christianity

• ecumenism

  • the aim of promoting unity among the world's christian churches
  • 'all one in Christ'
  • World Council of Churches
• persecution

  • mistreatment due to ethnicity, religion, sexuality or beliefs
  • 'if one suffers all suffer'
  • OPEN DOORS
• pilgrimage

  • a journey to a sacred place
  • Taize
  • Walsingham
  • no direct teaching on pilgrimage so not all Christians feel the need to go on one
• liturgical worship

  • form of worship
  • formal type of worship
  • contains set prayers, readings or rituals, usually in church setting
• informal worship

  • form of worship
  • focuses on adoration of God and can take place outside church setting
• individual worship

  • form of worship
  • takes place in addition to worshipping together in a church
  • beliefs it is important to form a personal relationship with God
• sacraments

  • an outward sign of an invisible and inward blessing by God
  • e.g. baptism or eucharist
• eucharist

  • sacrament instituted by Jesus at the Last Supper
  • sharing bread and wine
  • wine- represents Jesus' blood
  • bread- represents Jesus' body
• eucharist quotes

  • 'this is my body'
  • 'this is my blood'
  • 'do this in remembrance of me'
• baptism

  • rite of entry to become members of Christian Church
  • believe original sin is removed through the action of baptism
  • follows example of Jesus who was baptised as an adult by John the Baptist
  • believers' baptism gives an individual an opportunity to publicly proclaim their personal faith
• baptism quotes

  • 'go make disciples of all nations, baptising in name of father, son and holy spirit'
  • ^ also links to evangelism and holy trinity
• omnibenevolent

  • state of being all loving and infinitely good
  • characteristic attributed to God
  • 'but you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness'
  • 'for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life'
• omnipotent

  • all powerful, almighty and unlimited nature of God
  • 'then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land.'
  • 'the waters were divided'
• trinity

  • the three persons of God
  • God the Father
  • God the Son
  • God the Holy Spirit
  • 'I and the father are one'
• incarnation

  • God becoming human in the form of Jesus
• atonement

  • the belief that Jesus' death on the cross healed the rift between humans and God
• resurrection

  • the belief that Jesus rose from the dead on Easter Sunday, conquering death
• evangelism

  • preaching of the gospel to others with intention of converting others to the Christian faith
• Tearfund

  • Christian charity with the aim of helping the poor in many countries throughout the world
• God is the creator of life

  • 'in the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth'
  • 'then God said "let us made mankind in our image, in our likeness..."'
• why is there evil and suffering?

  • God has given each person free will and people must make their own choices- some choices people make causes evil and suffering
  • there is a force for evil in the world, sometimes characterised as the devil/satan.
  • God shares in our suffering
  • suffering is a test
  • suffering is a result of sin
  • how we deal with suffering gives us the opportunity to become better people- it is soul-shaping
• Taize

  • site of pilgrimage in France
  • monks at Taize are from different Christian denominations
  • ^ makes it a ecumenical monastic community
• Walsingham

  • Norfolk
  • holy place since 1061
  • widow of Lord of Manor of Walsingham had a dream where Virgin Mary asked her to build a replica of the house in Nazareth where the birth of Jesus took place
• omniscience

  • all knowing
• omnipresence

  • the presence of God everywhere at the same time
• creation story- GENESIS 1

  day 1 - God created night and day

  day 2- God created the heavens

  day 3- God created land and plants

  day 4- God created the sun, moon and stars

  day 5- God created birds and fish

  day 6- God created living creatures including men

  day 7- God rested
• creation story- GENESIS 2

  • God creates Adam and Eve
  • 'then the Lord God made a women from the rib he had taken out of the man and he brought her to the man'
• christmas

  • marks day Jesus was born/incarnated
  • advent begins four Sundays before Christmas to prepare
  • ^ Eastern Orthodox Christians may fast
  • 'christingles' are made to show Jesus was the light of the world- (orange with candle)
  • celebrated by going to church and exchanging gifts
  • non-christians may celebrate it but has no religious significance to them
• Lent - lead up to Easter

  • remembers time Jesus spent in desert fasting and praying
  • devil tried to tempt him several times during this period but he resisted temptations
  • begins with Ash Wednesday- christians attend special service where they are marked with black ashes in a cross shape on their forehead
  • day of abstinence and fasting
  • Christians often give up something for Lent
  • day before is Shrove Tuesday - opportunity to use up food they would be giving up in Lent
• Holy Week- lead up to Easter

  • Palm Sunday:
  • commemorates arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem
  • Christians may receive crosses made of palm leaves
  • Maundy Tuesday:
  • remembers Jesus' last meal with his disciples
  • shared bread and wine- body and blood
  • have Holy Communion services ( Mass)
  • Jesus washed his disciples' feet so some priests may wash feet of members of church
  • Good Friday:
  • remember Jesus' death on the cross
  • day of mourning
  • some christians (e.g. Catholics) will fast
  • in some countries there may be re-enactments of the death of Jesus
• Easter Sunday

  • marks day of Jesus' resurrection
  • most important day in Christian calendar
  • exchanging cards with family and friends
  • exchanging Easter eggs
  • attending church services
  • visiting deceased family and friends
  • personal reading of Bible
  • evening vigil on Saturday of Holy Week
• role of church in communities

  • 'love your neighbour as yourself'
  • 'love thy neighbour'
  • refreshments after Sunday services
  • weekly meals for homeless
  • food banks
  • coffee mornings for elderly
  • youth clubs
  • mothers' union meetings
• baptism process


  'no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit' -baptism is practiced by nearly all christian denominations

  ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS: total immersion (infant)

  most christians: use holy oil to make sign of cross on the baby's head before sprinkling the baby with holy water

  • believer's baptism involves total immersion, where the person being baptised walks into a special pool and is fully submerged three times before walking out into their new life
• the salvation army

  • sets up food kitchens|
  • organising toy collections at christmas
  • operating an advice network
  • running affordable nurseries so that parents can work and provide for their families
  • summer camps and after school clubs to provide children with safe environment to gain independence and life skills
  • attends political conferences to raise concerns of society's most vulnerable people
  • supporting people addicted to substances (drugs, alcohol etc.)
  • fighting to end modern-day slavery
  • organising events for the elderly to reduce isolation
• open doors

  • raises awareness of Christian persecution
  • campaigns for human rights of Christians to be respected throughout the world
• reconciliation

  • Christians believe that Jesus was the ultimate example of reconciliation, because his sacrifice healed the broken relationship between God and humanity
• transcendent

  • outside of this world
• Job


  A wealthy man who lives in a land called Uz, with his large family and flocks
• Job


  • Described as a blameless and upright man who is always careful to avoid doing evil
• Satan argues that Job is only good


  Because God has blessed him