Decoding the Divine
Unveiling the Sacred through Semiotics
by Leonard I. Sweet · Salish Sea Press · 2025
Book summary
A semiotic approach to faith that treats creation, culture, Scripture, and human life as fields of signs through which God may be encountered.
Chapter & section guide
Why Signs Matter
Human beings live by interpreting signs, symbols, gestures, and stories.
The Sign-Giving God
Revelation is relational communication rather than detached information.
Jesus as the Living Sign
Christ embodies and interprets God's character.
Scripture as Sign-System
Biblical meaning emerges through image, metaphor, narrative, and intertext.
Culture as Text
Everyday artifacts can be read for spiritual longings and distortions.
Discernment
Not every sign is trustworthy; interpretation requires community and wisdom.
Sacramental Perception
Faith learns to see the visible as bearing invisible depth.
Witness
Christian communication becomes an art of faithful signs rather than slogans.
Editorial note: these are original thematic summaries prepared as a research and reading aid, not quotations from the book itself.