She studied theology at Yale Divinity School.

theology = the study of religion

Typical Usage

Rick Warren may be today's most admired evangelist.†

evangelist = a Christian who tries to convince others to become Christian — especially on television, radio, or in large gatherings

or when qualified (such as "an ecosystem evangelist"):  anyone who tires to convince others of something

Typical Usage

Many consider The Bishop of Rome to be a first among equals in this ecclesiastical fraternity.

ecclesiastical = associated with a church

Typical Usage

Jerusalem is a holy city for Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Judaism = the oldest of the three major monotheistic religions — whose believers are known as Jews

Typical Usage

When the Apostles Creed uses the word "catholic", it does not reference the church headed by the Pope, but rather a universal church.

catholic = universal; or inclusive of a wide range of people or interests

Typical Usage

She challenges accepted doctrine.

doctrine = generally accepted beliefs

Typical Usage

She was his favorite student and disciple.

disciple = someone who believes and helps to spread the teachings of another

Typical Usage

His success raising numerous small contributions is testament to his popularity.

testament = evidence for something

Typical Usage

It was a revelation to me. Until they gave us those tests, I had no idea that I was better than most people at clerical accuracy.

revelation = something previously unknown and now learned (revealed)

Typical Usage

Many people have heard the parable of the prodigal son.

parable = a short story told to teach a moral lesson — especially those told by Jesus in the New Testament

Typical Usage

She supports a more contemporary liturgy.†

liturgy = a specific form prescribed for public worship

Typical Usage

She was baptized at the same church as her grandmother.

baptized = "spiritually renewed" in a Christian ceremony

Typical Usage

Most scholars date the reformation from Luther's 1517 publishing of The Ninety-Five Theses to the 1648 Treaty of Westphalia.†

Reformation = a series of Christian efforts to reform the Catholic Church which led to major protestant denominations separate than the Catholic Church

Typical Usage

Maria affirmed that she has complete faith in the other members of the team.

affirmed = expressed a firm belief

Typical Usage

Protestant churches deny universal authority of the Pope.

Protestant = any of the Western churches that separated from the Roman Catholic Church during the Reformation

Typical Usage

Prisoners who show repentance are more likely to be released on parole.

repentance = regret for having done wrong with a desire to be a better person in the future

Typical Usage

a Tibetan monk wearing an orange robe

monk = a male member of a religious order typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience

Typical Usage

Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries was the largest legally enforced transfer of property in English history since the Norman Conquest.

monasteries = the residences of religious communities

Typical Usage

Her emotional testimony moved the jury.

testimony = the statement of a witness at a trial

Typical Usage

Palestinians demanded that Israel halt construction in East Jerusalem.

Jerusalem = capital and largest city of the modern state of Israel; a holy city for Jews, Christians and Muslims

Typical Usage

Are we talking about a governmental or a religious parish?

parish = a local church community

or in Louisiana:  a jurisdiction of government like a county

Typical Usage

The dominant message of the New Testament is to love.†

New Testament = the second half of the Christian Bible which describes the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, as well as other Christian teachings

Typical Usage

The Bible consists of the Old and New Testaments.†

Old and New Testaments = the collection of books comprising the sacred scripture of the Hebrews which is the first half of the Christian Bible

Typical Usage

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam each revere Abraham as a founding patriarch.†

Abraham = religion:  father of Isaac (Judaism and later Christianity) and of Ishmael (Islam); tested when God asked him to sacrifice his son Isaac; pleaded for Sodom and Gomorrah

Typical Usage

The cartoon with a drawing of Muhammad outraged many pious Muslims.

pious = highly religious

Typical Usage

extremism fed by unquestioned belief in the righteousness of their cause

righteousness = moral correctness

Typical Usage

On the eve of battle, he prayed that providence was in our favor.

providence = luck; or God's plan

Typical Usage

It's an ecumenical organization that provides food and shelter to the homeless.†

ecumenical = pertaining to the working together in harmony of different religious groups

Typical Usage

Augustine defined a Christian sacrament as "a visible sign of an invisible reality."†

sacrament = an important Christian ceremony such as baptism or communion

Typical Usage

The University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy is an outstanding college-prep school.

