Theological Conversation 2017-3: “Words Matter” by Mary Beth Anton, a PC(USA) pastor in the Presbytery of Tres Rios. As Anton points out, it’s hard to get away from the way words have become used in new and careless ways as weapons. We also know that our use of words can sometimes be sloppy and careless. As she points out, the Reformers took words very seriously because they took the accessibility of the Word seriously. How can we deepen our faith as individuals or communities if words don’t matter? She asks the hard question: how can the Church be the Church if words don’t matter? How can we bear witness to Jesus Christ, the Word, without expressing the gospel to others? Anton challenges us to think about our speech and communication since we in the Reformed tradition are powerfully aware that words matter.