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Editorial: What's in a Name? by Kevin Sims
What's in a Name?
I have a confession. If I see a misplaced or unnecessary apostrophe on a shop sign I find it hard to go into the shop. I realise this is a little extreme but I guess it's the editor's curse. Similarly, if someone on TV describes an event as `very unique' I have a tendency to explode. 'There's no such thing as "very unique",' I shout at the screen. 'It's either unique or it's not!'
This slightly obsessive behaviour is not something I'm proud of. If there was a local branch of Pedants Anonymous I'd willingly join - I freely admit there are more important things in life but, like it or not, good use of language is important to me.
Language is a powerful thing. A name or title can have a reader interested in an article or instantly turned off. There have been times in the past when I'm sure I have spent less time writing an article than coming up with a headline for it. Many editors will tell the same story. We're all looking for ways to draw in our readers.
This issue of All the World includes an article about the booklet Community in Mission, which looks at the concept of integrated mission. Now it may just be me, but the name 'integrated mission' provokes little excitement. It needs explaining before it makes real sense and, from my point of view, names that need explaining - much like jokes that need to be explained - leave something to be desired. Yet the concept -
which encourages The Salvation Army to look beyond itself and try to engage with people in communities to provide for their true needs - is fantastic.
How many programmes or concepts have not caught on because, on first view, they don't catch people's interest? I could suggest a snappy, catchy alternative to 'integrated mission' - 'All together now', 'Any time, any place, anywhere'? Perhaps not. Maybe readers of All the World have some suggestions.
On the flip side, of course, there are examples where a good title or name leads to success. The Salvation Army is a case in point. As The Christian Mission it was one of many Christian groups, doing OK but nothing out of the ordinary. As The Salvation Army, however, the name and the military metaphor caught people's imaginations and the movement spread around the world.
I heard recently someone urging churchgoers to show more love to each other and to people in general. The argument went that if people associated the word `love' with the word `Christian' the Church would stand a far better chance of growing.
I'm certain that many thousands of people who come into contact with The Salvation Army every day associate 'The Salvation Army' with 'love' because of how they have been treated, without anyone having to explain the connection.
My challenge is to let my Christianity show through my everyday living in a way that goes beyond expectation as well as explanation. For this to happen, my actions must speak louder than even the most carefully-chosen words.
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