Ridiculous ‘Riting

This is the part of the blog where we take a moment to point out dumb things people write, then sit back and feel superior. Ready? Go!

“The language of ‘clearing’ is another way of talking about ‘kingdom’–and kingdom is another way of talking about creativity.”

This gem is from an introduction by general editor Leonard Sweet to the book The Church in Emerging Culture: Five Perspectives.

Hands up everyone who’s read “Again he said to them, the kingdom of heaven is like…” and thought, “Oh. I get it! He’s talking about creativity!”

I may be thought uncharitable, but if this introduction is any indication then Sweet is just flat out a piss-poor writer. The goal of the book he is writing for is to convey information concerning the Emerging Church movement. But that means more than slapping down words or pictures that capture what Sweet feels when he thinks about the emerging church. He can be postmodern to his heart’s content, but the only sure fire way to convey information is denotation, not connotation.