Christian Accents

In general, when we listen to people talk, we know where they come from. For example, people from London, New Jersey, or Tennessee are easily identified by their accents. Even those of royalty have distinct ones.

Different accents evoke different sentiments. Researchers at the University of Chicago recently published their findings on a study about accents and the influence they have on the perception of the speaker. The results indicated that a foreign accent undermines a person's credibility. Because an accent makes a person harder to understand, listeners are less likely to rate the speaker’s words as truthful. This credibility problem increases with the thickness of the accent.

The fact is--we all have an accent and whether we can hear it or not, other folks can. As Christians, what do we sound like? The words born again, spirit-filled, and washed in the blood are like a foreign accent to non-Christians who are unfamiliar with church vocabulary. If this scientific study is correct, then when we sound churchy, we lose our credibility.

So, how can we sound like a Christian without coming across as unbelievable or untrustworthy? Instead of trying to sound like a church-goer, we should spend more time sounding like a redeemed child of the King. People need to hear in our voices the hope that we have in Christ. When they listen to us speak, they should know that we come from the family of God.