Pentecostals – Pentagrams – and Monoglots

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Today’s Blog Post

Pentecostals – Pentagrams – and Monoglots

So the sign reads… “DIG THE BOOTY OF MONOGLOTS BUT MARRY, MY CHILD, A POLYGLOT”. This has to be the strangest thing ever printed!

I stumbled across it as I searched for information on Monoglots.

The sign is written in two other languages, as you can see.

The author/designer of the sign clearly has a target audience in mind as he or she is broadcasting their desires with the sign. The target audience are certain people that will be able to read all three languages and are likely from one of the language groups… or possibly from two groups.

I can assume also that the author of the sign is likely a Polyglot.

Now don’t tell me that you haven’t heard of the term Monoglot? If you haven’t, there is a high probability that you are a Monoglot.

In fact if you are reading this Blog at this very moment and are situated in Canada or the USA or the United Kingdom or even Australia and New Zealand – you are very likely a high functioning MONOGLOT!

Now do you feel any discomfort having that knowledge tucked away securely and uneasily within your brain storage?

Actually you should. In fact you really should feel frightened silly – but won’t be because you will have forgotten what the first line – or even the title of this Blog posting is about.

Now that I have elevated you to the severe hypochondriac person that you have become… I can share with you – what you are.

If you speak only one language you are a Monoglot. If you speak more than one – you are a Polyglot.

A study that I reviewed states the following… quote…
"Learning a second language and speaking it regularly can improve your cognitive skills and delay the onset of dementia, according to researchers who compared bilingual individuals with people who spoke only one language.

Their study suggests that bilingual speakers hold Alzheimer's disease at bay for an extra four years on average compared with monoglots. School-level language skills that you use on holiday may even improve brain function to some extent." End quote

Hokey Mokey – speaking only one language puts you at risk of having an earlier onset of dementia. People that speak more than one language will delay the onset of a potential dementia on an average of four more years.

Our language and its usage is vital to our ongoing success.. or our perceived potential success. If we use the right words we will be able to communicate what we desire or are looking for.

On the side…
At the time in my life that I discovered Monoglot as a descriptive word our church is now considering a name change for the Building. The signage will possibly change if the congregation is agreeable to the proposed changes.

The sermon and the explanation, that Pastor Scott Couper gave yesterday morning to the congregation, produced a lively discussion around the home of my kids during the afternoon. It was great.

I don’t know that Pastor Scott would realize the opportunity that he offered our family to discuss this in depth. It was a good sermon from what I was told.

(Personal problems did not allow me to attend the actually service and hear the actual sermon – NUTS! I missed a good one)

From what I could ascertain the Board is considering moving from “Northview Pentecostal Church” to maybe something like “Northview Community Church”.

In the past week Pastor Scott interviewed some Costco employees at the store. He did kind of a on the spot questioning of what the people knew of the church name with a video camera running. The dear folk that were responding struggled with the word “Pentecostal”.

In one setting that Pastor Scott quizzed some young folk, and they responded to a question about the word “Pentecostal”… Question/Answer “does the word have something to do with the occult… pentagram … etc.?” was the one response.

(Now remember I am getting this sermon content second hand from other listeners that were there in the morning.)

That is too good. Pastor Scott you hit a home run and everyone was listening. This will be a lively debate to say the least.

The fact is that with the word “Pentecostal” in your church name – you are assuming that some one must be a Polyglot. Either the people inside the building are Polyglots – or the people on the outside are assuming they are. The word is from another time and country!

In the ‘churchy world’ and in the minds of the people who actually know what Pentecostal means or assumes… it is about a personal experience with God and the Holy Spirit. Putting and keeping the name of Pentecostal on a church sign is broadcasting a higher level of spiritual experience, another level if you will… or so to speak.

Pentecostals for more than 100 years in Canada have spoken in Tongues and openly display “gifts of the Spirit” in their services.

Outsiders see them as possible “Polyglots”. The insiders see themselves as walking close to God (well maybe closer than other people).

I have for years suggested, hoped for a name change for that church. In the years that I held these feelings within… the old church folk would never have heard of it. The name was a cherished and almost iconic symbol.

The harsh realization comes when some one on the outside might think that it has something to do with a “Pentagram”. Whoa!

Whether you are entitled a Monoglot or Polyglot – it comes from your core… the place that divulges who you really are.

You are a Monoglot quite likely because your family was and all the people around you are as well. It comes from your ‘core values’ in all likelihood.

You are a Polyglot if most in your family are able to or want to speak other languages.

The label placed on you comes from what you are.

The Church Name – again…
Whatever the results of the potential church name change will come out of the heart of the present congregation. It will come from its core values.

It will not and should not come from what the ones before us thought they were or that we should be.

(At this point in time I can honestly say… we are not very Pentecostal – or maybe not Pentecostal at all… at Northview. Sorry it is just what I see and hear.)

Placing something like the word “Community” somewhere in the name – makes sense.

But as you may realize I have been thinking about this for a long time. I have other great suggestions that should stop people driving by the building and definitely want to come in.

Are you ready? Here goes…
“The Church of the Broken Pieces” (describing the people inside)

The “Thanking God We Are Not What We Used To Be Church” (Describing a movement away from some bad things or attitudes)

“Upwards – Inwards – Downwards – Outwards Church” (Upward to God – Inward to ourselves – Downward from God and Outward to the community)

“Doors Open” church

“Bound to Love You” church

And the list grows… longer and longer… “Community” is safe

Monoglot and Polyglot refer to language issues. They both come out of the core values. They are labels that are used… a sign hung around a person’s life.

It is more than language… it is life.

But in a unique way… I hope and pray our church will move from being Monoglot – singular thinking and speaking about its being. We need to move to Polyglot abilities and thinking that would be inclusive of everyone in the community.

But placing “Community” somewhere in our title will insist that we are part of it and also in it.

I have another question bugging me greatly… are we irrelevant as a church? Is my life(or my church) in the community relevant in any way? But that is another debate.

“DIG THE BOOTY OF MONOGLOTS BUT MARRY, MY CHILD, A POLYGLOT”. Hmmmm?

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/  

Resource
The Sign Reads..
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hragvartanian/4389703747/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/feb/18/bilingual-alzheimers-brain-power-multitasking

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monolingualism