No one wants to be part of a religion filled with old, hard, mean-sounding words Sin. Hell. Repent. Submit. Judgment.The funny thing is that at the heart of each of these "loaded words" are some of the most beautiful, gracious, life-giving truths that words can convey. Unfortunately, these words have gotten so weighed down with social, cultural and doctrinal baggage that even practicing Christians are hard-pressed to embrace or explain them. That's where Loaded Words comes in. By showing how and why these key faith terms have been misused, abused, and wholly misunderstood—both in the church and in the culture—we can "unload" them, revealing their original language and context, and re-introducing the great mercy, comfort and joy behind the teachings of Jesus. Written in a lively and highly accessible style and illuminated with contemporary aha! moments, Loaded Words opens up the wisdom of 12 foundational Bible words in a whole new way. STUDY GUIDE INCLUDED. "Words that we have allowed to become too familiar or to be spoken with too much presumption on our part can easily stop communicating the truths we intended them to carry to the hearer. Davis and Luchinger not only masterfully present this reality to us but helps us think through the key words we choose to use so they not only are accurate but communicate." Rev. Greg Finke, Author, Joining Jesus on His Mission "This book made us stop, slow down, and think about the most common words used by those in pulpit and pew. It opened up fresh areas of growth in discipleship for our college students, and led them to new dialog with those outside of the church." Rev. John Glover, Senior Pastor, First Lutheran Church, Gainesville, FL "Heather Choate Davis &amp; Leann Luchinger bravely examine some of the Church’s most divisive and challenging words, and carefully unpacked their meaning for the appreciation of believers and non-believers alike. The book is rich with history, biblical context, and linguistic education, but it is also full of heart. The authors do a beautiful job of reminding Christians that there is danger in not recognizing the impact of their language, imploring them to better understand the world in which they live, while also inviting others to discuss the true sentiments behind biblical vocabulary. With powerful explanations and honest reflections, Davis &amp; Luchinger have successfully created a safe ground to wrestle with words which no longer feel safe. --Christy O'Shoney, Salon, contributing writer "Understanding our complex spiritual language takes much more than reading. It requires listening. Davis and Luchinger voice their valuable cultural and theological reflections and invite us to engage in discussion with God’s eternal truths." --Rev. Dominic Rivkin, Executive Director, LINC Los Angeles "What these authors have done so beautifully is treaded boldly into the tempestuous waters of translation in an attempt to communicate the narrative of the Bible to a pre-church, post-church, de-churched, unchurched or “in church and checked out” culture. In the heritage of great reformers in centuries past, we need more theologians like Davis and Luchinger to reengage old words for new people." --Rev. Ken Chitwood, Religion Scholar, University of Florida "I am spellbound by the way they handle the word 'judgement'. A true Lutheran approach. I believe that Leann and Heather are the new Deborahs and Lydias of our church culture." --Rev. Dr. E. Johnson Rethinasamy, Immanuel Lutheran Church, Whitestone, New York "After leading my congregation through a summer series with this book, I was blown away by the lack of understanding of these basic, essential faith words....I plan to introduce it in our elementary school in the fall." --John Sattler Senior Pastor, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Indianapolis

Loaded Words: Freeing 12 Hard Bible Words from Their Baggage

Religion & Spirituality

Davis, Heather Choate

Luchinger, Leann

Christian Books & Bibles

Icktank

The premise of this book is simple: sin is dead. Not the state of sin, of course, but the word itself, and the impact of the word, which, for the better part of human history helped individuals and communities—both pagan and religious—recognize when they were “missing the mark.” Until we can make sin understood again, and begin to restore its rightful place at the breaking point of the human condition, none of the promises of God’s saving love will ring true. Man turned in on himself is a Renaissance-era image of sin that reflects our modern day suffering— anxiety, depression, apathy,, loss of purpose and community, our disordered relationship to technology—and calls it by its rightful name. Sin as “scarlet letter” has only pushed people further from grace. May sin as homo incurvatus in se help bring them back.

Man Turned In On Himself: Understanding Sin in 21st-Century America

This small guidebook endeavors to look with 21st-century eyes at the wisdom of an ancient poem called the first psalm. Also known as The Two Ways of Living, it is part of the world's trove of wisdom literature — and is likely the first "self-help" verse ever written. If you consider yourself to be a “spiritual but not religious” person, you will find in this brief poem unexpected treasure. If you seek a better understanding of happiness but want no part of God, you will discover surprising wisdom in these words. People the world over have been happening upon them for many thousands of years and come away grateful. Because even though the world keeps changing, the human heart remains the same— and forever leaps to find that happiness is close at hand.

happy are those: ancient wisdom for modern life

Self-Help

Spiritual

T.S. Eliot says that, “the life of Protestantism depends on the survival of that against which it protests.” If this is true, then the future of the Church depends on our recognizing what we’re fighting for, what we’re fighting against, who we’re fighting with, and maybe, above all, who we are ignoring while we’re doing all this fighting. By reclaiming the central cry of the Reformation—sola gratia! sola fide! sola scriptura!—we can grow in our shared understanding of "the good fight" of the Gospel in the 21st Century. Six tight chapters, each with its own robust discussion/study guide and answer key. Ideal for small group or all church study.

Sola!: What are we fighting for?

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Books by Icktank

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the Icktank publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Loaded Words: Freeing 12 Hard Bible Words from Their Baggage

Man Turned In On Himself: Understanding Sin in 21st-Century America

happy are those: ancient wisdom for modern life

Sola!: What are we fighting for?