Jesuit = a member of the Society of Jesus (known for their schools and missionary work)

Typical Usage

Under labor law, the clergy can be required to uphold the beliefs of the religion they have chosen.

clergy = formal religious leaders (typically in Christianity)

Typical Usage

She thinks Americans are too materialistic.†

materialistic = concerned with wealth and possessions at the expense of other interests

Typical Usage

To atone for sins is a common religious theme.

atone = make amends

Typical Usage

the three great monotheistic religions:  Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

monotheistic = belief in a single God

Typical Usage

Polytheism was the typical form of religion during the Bronze Age and Iron Age.†

polytheism = belief in multiple Gods

Typical Usage

has made prosperity his deity†

deity = any god or goddess — especially God

Typical Usage

He deified science, then poetry, and then returned to belief in God.†

deified = exalt to the position of a God

Typical Usage

An interesting combination — a theist married to an atheist.†

theist = a person who believes in the existence of a God or gods

or:

a person who believes God actively intervenes in daily life

Typical Usage

He has no authority, but he asked Anglican vicars to retire if they don't believe in God.†

Anglican = referencing churches (or their members) whose traditions trace back to the Church of England

Typical Usage

While many atheist decline any non-material reality, others have a spiritual outlook on life.

atheist = someone who does not believe in the existence of god

Typical Usage

He's agnostic — about the existence of God and the proof of any non-physical belief.

agnostic = someone who is doubtful or noncommittal about something — especially belief in God

Typical Usage

The priest consecrated the chapel.

consecrated = made holy (typically by means of religious rites)

Typical Usage

Many of the books of the New Testament describe Jesus' Ascension to heaven.†

Ascension = Christianity:  celebration of the Ascension (rising) of Christ into heaven; observed on the 40th day after Easter

Typical Usage

In the popular novel, The Shack, three characters represent the Trinity.†

The Trinity = Christian description of three simultaneous forms of God:  the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit  (that provides strength and guidance to Christians)

Typical Usage

Martin Luther was dismayed at atrocities committed in his name during the Peasants'  War.†

Martin Luther = German theologian who led the Reformation and deeply influenced the doctrines of Lutheran, Protestant and other Christian traditions with his belief that salvation comes from personal faith (not deeds) and does not require mediation from the church (1483-1546)

Typical Usage

Thomas Aquinas was posthumously excommunicated, but later pronounced a saint.†

Thomas Aquinas = exceedingly influential philosopher who greatly furthered Catholic reconciliation of faith and reason (1225-1274)

Typical Usage

She believes God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent.

omnipotent = all powerful

Typical Usage

She believes God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent.

omniscient = all-knowing; i.e., to know everything

Typical Usage

She believes God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent.†

omnipresent = being present everywhere at once

Typical Usage

Her favorite Beatitude is "Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth."

beatitude = one of the nine sayings of Jesus at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount

Typical Usage

I was moved by Rodin's sculpture of Saint John the Baptist.†

John the Baptist = New Testament:  a preacher and hermit and forerunner of Jesus (whom he baptized); beheaded by Herod at the request of Salome

Typical Usage

Since 1826, most protestant Bibles have excluded the Apocrypha.†

Apocrypha = books which were included in the Roman Catholic version of the Old Testament but not accepted in the Hebrew or Protestant Bibles

or more rarely:

early Christian writings never included in any version of the Bible

Typical Usage

El Greco's painting, Saint Francis in Prayer, is recognized by many art lovers.†

Saint Francis = an Italian and the Roman Catholic monk who founded the Franciscan order (1181-1226)

Typical Usage

I felt unbearable anguish when my 4-year-old child died from brain cancer.

anguish = extreme distress

Typical Usage

The Pilgrims who we remember on Thanksgiving were Puritans.

Puritans = English Protestants who in the 16th and 17th centuries thought there were too many rituals in worship and who stressed hard work above pleasure

Typical Usage

he believed all the Marxist dogma†

dogma = a doctrine or code of beliefs accepted as authoritative by some group

Typical Usage

Quakers are known for their pacifism.†

Quakers = a member of the Religious Society of Friends founded by George Fox (the Friends have never called themselves Quakers)

Typical Usage

Any invocations must be done so they do not advance any particular faith or belief.†

invocations = a prayer asking God's help as part of a religious service

Typical Usage

There are those who would like to deny Holy Communion to pro-choice politicians, but most see such a policy as violating the separation of church and state.

Holy Communion = sharing of bread and wine to remember Jesus' death (also called Eucharist)

Typical Usage

Though to most Christians there is no distinction between the Catholic and Protestant view of the Eucharist, Protestants are not supposed to take communion at Catholic services.†

Eucharist = sharing of bread and wine to remember Jesus' death (also called Holy Communion)

Typical Usage

Did she blaspheme against the Prophet Muhammad?†

blaspheme = utter obscenities or profanities; or to speak disrespectfully of something considered sacred — especially of God or religion

Typical Usage

Are there governments that still punish apostasy with death?†

apostasy = renouncing one's religion or (less precisely) political party or other cause

Typical Usage

When apostates are executed in the Muslim world, it is usually done by non-governmental groups operating with impunity from the government.†

apostates = someone who abandoned their religion

or:

someone not faithful to a cause or a friend

Typical Usage

While I lie awake worrying, she sleeps serenely.

