Germanglish

I had an interesting encounter yesterday. It transported me back into a world of questions that had accumulated during my time in Germany. I bumped into a visiting German prospective student in the Fuller coffee shop around noonthirty. When I disclosed, my German connections and my Mennonite background, we quickly discovered a mutual German acquaintance.

Upon divulging my Mennonite connections, I sensed a glimmer of recognition cross his face. His look kinda communicated “Oh, one of them.” He then proceeded, in declarative terms, to identify his church plant as not associating itself with any denomination. He expounded upon his organization and gave me his business card with the organization’s name, “Gospel Tribe,” written across the top. Internally, I rolled my eyes.

Perhaps I had misunderstood the look? Perhaps we had mutually judged one another? Perhaps I am just reading too much into the whole thang? All I know is that I was left with familiar questions about the context of the church in Germany.

This encounter tapped into similar experiences I had with German Christian youth. On several occasions I came across the tendency for young adults to express a readiness to discard the old streak of tradition or denominationalism (which I readily understand) and to find new expressions and life in non-denominational/evangelical churches (which I readily support). This distancing from historic or institutional churches in itself is not the problem whatsoever. In fact, I consider myself a proponent of the impulse for new expressions and conceptualizations of church particularly in context steeped in state church corrosion. However, this incident resurfaced a huge irk of mine. I think I just find it hard to swallow the rationale (even though I completely understand it): “We are not identified with any denomination,” but then on the other hand we will call ourselves “Gospel Tribe.”

Gospel and Tribe are not German words. In German, Gospel could be roughly translated as Evangeliumstamm. Granted Evangeliumstamm probably ain’t good German grammar and it sure (knowing the youth culture) don’t have the same ring. It sounds stuffy and old-foggyish. See, English is “in,” especially with the youth. For that reason, I am very skeptical that it will somehow be not just considered a fad in 10-20 years. (“Oh, yeah. That was the phase when we used English, instead of German for slang expressions.”)

This phenomenon is not something limited to the German context. Christians here attempt to make Jesus and the church relevant all the live long day through language, technology, media, etc. I get the sense that many of the cues Germans take are the from American marketing style for Christianity, and like, the name “Gospel Tribe,” results in essentially non-indigenous terms for Christianity. We continually try to be ever savvier to be relevant. Maybe that is my issue. The Gospel and Church, to me, are not somehow exercises in panache.

Don’t get me wrong I am not projecting all my discombobulated vim at “Gospel Tribe.” That business card just got me on this rant. I know actually a little about their ministry and I know many swell people that are with them. I am not critical of the general attitude to make good use of the “new.” I am just left with a helpless sense of not knowing how to explain why I react to this. It makes sense, but it doesn’t feel right. I don’t want Jesus or the church to fall victim to trends… but when I say that it makes me feel like I sound stuffy and old-foggyish. I guess that is what makes me react. This kind of encounter taps into my own perplexity about the relevance and role of Christian traditions (especially mine) in our contemporary context. So there you have it.