Insider Jargon

Carpenters make things plumb, lawyers do pro bono work, dating couples have DTRs, and cooks deglaze their pans.

Biblical Scholars discuss redactions and the Apocrypha.

Theology has its own jargon. So does church history, pastoral care, and missiology. Seminary has multiple sets of insider jargon, because its classes are coming from distinct academic disciplines.

Perhaps you were prepared to study vocabulary words in Greek and Hebrew, but who knew how many new words there would be in all the other classes? Part of a wise schema-building strategy is to crack the vocabulary codes of each discipline.

Here are some ways to find, or make lists of words and their definitions:

1. Make your own list. As you read and listen to lectures, write down the words you don’t know. Look them up and write the definition.
2. Look in your syllabus. Your professor may suggest a pertinent glossary, or define key concepts for you.
3. Look in your books. Some have glossaries in the back. Copy them and have them next to your book as you read.
4. Look in the reference section of the library for a “Dictionary of . . . (Bible, Theology, Church History)” Use it/them or buy your own.

If you load vocabulary early on, you will start to understand and communicate like a true insider.