serenely = calmly and peacefully

Typical Usage

During Calvin's lifetime, executions for heresy were common, but not in Geneva.†

Calvin = arguably the greatest theological thinker of the Reformation whose legacy includes Calvanism and Presbyterianism (1509-1564)

Typical Usage

It is as likely as fair weather in southern California and unrest in the Middle East.†

Middle East = a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf (though there is no agreement on an exact to definition)

Typical Usage

Her faith and reason led her to study epistemology.†

epistemology = the study of how we know what we know

Typical Usage

Although she no longer attends services, she still tithes.†

tithes = to pay a portion of one's income — especially a tenth of income to a church

Typical Usage

The prodigal son returns.†

prodigal son = one of the most famous parables in the New Testament — often referenced as an example of love and forgiveness of one who repents for wrong-doing

Typical Usage

If it was a sin, it was venial.

venial = easily excused or forgiven

Typical Usage

The doctrine of predestination is probably the most controversial aspect of Calvinism.†

Calvinism = the theological system of John Calvin and his followers emphasizing omnipotence of God and salvation by grace alone

Typical Usage

Francis Xavier died before reaching the Chinese mainland.†

Francis Xavier = famous Catholic missionary who (with Ignatius) helped found  the Society of Jesus (commonly known as the Jesuits) and who spread Christianity to the East (1506-1552)

Typical Usage

a recusant imprisoned in the Tower of London†

recusant = history:  a Catholic who broke the law by refusing to attend services of the Church of England between the 16th and 18th centuries

Typical Usage

The Council of Trent ended the sale of indulgences.†

Council of Trent = a council of the Roman Catholic Church convened between 1545 and 1563 to examine and condemn the teachings of Martin Luther and other Protestant reformers; redefined the Roman Catholic doctrine, abolished various ecclesiastical abuses, and strengthened the papacy

Typical Usage

The film, A Man for all Seasons is based on the life of Thomas More.

Thomas More = English statesman who accepted execution rather than take an oath against his beliefs; executed by Henry VIII; coined the word "utopia" (1478-1535)

Typical Usage

The Age of Reason saw a separation of philosophy and theology.†

Age of Reason = a movement in the 17th century that advocated the use of reason in the reappraisal of accepted ideas and social institutions — especially in Britain, France, & Germany

Typical Usage

Jesus invited the fisherman, Peter (Simon Peter), to become a fisher of men.†

Simon Peter = most prominent of the disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the first Pope; crucified (?-c. ad 64)

Typical Usage

The Spanish Inquisition had precedents in earlier Inquisitions.†

Spanish Inquisition = Spanish investigation and punishment of those who were not good Catholics — noted for its cruelty in the 16th century

Typical Usage

Joan of Arc was beatified in 1909 and canonized in 1920.†

Joan of Arc = French heroine and military leader inspired by religious visions to organize French resistance to the English; captured by the English, tried for heresy, and burned at the stake when she was 19 years old (1412-1431)

Typical Usage

Stigmata are primarily associated with the Roman Catholic faith.†

stigmata = marks resembling the wounds on the crucified body of Christ

Typical Usage

It was a road to Damascus moment for me.†

road to Damascus = one's "road to Damascus" references a life-changing revelation (so-named because of the Christian story of Paul's trip to Damascus)

Typical Usage

another example of hubris preceding a fall

hubris = excessive pride, arrogance, or confidence

Typical Usage

As Erasmus said, "In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king."†

Erasmus = Dutch humanist and theologian who was the leading Renaissance scholar of northern Europe; although his criticisms of the Roman Catholic Church were instrumental to the Reformation, he opposed violence and condemned Martin Luther (1466-1536)

Typical Usage

He's as old as Methuselah.

Methuselah = Old Testament:  grandfather of Noah who is said to have lived 969 years

Typical Usage

It's a feel-good, David and Goliath story.†

David and Goliath = story of a brave, young David who surprisingly defeats a formidable opponent, Goliath, by hitting him with a stone thrown from a sling

Typical Usage

The Teutonic Knights were defeated by a combined Polish-Lithuanian army in 1410.†

Teutonic Knights = Knights of the Teutonic Order; an organization of Germanic crusaders founded in Palestine in 1190; disbanded 1525

Typical Usage

Legend (known not to be true) is that St. Patrick rid Ireland of snakes.†

St. Patrick = Apostle and patron saint of Ireland; an English missionary to Ireland in the 5th century

Typical Usage

I especially hate to be away from family during the High Holidays.†

High Holidays = the ten-day period in Judaism which begins with Rosh Hashanah, is followed by the ten days of repentance, and ends with Yom Kippur (the day of repentance)

Typical Usage