Thursday, May 31, 2012

Language Play Of The Week

Every now and then I read something - a phrase, a turn of thought, and I think, "wow, Writer Dude, you just nailed that". OK, I realize that my last sentence wasn't exactly an example of the kind of effective writing I'm talking about, but you get my point. Here's the fifth in what is thus far proving to be a somewhat more regular feature in Mad Padre.

The church signboard is a medium for very short, pithy messages - think of it as the haiku or twitter of evangelism. Most church signboards are the realm of hackneyed phrases and cliches, but occasionally they can be quite good. Written on a piece of paper or on a computer screen, I wouldn't rate this as a Language Play of the Week, but in the context of the church sign, and given the ethical pithiness of the final line, I think this is deserving.

Thanks to the Chesterton and Friends blog for noting this. Fans of The Big Lebowski will recognize the Latter Day Dude reference.

3 comments:

Conrad Kinch said...

There was a Presbyterian church near where I used to live that had one of these. They are not a typically irish thing.
My favourite was always "Call this number to talk to us about Jesus. Do so while driving to meet him."

Mad Padre said...

When I was doing a parish placement as a theology student, they rashly gave me the key to the signboard.
My best creation was "Sinners wanted, experience preferred. Apply within."

Conrad Kinch said...

J Christ, carpenter, seeks joiner.

Mad Padre

Mad Padre
Opinions expressed within are in no way the responsibility of anyone's employers or facilitating agencies and should by rights be taken as nothing more than one person's notional musings, attempted witticisms, and prayerful posturings.

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