Sunday Sermon Starter Pack
The seven deadly sins include this explosive emotion, often associated with fire-and-brimstone preaching.
What is wrath?
This word describes overzealous sports superfans.
What is fanatics?
In politics, a smaller dissenting group that breaks from a larger one is called this.
What is faction?
In sociology, this term describes frameworks like feminism, environmentalism, or nationalism that shape how groups interpret society and power.
What is ideology?
In Greek myths, Narcissus embodies this trait through obsession with his own reflection.
What is vain?
Medieval smiths used this for testing metals, but today it’s where people say their character gets “tested under pressure.”
What is crucible?
In literature, Uriah Heep from David Copperfield is often described with this whining adjective.
What is sniveling?
This word has two definitions that are diametrically opposed.
What is cleave?
This word could describe a door, mouth, or a type of Greek love.
What is agape?
In 19th-century naval logs, sailors often described the welcome aboard a returning crew after long voyages as this kind of reception marked by loud food, drink, and celebration.
What is hearty?
In the Bible, eating certain forbidden foods like shellfish is described using this word meaning something detestable.
What is abomination?
In espionage novels, double agents survive by doing this — concealing their true loyalties behind carefully crafted deception.
What is dissembling
In Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Anakin Skywalker’s turn to the dark side is driven largely by this consuming emotion.
What is wrath?
Iago in Othello spends the entire play doing this — hiding his motives behind fake loyalty.
What is dissembling?
This word is often mistaken for the Greek word for charitable love, but another pronunciation means "open" or "unattended."
What is agape?
During the Salem witch trials and later political purges like McCarthyism, communities were often driven by these extreme believers unwilling to tolerate dissent.
What is fanatics?
When early engineers warned about structural risks in the RMS Titanic, those concerns were largely dismissed by officials in this way.
What is scoffed?
Depending on the context, this word could mean to fall apart but it could mean hiding one's true motives.
What is dissembling?
The Giver is this kind of literary story about a seemingly perfect society hides painful truths about memory and control, symbolizing broader critiques of conformity.
What is allegory?
In romance novels and political philosophy alike, this term can describe a guiding belief system that shapes how someone thinks love should look—whether it’s soulmates, arranged marriage, or free love.
What is ideology?
In The Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa’s transformation into an insect symbolizes falling out of the social order—making the story an example of this literary device.
What is allegory?
This adjective traces back through Latin vanitas, “emptiness,” and is tied to the idea of a “vanity” piece of furniture where people once prepared their appearance before mirrors, linking physical self-focus with a sense of emptiness or excess pride.
What is vain?
In the Old English epic Beowulf, Geatish warriors are shown doing this to Beowulf as he confronted Grendel in Heorot, standing by him as the hall was attacked.
What is cleave?
Training programs for elite special forces are designed so that candidates are pushed through extreme physical exhaustion, psychological stress, and failure scenarios as a deliberate form of this kind of trial.
What is crucible?
In behavioral economics and neuroscience, this term helps explain why someone might consistently choose sugary snacks over healthier options despite knowing the long-term consequences
What is predilection?