Christian Terms

• BC 


  Before Christ
• AD

  Anno Domini, Latin for in the year of the Lord
• Atonement

  Reparation for a wrong or injury; The act of Christ's sacrifice
• Baptism 


  The religious rite of sprinkling water onto a person's forehead or immersion in water symbolizing purification and admission to the Christian Church
• Sacrament


  A religious ceremony or ritual regraded as imparting divine grace
• Eucharist


  Christian service, ceremony, or sacrament commemorating the Last Supper
• Consecrated


  Having been made or declared sacred; Declared to be or represent the body and blood of Christ
• Anoint: smear or rub with oil, typically as part of a religious ceremony
• Confer


  Grant or bestow a title, degree, benefit, or right
• Congregation


  A group of people assembled for religious worship
• Crucifixion


  The execution of a person by nailing or binding them to a cross
• Easter


  Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus
• Faith


  The trust and belief in God and the teachings of Christianity
• Revelation


  Divine guidance or inspiration; The way in which God reveals himself
• Salvation


  The saving of human beings from sin and its consequences by Christ's death and resurrection
• Grace


  God's unmerited favor and love towards humanity
• Incarnation


  The doctrine that God became human in Jesus; A person who embodies in the flesh a deity, spirit. or abstract quality; One of a series of lifetimes that a person spends on Earth
• Justification


  Moving from a state of sin to a state of righteousness by God through faith
• Righteousness


  Being right in the eyes of God
• Kingdom of God


  The spiritual realm over which God reigns as King
• Lent


  The 40 day period leading up to Easter where Christians remember the events leading up to and including the death of Jesus
• Paschal Mystery


  The passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus
• Pentecost


  Christian holiday celebrating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles that is held on the seventh Sunday after Easter
• Sin


  An act of disobedience against God
• Worship


  The reverent adoration of God, often through prayer, song, and sacrament
• Apostle


  A follower of Christ who was sent to spread the Gospel, usually used to refer to the Twelve Disciples
• Allegorical


  Reading the Bible in a non-literal way; The Bible is not to be taken as absolute fact, but rather read for the deeper meaning hidden within its text and stories
• Catechism


  The Roman Catholic Church's summary of its doctrine and moral code
• Celibacy


  Refraining from sex or other sexual activity
• Confession


  When a Christian tells a priest their sins and receives advice and/or penance. The priest usually will absolve their sins by pronouncing absolution
• Penance


  Something to do to make amends
• Covenant


  An agreement between God and humans
• Denomination


  A branch of Christianity
• Immanent


  The belief that God intervenes and is active in the world
• Liturgy


  The form in which Christians worship, usually in a Church, and can follow a set structure and wording