Loaded Words: Freeing 12 Hard Bible Words from Their Baggage

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 & 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 & 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