A blog about religious language in all of life’s contexts
Public Talk: Religious Language and the Good Life
On 6 September, I will be giving a public lecture in Leeds as part of the launch for Dr. Joanna Leidenhag’s John Templeton Foundation funded project entitled “God and Human Speech.” This project will establish 6 interdisciplinary projects at different UK universities, pairing linguists, psychologists and theologians to together examine different aspects of religious language. … Continue reading Public Talk: Religious Language and the Good Life
“Does this look Biblical to you?” Christian Anti-semitism in the Buffalo Terrorist Manifesto
Like so many around the world, I have been utterly sickened by and grieving over the recent massacre in Buffalo, NY of 10 people in a predominantly Black neighbourhood in Buffalo, NY. Many of the victims of the 18-year-old white terrorist were Black, “including Aaron Salter, a security guard who tried to stop the shooting; … Continue reading “Does this look Biblical to you?” Christian Anti-semitism in the Buffalo Terrorist Manifesto
“God, you come back with the head of my enemy”: Hillsong, Bethel and Emotional Manipulation in Worship Music
Their songs are better than everyone else’s and they can kind of infiltrate into other churches by having good music. What Hillsong did was kindof marry the music that they wanted to sing in church – the themes – with contemporary music. So early Hillsong music from 2000 sounds like 2000’s pop. Today’s Hillsong music … Continue reading “God, you come back with the head of my enemy”: Hillsong, Bethel and Emotional Manipulation in Worship Music
The Brexit Religion and the Holy Grail of the NHS (Kettell & Kerr, 2021)
I’ve just come across a recent article by Steven Kettell and Peter Kerr on the use of religious discourses in the context of the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union. I’ll be talking about this paper with my religious langauge students this morning, since we are discussing this image from my recent book. Here … Continue reading The Brexit Religion and the Holy Grail of the NHS (Kettell & Kerr, 2021)
The Heroic Abuser: Christian News Headlines about Saeed Abedini’s Abuse of Naghmeh Panahi
I wrote this short piece in 2016 and am now republishing an updated version, in support of Naghmeh Panahi’s decision to go public with her abuse. Occasionally, opportunities arise to discuss domestic violence in the context of widely known families whose stories have been covered by the media. The case of Saeed Abedini and Naghmeh … Continue reading The Heroic Abuser: Christian News Headlines about Saeed Abedini’s Abuse of Naghmeh Panahi
Complex and Cringeworthy: Christianese and other religious jargon
Christians talk in code … and the code excludes those who cannot read the secret language. These words of Malcom Doney and Martin Wrote, in a 2019 Church Times article, reflect a common discomfort with religious code talk, what some people call “church-speak” or “Christianese.” Language like “sin”, “salvation”, “discipleship”, “repentance”, “righteousness”, and “judgement” – … Continue reading Complex and Cringeworthy: Christianese and other religious jargon
“Recent tension, some division and ministry challenges:” Euphemism and avoidance in Cru leadership’s talk about racism
This is the fourth post I’ve written about current controversy in Campus Crusade aka Cru, one of the largest religious orders in the world. I began this series after learning through some light digging that Cru was allegedly coercing some (and now requiring all) staff to sign NDAs (You can learn a bit about this … Continue reading “Recent tension, some division and ministry challenges:” Euphemism and avoidance in Cru leadership’s talk about racism
“Not teachable or cooperative:” Ministerial exception in Cru’s Hire Packet
Some of my research on religious language has taken me into the rather tricky area of First Amendment rights granted to certain employers by the Supreme Court on the grounds of freedom of religious expression. These employers, granted the status of religious order, are given by law exceptions to the principle of equality in the … Continue reading “Not teachable or cooperative:” Ministerial exception in Cru’s Hire Packet
“Simply biblical”: The sacred us vs. them narrative in Cru’s anti-CRT publication
This is my second post on the recent Campus Crusade aka Cru anti-CRT publication, written by around 65 Cru staff members and leaders, representing the views of at least 350 Cru staff. I first came across this Cru document after some light digging revealed that Cru leaders were requiring staff to sign NDAs, sometimes in … Continue reading “Simply biblical”: The sacred us vs. them narrative in Cru’s anti-CRT publication
Discussing Christianese and corporate jargon on the Biblical Mind podcast
Why do we say “come to Jesus”? This Christianese phrase doesn’t just show up in church—it shows up in offices, homes, and schools around America, where we speak of “come-to-Jesus moments.” What about words like “community” or “intentional”? Do we even know what those words mean? Unless we attend to our words and try to express our … Continue reading Discussing Christianese and corporate jargon on the Biblical Mind podcast
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About Me
Hi, I’m Dr. Valerie Hobbs.
I research, write and teach about religious language.
- abuse
- An Introduction to Religious Language
- anti-semitism
- apologies
- archaism
- conference and public talks and events
- conversion
- death
- definitions
- gaslighting
- industrial religion
- intertextuality
- metaphor
- news media
- politics
- racism
- religious freedom
- religious nationalism
- sacred legitimating authority
- sermons
- terrorism
- the sacred
- us vs. them
- video abstracts
- violence
- vocabulary
abstraction anger apologies atheism Campus Crusade / Cru catalogue of abuse children Christianity Christian nationalism church court documents Church of England clean complementarianism conspiracy theory conversion corporate discourse Covid Critical Race Theory Donald Trump Eric Metaxas fascism Jonathan Fletcher language and power life well lived ministerial exception Mormon parenting patriarchy racism religious criminals religious language book sacred authority sermons sexism spatial metaphor spatial theography spiritual abuse the good life Trump veganism video abstract violence violence against animals war white supremacist Christianity
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