I have never been good at deciphering acronyms, or remembering the words behind organizations or companies that use them as their logos.  As a newcomer to the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, however, I must now find a path to understanding.  Acronyms are a big deal, and some people don’t take lightly to other people using their letters.

Consider the case of the World Wildlife Fund as it sought to force the World Wrestling Federation to stop using WWF.  For those of who grew up with the likes of Dusty Rhodes (“The American Dream”), this was a hard pill to swallow.  Then there was the dispute raised by the International House of Pancakes over the use of the IHOP designation by the International House of Prayer.  The pancakes were first, but the International House of Pancakes ultimately “flipped” directions and dropped their lawsuit.    

In the church movement I serve, there is a phrase that says we should “call Bible things by Bible names.”  I believe this sentiment emerged as a response to those who were in the habit of creating fancy, churchy terms to describe Bible things.  Among other things, the practice of reducing important biblical truths to acronyms can create a class distinction between those “in the know” and the uninitiated. 

I don’t mean to suggest acronyms are a bad thing, or that using them as a sort of believer’s code isn’t useful, especially in seasons of persecution.  It is thought the first acronym used by Christians was IXTHUS, which was the Greek word for “fish”.  It stood for (in the Greek) “Jesus” (I) – “Christ” (X) – “God’s” (TH) – “Son” (U) – “The Savior” (S).  You may be familiar with this term, but perhaps you are more aware of WWJD, which poses the question, “What would Jesus do?” 

Since acronyms are hard for me, I recently evoked the “Bible things by Bible names” plea, and asked myself where they can be found in scripture.  I surmised if I couldn’t find any there, then I could declare myself free of the practice, and evoke my faith as a rationale for not knowing or caring about the hundreds of acronyms we find in our culture. 

The short conclusion to my brief research is that acronyms do not exist in the Bible; at least not as we understand them in the English language.  But there are other literary devices used by authors to make their point, including some verbal cues which would only be evident if we were speaking Hebrew.  Perhaps the closest cousin would be the acrostic used by the psalmist in Psalm 119, in which individual lines, pairs and stanzas are linked with the consecutive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. 

Again, there is nothing wrong with using a literary tool to help us remember a phrase or to label a concept.  To borrow another phrase from the church movement I serve, “Where the Bible is silent, we are silent”.  The Bible does not speak against such things.  Therefore, we can use them if they are helpful. This brings me to the thought I wish to share.  When are acronyms helpful?  And when are they not helpful?  I pose these questions, because Christians sometimes use acronyms in their conversation with others, without considering whether or not the people who are listening actually know what they are talking about.  And unfortunately, our hearers will often nod their heads to signal they understand because they don’t want us to think they are uninformed.  Here are some questions we may want to ask.

Do the acronyms I use help me remember biblical references or truths?  Did you know you are seeing a biblical acronym when you pull up in front of a Sweet Frog restaurant?  The “FROG” designation stands for “Fully Rely on God”.  This is a good and “delicious” reminder of an important truth. There is a book titled, “Learn the Books of the Bible by Using Acronyms and More” by Carol Stutzman.  One example of her methodology is the idea that GE (which is associated with electricity) stands for “God’s electricity”.  These two letters appear twice in lists of Bible books, including Genesis and Exodus in the Old Testament and Galatians and Ephesians in the New Testament.  If these kinds of tools help us remember aspects of God’s Word so we can be prepared to research, recall or share it better, then by all means we should use them! 

Are the acronyms used in conjunction with what they represent, so they are meaningful to both insiders and outsiders?  For example, my church family provides a “Celebrate Recovery” ministry for those with “habits, hurts and hang-ups” (which we all have).  The acronym for Celebrate Recovery is CR.  Both are used on T-shirts and in publications in our church.  For those who participate regularly, the CR designation is likely used more.  For newcomers, the full term Celebrate Recovery is probably more meaningful.  In contrast, I have had conversations with people who refer to their church home or Chrisian organization in acronym form, without using the full title, and I have no idea what the letters mean.  In most cases I just nod my head as if I understand!  Hey, I don’t want to admit I don’t know something either!  We should always be thinking about those who are not “in the know”, and make sure we communicate with clarity.

Finally, are the acronyms intuitively connected to the things I wish to communicate?  When I was a young Christian, someone shared the ACTS prayer plan with me.  If you are unfamiliar with the plan, the letters represent “Adoration”, “Confession”, “Thanksgiving” and “Supplication.”  This acronym was obviously effective, because I remember the plan.  But if I use the ACTS designation in a sermon or article without a full explanation, and don’t mention that it is a framework for time with God, others might connect it with the biblical book of Acts because it doesn’t sound like it is about prayer.  Again, there is nothing wrong with acronyms, but if we use them, they should lead others in the general direction of the message they represent.

All of this is to say, while acronyms have their place, it is important for believers to remember their audience includes those who don’t know Christ, or who may be on the outside looking in.  Some people speak of “Christiainese”; the language Christians develop amongst themselves which is not always discernable to those who don’t attend church or move in Christian circles.  Our goal should always be to make our words understandable and clear, especially when there is a possibility those who don’t know the Lord are listening to or reading what we are sharing.   

I should add, if we are communicating with people who live in the world of acronyms, then perhaps they are the way to go! An example of this might be the vocabulary of text acronyms (and abbreviations) we use with friends via our mobile devices. 

Just remember, when people nod their head, they may not have a clue what you mean.  It’s a good thing Jesus used complete sentences.  Otherwise, we might be trying to figure out who the SOG was who told us to “Go and make DAN”, and to baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  We might also miss the promise that Jesus will be with us to the VETA. 

CULTER!