Theological Word of the Day: Cognitive dissonance

Cognitive dissonance
The condition when some of a person’s beliefs are in contradiction to other beliefs they hold or to the way they live. Often people’s habitual patterns do not harmonize with their intellectual convictions. In Christianity, it is often the case that people attempt to live according to a Christian worldview due only to traditional [...]

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Theological Word of the Day: Contra Mundum

contra mundum
Gk., “Against the world”
Contra mundum is a phrase that is expresses a defiance toward all accepted beliefs. It became associated with St. Athanasius, often referred to as the “Father of Orthodoxy,” in the fourth-century due to the stand he took against the Arians (those who denied the deity of Christ). Because of this, Athanasius [...]

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Theological Word of the Day: Eisegesis

Eisegesis
[ahy’-suh-jee‘-sis]
(Greek eis-, “into” + Greek hegeisthai, “to guide”)
The interpretive fallacy of reading into (eis-) the text of Scripture a preconceived theology in order to make it fit with what those presumptions require. Eisegesis is to be contrasted with exegesis which involves the arrival of meaning from or out of (ex-) the biblical text, without the [...]

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Theological Word of the Day: Creed (Not the band)

Creed
 (Latin credo, “I believe”)
A definitive statement or summary of the faith that normally represents a belief that is held by a majority within a faith system. In Christianity, creeds are recognized as official statements of faith either for the historic tradition as a whole (e.g., the Nicene Creed) or a denominational traditional confession. The most [...]

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Theological Word of the Day: Amyraldism

Amyraldism
 [am’-er-awl‘-diz-um or am’-er-ul-diz’-um]
Also, amyraldianism.
Named after Moses Amyraut, a theologian of the 17th century, Amyraldism is a form of Calvinism that distinguishes itself by a belief in universal atonement. Its variation from the traditional Calvinistic understanding of limited atonement comes in its formulation of divine decrees. Whereas traditional Calvinism places God’s decree to elect before his [...]

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Theological Word of the Day: Ecumenicism

Ecumenicism
(Lat. ecumenicus, “universal”; Gk. oikoumene “entire world”)
The term ecumenicism can mean many things depending on the context. In general, it refers to those who seek to promote cooperation and unity among the various traditions and denominations in Christianity by setting aside many doctrinal distinctions in order promote a common good. This type of ecumenicism is [...]

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Theological Word of the Day: Agnosticism

Agnosticism
 [ag-noss‘-tih-siz’-um]
(Greek a-, “no” + Greek gnosis “knowledge”)
Properly speaking, agnosticism is the theological suspension of belief in God or a creator. An agnostic can be “hard” or “soft.” The “hard” agnostic does not believe that anyone can know whether or not there is a God. A “soft” agnostic is one who has not personally made a [...]

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Theological Word of the Day: Gospel

Gospel
By Steve Camp
The term gospel signifies:
1. A joyful message, or good news.
2. The sacrifice which is offered to God for this good news.
3. The reward which is given to him who announces these joyful tidings. Here it signifies the doctrine, or joyful news of Christ manifested in the flesh; as “behold, I bring unto you [...]

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Theological Word of the Day: Antinomianism

Antinomianism
From time to time we speak of the error of “antinomianism” – the belief that for Christians the rules of the Bible don’t apply. “Anti,” of course, means “against,” and “nomos” is the Greek word for “law.” “Antinomians” are opposed to the rules – they do not see them as needed or required in any [...]

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Theological Word of the Day: Transubstantiation

Transubstantiation

[tran’-sub-stan’-shee-ay‘-shun]
(Latin transsubstantiati, “change of substance”)
The Roman Catholic doctrine that refers to the change by which the substance (not the appearance) of the bread and wine in the Eucharist becomes the actual body and blood of Christ. That is, Jesus is not merely symbolically or figuratively present, but is really (or actually) present in what was [...]

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