A number of Christian words that were once considered common knowledge need to be carefully reexplained.
Where appropriate, it may be also be helpful to develop new terms for certain Christian ideas that resemble modern trends in word development.
When talking to people today about Christian ideas, Christians should be keep in mind that younger generations of citizens from the public may have only a vague sense of words that older Christians may think are common knowledge. The meanings of words like sin and savior used to be generally well-known to Christian and non-Christian alike in many places. However, even younger Christians today may not have a clear idea of what a number of Christian terms mean. Some listeners may also associate a positive term with a negative concept or feeling because they have heard the word used in a negative context.
It is also key to recognize that explaining Christian words and ideas to younger people should include examples relevant to their age group. Otherwise, younger listeners might not end up fully realizing or even caring about what those words and ideas mean. For example, it can be helpful when talking about sin to give an example such as spreading a mean rumor online about a coworker for a laugh. That example would make sense in relation to their generation's experiences.
Where appropriate, it may also be helpful to develop new terms for certain Christian ideas that resemble modern trends in word development. However, none of the truth in the meanings of the original words should be lost. Language changes over time, and Christians want translations of Christian ideas to remain current.
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