The glossary, a project of the Multicultural Education Committee of the National Council of Churches, originally was designed for editors, writers and program policy staff in major denominations who were "trying to convey ideas about diversity in the church with terms that lacked common definitions," said Foster, professor of Christian education at the School of Theology.
"Mainline denominations are attempting to appeal to a rapidly changing constituency that includes more people of African, Asian and Latin American descent," said Foster. "But denominations also are realizing the power of inclusive language to transform the church. There is a greater desire to establish collaboration among religious communities that share the mosaic metaphor." The "mosaic" image, he said, with its bright, multi-colored pieces used to create a picture or pattern, "has more power to envision the future than the melting pot theory ever did."
In the effort to communicate across ethnic and cultural lines, "there is a struggle to understand how words are being used and how to use them more accurately," said Brelsford, a Ph.D. candidate in religion. A glossary is a good tool, he added, since it explains words; it doesn't define them as a dictionary would.
"Because the meanings are not fixed, the explanations of words in the glossary reflect current usage," said Foster. "In some cases, we have described a range of meanings associated with given terms." For instance, the word "Evangelical" originally referred to Protestant Christians who stress the centrality of the Bible and a "conscious personal conversion." But the word also has been used by the news media to refer to any Christian embracing these principles, and Lutherans use the term "as a rough equivalent for Protestant," the glossary states.
One of the major problems the glossary addresses is the dynamics of changing language, said Brelsford. "In some cases it outlines how the term evolved over the last five to 10 years." One recent development is the move away from color descriptions for race. "People are using terms that are more historical and culturally specific to describe themselves," said Foster. "We speak of someone being Cherokee and Chinese rather than giving vague census-type data. We're becoming more responsive to the variety of human experience."
According to Foster and Brelsford, their glossary is meant to be descriptive, not prescriptive. It is also meant to be a working document. The glossary is not copyrighted and includes a page that urges users to tell editors how the glossary was used and forward a copy of any new usages discovered for any term or set of terms. For a copy of the glossary write to: George Donigian, United Methodist Publishing House, P.O. Box 801, Nashville, Tenn. 37202.
-- Elaine Justice