This book uses the insights of cognitive linguistics to argue for the possibility of differentiated consensus between separated churches. The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, signed by the Lutheran World Federation and the Roman Catholic Church in 1999, represents the high water mark of the twentieth-century ecumenical movement. It declares that the sixteenth-century condemnations related to justification do not condemn the teachings of the partner church. Some critics reject the agreement, arguing that a consensus that is differentiated is not actually a consensus.

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This book offers an introduction to conceptual mapping to those new to the field and demonstrates the substantial resources this interdisciplinary research has for thinking about a variety of theological topics including anthropology, sacramental theology, biblical studies, ecumenical theology, and ethics.