The following is a list of Christian terms (commonly referred to as “Christianese”) that might be confusing if one is not familiar with their meaning. While reading through testimonies it may help to refer to this list from time to time.
Anointed: Chosen. Usually descriptive of a person, as in "Pastor Bob is a really anointed leader." Carries the meaning that someone is particularly well suited for a certain task or position while implying that God is responsible. Additional meanings include, blessed (see below), protected, or empowered.
Atonement: The reconciliation of the relationship between God and humans brought about by the redemptive life and death of Jesus.
Backsliding: The actions of a Christian who seems to be losing their faith or behaving in an "un-Christian" manner.
Blessed: A feeling of personal well-being, especially as connected with a specific experience or an interpretation of everyday experiences and God’s role in those experiences.
Blood of the Lamb: This refers to Jesus Christ being sacrificed and shedding his blood willingly to offer people eternal salvation. “Lamb” (see Lamb) refers to the innocence of Jesus Christ.
Blood, The: short for the blood of Christ (and by extension the atoning sacrifice of Christ) is sometimes used to mean the essence or spirit of Christ. One who is already saved depends on the Blood to keep him on the path of righteousness. The Blood, insofar as it refers to the death of Jesus, is also the mechanism of redemption and atonement.
Body, The: All Christians or fellow believers. You may hear the term “body of believers.”
Born Again (can be used as a noun or an adjective): A person who has come to a belief in Christianity, especially evangelical Christianity, and has experienced a spiritual rebirth. May also refer to formerly liberal Christians who adopt evangelical Christianity.
Brother: a fellow male believer in Christ, shortened from the phrase brother in Christ. Often pluralized as brethren. In the plural there is no implication as to gender, but in the singular a female believer is generally called a sister.
Calling/Called: An inner urge or a strong impulse, especially one believed to be divinely inspired to accept the Gospels as truth and Jesus as one's personal savior. Also when one senses God leading them in a certain direction they are said to be “called” to act.
Christian: Professing belief in Jesus as Christ and living a life based on the life and teachings of Jesus.
Convicted or feel convicted: A verb meaning to feel the judgment of God on your sin. The phrase can have slightly different meanings with different prepositions. One can feel convicted that something is true, feel convicted about a past sin, or feel convicted to do something good. For example, "I feel convicted that every Christian should bear witness to the Gospel. I feel convicted about being too shy to witness to my coworkers. I feel convicted to speak to one person a day about Christ from now on." In each case, the feeling of certainty or guilt or determination is considered not just an emotion, but an effect of God's will drawing the sinner out of evil and toward salvation.
Demon: An evil supernatural being. A persistently tormenting being or force.
Denomination: A religious organization whose congregations are united in their adherence to its beliefs and practices.
Die to yourself: This means placing God’s desires for your life ahead of your own. You allow your personal selfish desires to “die” and be replaced by God’s will and direction for your life.
Discernment: The use of this term among American Evangelicals is similar to its standard definition. However, it is considered a supernatural gift comparable to prophecy - the ability to perceive the spiritual truth of a matter through the direct guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Discipleship or discipling: The process, normally understood as one-on-one, of a believer teaching another believer about the Christian life.
Divine/Divinity: Heavenly; perfect, supremely good or beautiful; magnificent.
Doctrine: A principle or body of principles presented for acceptance or belief. Something taught; a teaching.
Eternal: Being without beginning or end; existing outside of time. Forever true or changeless.
Evangelical/Evangelism: That set of intentional activities conducted with the goal of teaching people about the one and only way to Heaven, which is by their belief in Jesus Christ.
Fellowship: A sense of belonging to a community, either within a specific church or within Christianity as a widespread community. This can also refer to socializing exclusively with other Christians. Some individuals and groups consider such exclusivity to be an important factor in spiritual growth. Fellowship is also used as a verb, meaning to spend time together with others.
Godhead: The divine state attributed to God.
Good News: Can refer to the Bible, the New Testament or the Gospels. Can also refer to the general Christian doctrine of personal salvation through belief in Jesus Christ's divinity and teachings. Good news is the literal meaning of gospel, an Old English word from the roots got (God) and spel (news). The gospel may be specifically the message that Jesus Christ is God the Son who died for sins and rose from the grave, providing forgiveness and the gift of eternal life to all who trust in him to save them.
Gospel, the: Can refer to the Bible, the New Testament or the Gospels. Can also refer to the general Christian doctrine of personal salvation through belief in Jesus Christ's divinity and teachings. Good news is the literal meaning of gospel, an Old English word from the roots got (God) and spel (news). The gospel may be specifically the message that Jesus Christ is God the Son who died for sins and rose from the grave, providing forgiveness and the gift of eternal life to all who trust in him to save them.
