Glossary

A

Apocalypse names the revealing of essence through the removal of extraneous material (ἀποκάλυψις · ἀφαίρεσις).

Authority names the legitimate right to teach, guide, preserve order, or administer responsibility within a community or relationship.

B

Baptism names rebirth in the Holy Spirit. It is a traditional Christian sign of entry into the life of Christ, symbolizing death to the old life and birth into the new.

C

Canon names the scope of authority a text is granted within a community.

Charitability names the disposition and practice of acting for the good of the neighbor with patience, generosity, and restraint, refusing to impute motive, demand repayment, or retaliate against harm.

Christ names the anointed Jesus—Jesus Christ—who, through his teaching and manner of life, bears witness to God’s reign as exercised through a new Covenant of self-giving love, mercy, and freely chosen faithfulness.

Cross names the public act by which Christ remains faithful to God and neighbor under harm and trespass, exposing the limits of law, authority, and power without answering them in kind.

Commandment names a binding obligation given within a Covenant that governs faithful conduct rather than enforces behavior.

Covenant names a relationship of binding obligation that may be received by inheritance or entered by choice, and that binds only those who hold it in trust and commitment rather than by coercion.

D

Desert names the condition of withdrawal from inherited structures of power, provision, and identity, in which one stands exposed before God without institutional shelter or support.

Discernment names the act of evaluating and deciding how to act in response to Recognition, according to conscience and responsibility.

F

Faith names the trust by which one is carried in faithful conduct, within a Covenant, without anxious control over outcomes or reliance on certainty.

Forgiveness addresses sin by restoring relation rather than exacting justice.

Formation names the gradual shaping of conduct and disposition that unfolds over time through faithful practice under Grace, as Logos is received and Spirit abides.

G

Gender names categories of embodied human life. The Church of Humans receives the historic witness of Rabbinic Judaism that such categories are not limited to male and female alone. Gender does not determine a person's standing before God.

God names the one to whom Logos refers, whom Christ witnesses, and toward whom love is directed, without being defined, possessed, or subjected to human authority.

Grace names the unearned giving by which life, forgiveness, and continuation within Covenant are granted prior to and apart from merit, effort, or control.

H

Harm names injury or damage done to a person or their good, whether by action or neglect, that violates love of neighbor regardless of intention or justification.

Holy Spirit names the abiding presence of God within human life. Through the Holy Spirit, the words of Christ are remembered, interpreted, and lived. Through the Holy Spirit, persons are reborn into new life.

I

Israel names the historical people, covenantal tradition, and descendants associated with the biblical Israelite and Jewish traditions.

J

Judgment names the act of rendering a verdict that assigns guilt, innocence, or consequence within a recognized Jurisdiction.

Jurisdiction names the legitimate scope and limits of authority to judge, command, or enforce.

Justice names the ordering of relations such that harm is addressed, trespass is named, and the good of neighbor is restored where possible, within the limits of proper Jurisdiction.

K

Kingdom names the condition of life that emerges where Logos is received and Spirit abides, marked by love of God and neighbor, faithfulness to Covenant, and the absence of coercive authority.

L

Lamentation names the proper response to unresolved tragedy in a world we are forbidden to rule.

Law names the structures of obligation, judgment, and conduct through which human beings attempt to align themselves with righteousness.

Logos names God’s self-disclosure as address and presence that enters the world, gives form and coherence without coercion, and may be received or rejected.

M

Marriage - see Union.

N

Neighbor names any person encountered in relation, whose good places a concrete claim upon one’s conduct, independent of affiliation, status, or distance.

P

Pride names the elevation of the self above others in worth, purity, authority, or judgment. Its opposite is not shame, but humility.

Prophet names one who speaks truth that calls a Covenant back to faithfulness without claiming authority to command or enforce.

R

Rainbow names the sign of God's covenant with humanity and all living creatures. The Church of Humans receives the display of the rainbow as a recognition of that covenant and of the equal dignity of all who bear the image of God.

Recognition names the act of perceiving and acknowledging truth, presence, or harm. It precedes doctrine, evaluation, and decision, and binds no one beyond the responsibility it awakens in the one who recognizes.

Rule names a freely undertaken pattern of conduct that binds only those who accept it and is sustained by commitment rather than enforcement.

S

Samaritan names a living Israelite tradition rooted in the northern tribes of ancient Israel, centered historically on Shechem and Mount Gerizim, and marked by covenantal continuity without royal or temple centralization.

Satan names the source of the temptation to action devoid of love.

Sexual immorality names any form of sexual exploitation: rape, coercion, commerce, trafficking, abuse of power, and related violations of human dignity.

Sin names the breaking of a Commandment within a Covenant one holds.

Spirits names the various influences, dispositions, and claims upon human perception and conduct that may be tested, received, or rejected.

T

Trespass names the violation of a boundary established by Covenant, in which one exceeds or disregards the limits of rightful relation to God or neighbor.

Trinity names a later theological doctrine describing God as three persons; this doctrine is not regarded as binding, as God is understood to be one unchanging person revealed differently through humanity’s changing relation to the world and to God.

U

Union names a vowed household bond between persons who commit themselves to mutual fidelity, care, and shared life before God and community.