Glossary

C

Canon names the scope of authority a text is granted within a community. In this church, canon does not mean universal control, but differentiated reception. Texts are received according to the work they do: some bear Witness to Christ, some train Recognition, and some govern Practice within the Jurisdiction of a freely held Covenant.

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 answer harm with 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

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.

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

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.

J

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

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

Law names a system of binding requirements imposed by authority and maintained through enforcement.

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.

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

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

R

Recognition names the act of perceiving and acknowledging truth, presence, or harm without claiming authority to judge or enforce. 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

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

Spirit names the abiding work by which the address of Logos is remembered, interpreted, and lived in faithful conduct, without originating new revelation or granting authority.

Spirits names the various influences, dispositions, and claims upon human perception and conduct that may be tested, received, or rejected, but which possess no inherent authority or jurisdiction.

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.