Holy: Exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness. God is holy.
Holy Spirit: (or Holy Ghost) The third being of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is sometimes defined as the aspect of God immanent in this world, in human beings, and in the church. The dove is the symbol of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ: The Son of God. A Jewish carpenter who lived from about 4 bc to ad 33. His life and teachings form the basis of Christianity.
Joy: The feeling of happiness and fulfillment that accompanies one's Christian faith.
Lamb: A term used to refer to Jesus Christ. In Old Testament times (prior to the birth of Jesus Christ) people sacrificed innocent animals, such as lambs, to pay for their sins to God. When Jesus was sacrificed as an innocent man, he was then referred to as the Lamb.
Lay hands on: Focused personal prayer for an individual, often sick or injured, where those present gather around and place their hands on the person's body during prayer. Derived from a command of Jesus in the Gospels. Lay hands on can also mean to put hands on a person to stir up a spiritual gift or empower them for ministry.
Made right with God: Refers to the "reconciliation" of the believer with God. Can refer to an individual's initial belief in Jesus Christ (see saved) or to a backslider's recovery of faith or principles.
Ministry: Not limited to those who are employed as pastors or church workers; expanded to include the compassionate interaction of Christian believers with those in which they interact and with their communities.
Mission: Christian activities which serve the church or the community. This can include "outreach", "servant-evangelism" or any other activity which seeks to interest non-believers in Jesus Christ. A mission may also refer to an establishment to spread Christianity to native populaces.
On fire for God: Excited about one’s relationship with Jesus Christ, especially "outreach" (see below).
Outreach: The process of taking the Christian message to people who are not Christians, usually with the connotation of doing so through servant-evangelism-like activities.
Pentecost: The seventh Sunday after Easter, commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples.
Presbyterian: A denomination of Christianity.
Redeemed: The verb redeem is used in the sense of "purchase, ransom, rescue, free". This is a fairly close synonym for saved, below.
Redemption: Salvation from sin through Jesus' sacrifice.
Repent: To turn from sin, ask forgiveness from God, and to work on living a better life.
Repentance/Repent: To make a change for the better as a result of remorse or contrition for one's sins.
Salvation: Deliverance from the power or penalty of sin; redemption.
Sanctified: The common dictionary definition is "to make holy or purify"; in the Christian community this is usually applied to individuals rather than objects. Often a synonym for born again or saved.
Saved: Spared from the consequences of sin (i. e. Hell after death) by repentance and belief in Christ, submitting to him as Lord of one's life. Some Christians casually use "saved" as a synonym for "Christian".
Second Coming, the Coming: The return of Jesus to Earth and the subsequent entry into Heaven for those that believe in Jesus Christ.
Servant-Evangelism: Demonstrations of charity, either (1) organized, such as a free car-wash, or (2) individual, such as paying for a stranger's meal in order to demonstrate Christian principles through actions, attempting to generate interest in Jesus Christ.
Sharing: Sharing the Gospel, evangelism. Also simply imparting truth or passing on personal experience with God or truth.
Signs of the times: Current world events allegedly correlated with certain passages of the Bible (particularly the Book of Revelation), which are interpreted as prophecies indicating the second coming of Christ.
Sin: Disobedience to God.
Sister: A fellow female believer in Christ.
Slain in the Spirit: An experience in which some Christians believe that the physical power of God causes people to fall to the ground. See laying on of hands. This is an important part of Pentecostal and Charismatic beliefs, but it is not included in the doctrine of many other denominations.
Stumbling: A term referring to a certain action or person that produces lustful thoughts (i.e. "Did you see what she was wearing? It was very stumbling" or "That movie caused me to stumble").
Testimony: A believer in Jesus Christ sharing how God has helped him or her in their life. Can also refer to the story of events that led to one’s initial belief in Jesus Christ.
Trinity: The union of three divine beings, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, in one God.
Unchurched: An adjective describing a person who does not regularly attend church services.
Vocation: A "vocation" referes to a life calling in a broad sense: a person may have a vocation (spiritual calling) to be a minister, a teacher, construction worker, etc.
Walk with God: The practice of applying Biblical principles and beliefs to everyday life.
Witness or Witnessing: Telling someone how and why you are a Christian. Explaining the gospel and/or trying to persuade another person to believe it. See also Evangelism and Testimony.
Word of God: This is synonymous with the Bible. The Bible is often referred to as the Word of God.