living the christian life

• PILGRIMAGE - A special journey to a place of religious significance. E.g. Jerusalem
• reasons for pilgrimage - closer to God, seek healing for sickness, religious experience, pray/meditate
• Different views :

  • Very important in the

  Catholic Church - positive

  • Some Protestant churches

  do not place as much

  emphasis on it - negative
• CHRISTIAN CELEBRATIONS - Celebrate and give thanks for important events in the Christian faith
• some christian celebrations include Easter, Christmas, Advent, Holy week
• Easter - Celebrates the resurrection of Jesus (Mary Magdalene found Jesus’ tomb empty)
• Holy Week - The week just before Easter, remembering Jesus’ final days and death
• Advent - Time of preparation for Christmas, Start of the Christian year
• Christmas - Celebrates the birth of Jesus, God ‘incarnate’
• THE FUTURE OF THE CHURCH - (facts) 2.4 billion Christians in the world today, Pentecostalism is one of the fastest growing denominations, Some decline in church attendance in the UK for certain denominations
• Evangelism - Preaching the Christian faith in order to invite those of other faiths or none to convert to Christianity
• Mission - spread the Christian faith, missionaries sent all over world to preach gospel, care for people’s needs
• different practices - everday conversations, speaking at events, Alpha courses, Using music and drama, Using TV, radio, social media and the internet (the future of the church)
• types of prayer -

  Set prayers

  Read/sung from text

  Informal prayer

  Spontaneous prayer

  Private prayer/in private setting, e.g. a Christian’s own home
• purposes of prayer - thanksgiving, worship, Supplication, Contrition, Intercession
• Ecumenism - Creating unity and friendship between different denominations e.g (for) Greater tolerance, Less conflict and discrimination
• Parish – a community of local believers
• How it helps the individual believer:

  • Unity and friendship

  • Support for the unwell, elderly

  and needy (outreach)

  • Training, support and advice
• Liturgical worship - Set form of worship. Follows a service book.
• Non-liturgical worship - Worship without set words. Informal style.
• Individual workship - Usually in a person’s own home
• for un-liturgical - I can express myself freely, can be flexible and see

  where God leads, the varied nature of services
• for liturgical - feel secure following a set pattern, know how long it will take, The words are authorised by my church
• individual worship includes prayer, meditation, singing, bible reading
• THE SACRAMENTS - Important Christian ceremonies, recognised by the Church as having been established by Jesus
• the sacraments include baptism, confirmation, marriage, eucharist, anointing of the sick, reconciliation, taking holy orders
• Taking holy orders - Becoming a deacon, priest or bishop
• Reconciliation - Confession, asking forgiveness for wrong-doing
• Anointing the sick - Oil is placed on the head of a sick person Prayers for healing are said
• Baptism - Welcomes a person into the Christian community
• Confirmation - When a person freely chooses to conclude the process of baptism, and becomes a full member of the Church
• Eucharist- Re-enactment of the final meal Jesus shared with his disciples
• Marriage - Legal union of a man and woman before God
• THE WORLDWIDE CHURCH - Encourages peace and harmony between

  individuals and countries, representing Jesus on earth
• Charity - Christians have a duty to help those in need
• Reconciliation - The Church works for reconciliation – mending broken relationships
• CHRISTIAN AID - official relief + development agency, donated to by Christians + others, Works with local organisations around the world where need is greatest, giving immediate and long-term aid
• The persecuted Church - ill-treatment of Christians globally because

  of their faith, Rarely reported (in West),Victims supported by charities + worldwide Church