An overused adjective

Good Christian mugs rejoice? Not this year, please | Janie B. Cheaney

Word people, a dreaded sub-class of the human race, enjoy pouncing upon unsuspecting mortals to denounce their syntax or misconstructions. Topping out my own list of pet peeves are nouns masquerading as verbs ("to keyboard"), certain clumsy hybrids (like "actualize"), and downright misuses ("momentarily" used to mean "in a moment" rather than "for a moment"). These are persnickety complaints, for language is always in flux, but sometimes sloppy constructions can lead to sloppy thinking. Consider a very common one: the use of "Christian" as an adjective.

The word originated as a noun designating a person, a lost sinner regenerated by the Spirit of God into a disciple of Jesus Christ (Acts 11:26, 26:28; 1 Peter 4:16). It is unclear how long "Christian" retained the splendor and solidity of nounhood, but by the 17th century the adjective use was well established in such constructions as Christian virtues, Christian people, and Christian sovereigns. In our own time the usage has accelerated at roughly the same rate as society has declined.

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