The target audience of this blog is the everyday Christian. Since most Christians aren’t in touch with the academics of our faith, I’ll strive to define academic or nuanced phrases here, and to do so in a my own concise words and understanding. Hopefully, this will help readers to follow and engage with arguments, as well as make sure everyone is on the same page.

C

Church

The word “church”, with a little “c”, refers to a local or individual body of believers. The word “Church”, with a capital “C”, refers to the larger (generally global) collection of believers. Typically, secular discussions deal with the Church or some large segment of it (such as a major denomination). An individual church won’t typically make national news, but may make the local news such as for their charity or hosting an event.

I

Iniquity

Biblically, iniquity is a category of sin which roughly corresponds to the modern term “oppression” – it is not only immoral and a slight against God, but a malfeasance to the downtrodden in society. Examples in the Bible include a judge accepting a bribe from a rich person and ruling against a poor person.

For a deep dive on the topic, I’d recommend The Bible Project’s video here.

T

Torah

“Torah” (pronounced “tore-uh”, or “tore’ah” if you want to be fancy) is the anglicized pronunciation of an ancient Hebrew word which translates to “law”. In a scriptural context, it is most often used as the Torah, referring to one of two closely related topics.
The first is the set of rules laid out in the Mosaic covenant, starting with the ten commandments. In Matthew 22:35, this is the law being referred to: out of 613 commandments the Pharisees had identified at the time, a Pharisee who studied these laws asked Jesus which was the most important. The laws are generally derived from Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy.
These books plus Genesis and Numbers (which have a more narrative focus) make up the first five books of the Bible and the other meaning of the Torah. They are the backdrop of the rest of the biblical narrative; they explain the existence of people and of Israel specifically, their relationship to God, and the dichotomy between a faithful God to a promise-breaking people.