christian belief, teachings and practices

• 4 key concepts in Christianity


  • Sin
  • Salvation
  • Monotheism
  • Eternal life
• Monotheistic


  Belief in one God
• Christianity is a monotheistic religion centered around Jesus Christ and the 4 key concepts of sin, salvation, monotheism, and eternal life
• Topics covered in the video


  • Nature of God
  • Problem of evil and suffering
  • Oneness of God and Trinity
  • Creation
  • Afterlife
  • Incarnation
  • Easter events
  • Sin and salvation
  • Worship
  • Prayer
  • Sacraments
  • Pilgrimage
  • Christmas and Easter
  • Church's role in community
  • Mission and evangelism
  • Worldwide Church
  • Christian charities
• AO1


  Knowledge and understanding
• AO2


  Evaluation and analysis
• Monotheism


  Belief in one God
• Just


  Fair and righteous
• The existence of evil and suffering


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


  A defense of God, a way to reconcile belief in an all-loving, all-powerful God with the existence of evil and suffering
• 3 Christian responses to the problem of evil and suffering


  • Free will defense
  • Soul-making defense
  • Limitations of human understanding
• Free will defense


  Moral evil is caused by human beings misusing the free will that God has lovingly given them, not by God
• The free will defense does not account for natural evil (suffering not caused by human actions)
• Soul-making defense


  Suffering and evil are necessary for human spiritual growth and the development of virtues
• Limitations of human understanding

  Humans cannot fully comprehend God's ways, so we should trust that God has good reasons for allowing evil and suffering even if we cannot understand them
• The limitations of human understanding defense is the most successful theodicy according to many Christians
• 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 to help us grow and develop our character to become worthy of entering Heaven'
• 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 the idea that there is one God known through three distinct persons - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
• The Trinity is reflected in the Great Commission, the Apostles' Creed, and key Bible verses like Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1
• Christians believe the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were all present and involved in the creation of the world
• The seven 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
  • Day 7: God rested
• Genesis creation account

  • Conveys God's omnipotence as the all-powerful Creator
  • Conveys God's transcendence as being above and beyond the universe he created
  • Humans are created in the image and likeness of God, giving them a special role as stewards
• Two ways Christians understand the Genesis creation account

  • Fundamentalist/Literalist view: Genesis is literally true, rejecting evolution and the Big Bang
  • Liberal/Metaphorical view: Genesis contains spiritual and moral truths but is not literally true, science explains how God created the world
• 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
• 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

  • Faith alone
  • 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 or not
• 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 think it is a spiritual state of being united with God for eternity in supreme happiness