Learning to Speak God from Scratch ─ Why Sacred Words Are Vanishing--and How We Can Revive Them

When religion writer Jonathan Merritt moves from the Bible Belt to New York City, he runs into an unexpected language barrier. Whenever conversations turned to faith, his words became stilted. Words, both ancient and modern, that Jonathan had utilized for decades to describe matters of the soul no longer translated to those he encountered.
As America rapidly transitions culturally, modern believers struggle to talk about faith and their relationships with God in ways where understanding of terms like grace or gospel can no longer be assumed. Some words have become so negative they are nearly conversation-enders. The desire to help bridge this communication gap sends Jonathan on a quest to excavate anew some of the most meaningful words in a believer's dictionary.
In this groundbreaking work, one of America's most prolific religion writers breathes new life into ancient expressions through a combination of cultural commentary, vulnerable personal narratives and surprising Biblical insights.

Jonathan Merritt is an award-winning writer on religion, culture, and politics. He currently serves as a contributing writer for The Atlantic, contributing editor for The Week, and senior columnist for Religion News Service. He regularly provides commentary to television, print, and radio news outlets and has been interviewed by ABC World News, NPR, CNN, PBS, MSNBC, Fox News, CBS’ “60 Minutes” and The New York Times. Jonathan is author of three critically-acclaimed books, including Jesus is Better Than You Imagined and A Faith of Our Own: Following Jesus Beyond the Culture Wars. He resides in Brooklyn, NY.