One thing my wife will say she appreciated about me when we first met in college was my carefulness with words. She admired that I didn’t narrate the same standard scripts we had heard from our classmates and soon knew that “this guy is different.” And, indeed, I am regularly told that – in person anyway, since you’ve read my talkativeness on the Internet – I don’t say much but when I do, it’s worth listening to.

Especially since writing became a serious hobby, I made it my priority to say the right thing; only say what I mean and say exactly what I say. Words are a primary indicator of what we believe in and contribute to who we are. They matter more than the most talkative among us realize, although the most talkative Cathys understand this perhaps even more than the silent Scots. In any case, it is normal that the first book I write should be about words.

In two weeks, I will publish a free downloadable eBook titled “The Christian Dictionary: Why Christians and Non-Christians Misunderstand Each Other and What to Do About It.”

Many of my articles for ‘The Roanoke Star’ have been persuasions for healthy discourse, especially on hot cultural topics. “The Christian Dictionary” is no different because, in this one, I explain the confusion that exists in many conversations between Christians and non-Christians as worldviews clash.

Since God created the world and everything in it, it makes sense that he is the creator of all the concepts that exist: sin, forgiveness, brotherhood, peace, etc. word of him. Yet, to have our own way, society redefines certain words. My persuasion in the e-book, especially for the Christian, is to make sure we use God’s definitions when we speak. Doing this aligns our understanding of the world with the way God has revealed it – it is what enables us to bring truth to an insecure world of confusion as to what is right and what is wrong.

The words I analyze in “The Christian’s Dictionary” are: fear, love, judgment, acceptance, affirmation, tolerance, toxic and phobic. I assess these first three as explicitly biblical concepts that God has defined. The last five I consider the virtues and vices of the world. Acceptance, affirmation and tolerance are virtuous in our culture while it is a deadly sin to be toxic or phobic – but could we reverse them?

I will email an advanced copy of the eBook to my website subscribers a week early. Fill out the form on my website linked here to receive your copy of the “Christian Dictionary!” »

– Scottish Bellavia