The thing about “convictions” for some people is how short-lived they are, so it’s not much more than a change-of-mind. Or to dig deeper, it’s a power play on words, to make a decision sound more weighty, as if to pull the God card, even taking his name in vain.

As for “missional”, it’s a word that (almost) everybody wants to buddy up with, and re-define it to fit their respective context. Yes, it’s got broad-based appeal. And with that, a very wide range of what it actually looks like.

To me, most of the words you’ve listed are important enough to hang onto, and to be clear about understanding. In particular, discussions about race tend to devolve because we either cannot or will not try to understand the meaning behind each other’s words. Unfortunately, I see it happening all over again this week at UCSD.

Christians use this word to justify a lot of things, both good and bad. “I feel convicted to quit my job and dedicate my life to overseas missions”, “I’ve had a conviction in my heart to enter seminary after school”, or my personal favorite, “God has convicted me that we should date.”