Glossary
via media: Latin for “middle way,” often used to describe Anglican theology
and practice as a middle way between Catholicism and Protestantism.via negative: Latin for “way of negation.” (See apophatic.)Vincentian Canon: The widely accepted principle in the Great Church,
articulated by Vincent of Lerins in 433, that the criterion of orthodox doctrine
is its catholicity, in the sense that it is what is taught “everywhere, always,
and by all” (ubique, semper, et ab omnibus).Westminster Confession: A Reformed confession of faith composed by
the Westminster Assembly of Divines, a group of Puritan theologians called
together by Parliament and meeting from 1643–1647. It is frequently used as
a doctrinal standard by Presbyterian churches.Words of Institution: The words of Jesus, “This is my body [etc.]” and
“This is my blood [etc.],” repeated as part of the liturgy of the Eucharist.xenolalia: Greek phrase meaning “foreign speaking,” which means speaking
in a foreign language that the speaker has never learned or studied, a
phenomenon which Pentecostals call “missionary tongues” because it is
highly useful in missionary preaching; unlike glossolalia, the evidence that
this actually occurred is not compelling.