“They” is a third-person plural pronoun in the nominative case. “They” is also, oftentimes, an indication of spiritual weakness. A great deal can be learned by listening to how some individuals speak about the congregation to which he or she belong. It is a cause for concern when any member refers to the congregation as “they.” It is not too unusual to hear: “They have services at…” “They did not support the meeting well…,” or “They decided to…”<\/p>\n
The choice of “they” over “we” demonstrates that the speaker is, for one reason or another, not counting themselves as a part of the group. Would you speak of your immediate family by saying, “They normally have dinner at 6:00 P.M.,” or would you say, “We eat at 6 o’clock?” To ask is to answer.<\/p>\n
We are commanded not to forsake “our own assembling together.<\/em>..” (Hebrews 10:25). Perhaps one reason some Christians (so-called) can absent themselves without regret is because this registers as “When ‘they’ assemble together.”<\/p>\n When you speak or think of the congregation of which you are a member, is it “we” or is it “they”?<\/p>\n “They” is also used to suggest widespread support, which may or may not be a reality. This misuse of “they,” which can demonstrate a lack of basic honesty or courage, is so widespread that lexicographers recognize it: “… 2. people (or a person) generally or indefinitely; as they<\/em> say it’s so” (Webster). Lest you find comfort in what Webster says, remember that Webster also uses the words “or sprinkling water on him” when defining “baptism.”<\/p>\n It sounds so much more authoritative when reproving, rebuking, or trying to prove a point to say, “They say…” than it does to bite the bullet and honestly acknowledge “I don’t like…,” “My wife was upset when…,” or “Brother ——– thinks that…” “They” gives the mistaken semblance of a united action or attitude. “They” can be used, in a dishonest manner, to give credence to the complaints of one or two old grouches, or a like number of young smart-alecks. If what “they” say is important enough to repeat, it is important enough for “they” (“them’) to say it in person to the one or ones of whom the words are spoken.<\/p>\n Frankly, I do not know anyone named “They.” Unless and until one is ready to put the names (“they” is plural) in the complaint (rebuke, etc.), the message is best left unspoken. On one occasion, I asked, “Who are ‘they’?” and was told, “Well … lots of people.” But, dear reader, I am still waiting to learn who, specifically, “they” or “lots of people” are. Paul did not tell the Corinthians, “‘They’ say that there are contentions among you…,” but, being honest and having a backbone, he wrote, “For it hath been signified unto me concerning you, my brethren, by them that are of the household of Chloe…<\/em>” (I Corinthians 1:11).<\/p>\n Let your words, as it were, stand on their own two feet. Do not seek to prop them up with the artificial, cowardly, and sometimes dishonest support of “They say …”<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by William V. Beasley via\u00a0Sentry Magazine, Vol. 17 No. 2, 30 June 1991 “They” is a third-person plural pronoun in the nominative case. “They” is also, oftentimes, an indication of spiritual weakness. A great deal can be learned by listening to how some individuals speak about the congregation to which he or she belong. It…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[1039,794],"class_list":["post-88134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-complaints","tag-criticism"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":60888,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-is-the-proper-way-to-refer-to-a-preacher\/","url_meta":{"origin":88134,"position":0},"title":"What Is the Proper Way to Refer to a Preacher?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 27, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Adapted from an article by Clem Thurman via Gospel Minutes, Vol. 58, No. 34, Aug. 21, 2009. Question: My denominational friends refer to their preacher as \"Pastor\" or \"Reverend.\" What is the proper way to address the preacher, or how do you refer to him as you speak of him\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":20760,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/if-the-whole-church-makes-decisions-how-is-it-organized\/","url_meta":{"origin":88134,"position":1},"title":"If the whole church makes decisions, how is it organized?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 7, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I read\u00a0the reply by Ney Rieber, to the question posed by one that was having a problem reconciling with a congregation that does not have elders. These questions come to mind and I hope you can help answer them when you have time or maybe point me toward a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":16921,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-the-preacher-use-his-time-to-conduct-a-bible-class-during-the-worship-service\/","url_meta":{"origin":88134,"position":2},"title":"Can the preacher use his time to conduct a Bible class during the worship service?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 1, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I'm a young man of seventeen and have been raised and brought up in a very conservative Christian home. I could go on and on about my father, the efforts of my mother, and the great strides I've been extremely blessed to make in being an active member in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":55385,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-brotherhood\/","url_meta":{"origin":88134,"position":3},"title":"The Brotherhood","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 2, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"by Edward O. Bragwell, Sr. via\u00a0The Reflector, December 07. \"Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king\" (I Peter 2:17). The word \"brotherhood\" here is translated from\u00a0adelphotes. It appears only twice in the New Testament, both times in I Peter (2:17; 5:9). The King James renders it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":22002,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/my-congregation-is-becoming-more-unscriptural-should-i-find-another-one\/","url_meta":{"origin":88134,"position":4},"title":"My congregation is becoming more unscriptural. Should I find another one?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 14, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: My home congregation is slowly beginning to make some unscriptural moves. I have been told by another gospel preacher that my home congregation has a bad reputation. Our evangelist holds an erroneous view on marriage, divorce, and remarriage. He believes that Christ's covenant is for Christians only and that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":16159,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-the-whole-church-refer-only-to-the-men\/","url_meta":{"origin":88134,"position":5},"title":"Does “the whole church” refer only to the men?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 25, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I am so appreciative of all the information from your studies of God\u2019s word that you make available on your web site. I have recently been studying, teaching and preaching on the subject of the Christian woman\u2019s role and her silence or quietness. The information on your web site\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88134"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88134\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}“They Say …”<\/h2>\n