Italics are used for emphasis and to highlight new words or
terms that I define.
Boldfaced text is used to indicate the keywords in
explanatory bulleted lists and the action part of numbered steps.
Monofont is used for Web addresses.
As you read, keep in mind the following additional
conventions and definitions:
Capitalization: Several Christian terms mean different ideas
depending on capitalization:
·
Church with a capital C refers to the worldwide
body of Christians, while church with a small c means a local or individual
church congregation, building, or parish. Another common name for the Church is
the Body of Christ or simply the Body.
·
Orthodox with a capital O refers to Eastern
Orthodox Christians, a division of the Christian Church, whereas orthodox with
a small o refers to traditional, historical Christian beliefs.
·
Catholic with a capital C refers to the Roman
Catholic Church, while lowercase catholic means “universal.”
Two global Churches: Based on how the Christian Church
developed through the centuries, people often draw a line of distinction
between the Western and Eastern Churches. The Western Church refers to the
Catholic and Protestant Churches, while the Eastern Church is another term for
the Orthodox Church.
Referring to Christian groups: In this book, I refer to
Roman Catholics as Catholics. Likewise, I call Eastern Orthodox Christians simply
Orthodox Christians.
Referring to God: Christians refer to God with many names,
but in this book, I generally use “God” and “Lord.” Also, in accordance with
historical Christian beliefs, I make use of the traditional masculine pronoun “he”
to refer to God.
Referring to Christianity: Christianity sounds like a
generic enough word to define, but even this term can mean radically different
ideas to different people both inside and outside of the Christian Church. Therefore,
when I speak of Christianity, keep in mind that I use the term in three
respects:
·
“Mere” Christianity: Christian author C.S. Lewis
used the term “mere Christianity” to describe the core essentials of the Christian
faith that any believer, regardless of his or her background, agrees on. Christianity
For Dummies focuses on this common ground across the Christian Church, be it
Protestant, Catholic, or Orthodox. However, many important differences of
belief that one can’t just sweep under the table exist among these branches of
the Church. So when there is disagreement on a given topic, I point out these
differences.
·
“Historical” Christianity: When I claim an idea
as a Christian belief, I speak of a belief that has historically been upheld by
the Church for some 2,000 years, not by the latest fashionable flavour of Christian
thinking that may be in vogue for the moment.
·
“Biblical” Christianity: Christians have always
believed that the Bible is the inspired, authoritative, and reliable written
Word of God. Following in this mold, this book treats the Bible as the
legitimate “instruction manual” for Christians and the “bottom line” for
matters pertaining to the Christian faith. (See Chapter 2 for more on why
Christians believe the Bible is reliable.)
Bible references: Because 1,001 different kinds of Bibles
and translations are available at your local bookstore, I don’t want to use a
page number when I reference a Bible passage. Therefore, when I quote from the
Bible, I use the standard way to cite passages. For example, John 3:16 refers
to John as the book of the Bible, 3 as the chapter number, and 16 as the verse.
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