Some words in the larger Christian vocabulary are technical terms such as are typical of any specialized field (think "predestination" or "rapture"). Others are seeming "everyday" words that take on a special meaning when used in the Christian context (think "adoption" or "walk").

Here are thorough, contextualized definitions-usually in two pages or less-of 200 of the most important terms used in Christian theology, with an emphasis upon their relevance for today. Four professors with ties to Dallas Seminary generated 50 definitions each. Then an outside editor reviewed and popularized the manuscript to make it accessible to the widest possible audience. The resulting explanations help demystify each term for the reader and let him see it within the Bible's broader message.