're "non-retained" to "eliminate redundancies in human resources." This is done so the company won't lose money - I mean, "experience negative growth."

     As you might expect, our government is also very good at this sort of language, especially in military reports. "High-intensity conflicts" (wars) usually produce lots of "collateral damage" (civilian deaths), which often results from "incontinent ordnance" (bombs that hit the wrong targets). And we always hope the "conflict" ends before someone has to use a "radiation enhancement device" (nuclear bomb).

     I've observed that people also tend to use a kind of "doublespeak" regarding religion and morality (or should I say, vain religion and immorality?). And even if the words aren't quite as inflated as those of business and government, their purpose is the same: to soften our perception of an evil reality, or to disguise as truth something that is not. In this language, homosexuality and other sexual deviations are merely "alternative lifestyles." A person who is a fornicator or adulterer is just "sexually active." You don't cheat, you "use a loophole." It's not lying, it's "creative license." A person isn't a drunk or a drug addict, he's just "chemically dependent." It's not pornography, it's "adult material." A doctor doesn't kill an unborn child, he "excises a mass of fetal tissue."

     I've also observed that some in the church use "doublespeak" to make dangerous and unscriptural teaching appear truthful - even to give it an air of urgency. Those who would undermine the Bible's authority call for a "new hermeneutic" that views Scripture only as a "love letter from God" and not as divine law. Disregard of the apostles' writings and avoidance of topics like baptism or the church is innocently called "preaching Christ." Those who embrace doctrinal error in fellowship call it "unity in diversity." The abolition of local elderships and church autonomy is simply "restructuring." Folks who want the church to be more like the world preach that it merely needs to "respond to its environment."

     But changing the name of a thing doesn't change what it is. Whether you call it "skunk" or "polecat," it still smells bad. And regardless of what words men use to describe it, sin is still sin and error is still error.

     We need to look through the smoke screen of such language and see the reality it hides. Instead of being weak and apologetic toward immorality, we must expose and condemn it (Ephesians 5:11). We must be responsible handlers of God's truth. Don't swallow every new, neatly packaged idea that comes along. Examine everything in the light of Scripture and reject whatever is not founded squarely on God's word (1 Thessalonians 5:21; 1 John 4:1-6). Our faith should not be built on the wisdom of men, but on the promises and power of God (1 Corinthians 1:25; 2:5). If we forget that, we who seek a home in heaven will wind up spending eternity in "the other place."