christain practices

• Christianity


  A monotheistic religion that began around 2,000 years ago with the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
• 4 key concepts in Christianity


  • Sin
  • Salvation
  • Monotheism
  • Eternal life
• Christianity


  • Centered around Jesus Christ
  • Underpinned by 4 key concepts: sin, salvation, monotheism, eternal life
• Topics covered in the video


  • Nature of God
  • Problem of evil and suffering
  • Oneness of God and Trinity
  • Creation
  • Afterlife
  • Incarnation
  • Events of Easter
  • Sin and salvation
  • Worship
  • Prayer
  • Sacraments
  • Pilgrimage
  • Celebrations
  • Role of church
  • Mission and evangelism
  • Worldwide church
  • Christian charities
• Monotheism


  Belief in one God
• Omnipotent


  All powerful
• Omni benevolent


  All loving
• Just


  Fair and righteous
• Existence of evil and suffering


  Raises problems for Christian beliefs about God's omnipotence and omni benevolence
• Theodicy


  A defense of God, a way Christians seek to reconcile belief in an all-loving, all-powerful God with the existence of evil and suffering
• Free will defense


  • Moral evil is caused by human beings, not God, because God has lovingly given us free will
• The free will defense does not account for natural evil
• Free Will defense: 'Moral evil is not caused by God, it is caused by human beings who God has lovingly given free will'
• St Augustine's original sin defense: 'Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate from the Tree of Knowledge, bringing sin and suffering into the world. We are all born sinful because of their original sin.'
• John Hick's soul-making theodicy: 'Evil and suffering are part of God's plan, as they help us grow and develop our character to become worthy of entering Heaven.'
• Three Christian responses to the problem of evil


  • Free Will defense
  • Original sin defense
  • Soul-making theodicy
• Trinity


  The three parts of God - the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit
• The Trinity is the central belief that distinguishes Christianity from other religions
• The Trinity is a complex belief that reflects the ultimate mystery of God
• The Trinity is supported by key biblical passages like the Great Commission and the Apostles' Creed
• Creation ex nihilo


  Creation out of nothing, showing God's omnipotence
• The six days of creation in Genesis


  • Day 1: Light created
  • Day 2: Sky created
  • Day 3: Dry land, sea, plants created
  • Day 4: Sun, moon, stars created
  • Day 5: Sea creatures, birds created
  • Day 6: Land animals, humans created in God's image
• God saw that his creation was very good
• Two ways Christians understand the Genesis creation account


  • Fundamentalist/Literalist view: Genesis is literally true, rejecting science
  • Liberal/Metaphorical view: Genesis contains spiritual truths but is not literally true, accepting science
• Some people interpret the Bible as literally true, while others believe it contains important moral and spiritual truths but should not be understood as literally true
• Fundamentalist view: Genesis is literally true, God created everything in six literal days followed by a day of rest
• Liberal view: Genesis is metaphorically true, it contains spiritual and moral truths but is not literally true, science explains how God created the world through the Big Bang and evolution
• Belief in life after death is a key part of Christianity
• Jesus rose from the dead according to the four Gospels
• If Christ has not been raised, Christian faith is pointless and people are still in their sins
• Eschatological


  A religion concerned with life after death
• Resurrection


  The key event on Easter Sunday when Jesus rose from the dead, giving Christians hope they can rise from the dead as well
• Jesus said "I am the resurrection and the life, the one who believes in me will live even though they die"
• Judgment


  Christians believe there will be a day of judgment at the end of time when God will decide the destination of people's souls
• Means of salvation


  • Salvation through faith alone
  • Salvation through faith and good works
• The parable of the sheep and the goats teaches that on the day of judgment, God will separate people based on whether they have done good works
• St Paul said "we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due for the things done while in the body"
• Heaven


  The ideal destination for Christians, it is mentioned in the Bible but rarely described, some believe it is a physical place while others believe it is a spiritual state of being united with God for eternity in supreme happiness
• Jesus said "my Father's house has many rooms"
• The Gospel of John says those who believe in Jesus will not perish but have eternal life