Chapter 2 Flashcards
Christian Practices
What is Worship?
-Worship is the act of religious praise, honour or devotion. It’s a way for Christians to show their deep love and honour to God.
Why do Christians worship?
- To praise and thank God
- To ask for forgiveness
- To seek God’s help for themselves or others
- To deepen their relationship with God and strengthen their faith
What are the 3 types of worship?
Liturgical Worship - Church service that follows a set structure or ritual
Non-Liturgical Worship - A service that doesn’t follow a set text or ritual
Informal Worship - A type of non-liturgical worship that is “spontaneous” or “charismatic” in nature
What form does Liturgical Worship take?
- takes place in a church
- priest leads the congregation and may perform symbolic actions
- formal prayers with set responses
- Bible passages are read out, there may be a sermon
- music and hymns
Why is liturgical worship important to Christians?
- Worldwide set order for service that is familiar to everyone
- ritual passed down through generations gives a sense of tradition
- Bible readings follow the Christian calendar and teach Christian history and faith
What form does non-liturgical worship take?
- takes place in a church
- often focused on bible readings followed by a sermon
- may also have prayers and hymns but there is no set order, the number and type can change from week to week
Why is non-liturgical worship important to Christians?
- Services can be planned and ordered to suit a certain theme
- non-conformist churches place an emphasis on the word of God in the bible
What form does informal worship take?
- Community or house churches meet in private homes and share food
- Quaker worship in mainly silent, people speak when moved by God to offer their thoughts or read from the Bible
- “Charismatic” worship may involve dancing, clapping, calling out and speaking in tongues
Why is informal worship important to Christians?
- The style of worship in house churches is similar to the worship of early Christians
- People can share readings and prayers and can take an active part in church by calling out or speaking without formal training
- service may have an emotional impact with a feeling of personal revelation from God
What is prayer?
Communicating with God, in silence or through words of praise, thanksgiving or confession, or requests for God’s help or guidance.
Why is prayer important?
- Encourages reflection in the middle of a busy life
- gives strength in times of trouble
- gives a sense of peace
- enables Christians to talk and listen to God
- helps Christians to keep a close relationship with God
- helps Christians to accept God’s will even if it means suffering
Why is the lord’s prayer important to Christians?
- Its a model of good prayer
- Reminds them to forgive others in order to be forgiven
- Reminds them that God is the father of the whole Christian community
What is a sacrament?
holy rituals through which believers receive a special gift of grace.
What is Baptism?
Ritual through which a person becomes a member of the church. It involves the use of water to symbolise the washing away of sin.
What is infant baptism?
For babies and young children. Believers’ baptism is for people who are old enough to understand the significance of the ritual.
Through baptism a person…
- Is cleansed of sin
- receives god’s saving grace and the holy spirit
- becomes a child of God
- becomes a member of Christian church
- Imitates Jesus’ baptism by John the baptist
Why is infant baptism important?
- Removes original sin
- Allows child to be welcomed into church as soon as possible
- The parents can thank God for their new baby and celebrate with family and friends
What happens during infant baptism?
- Priest pours blessed water over baby’s head and says “i baptise you in the name of the father and the son and the holy spirit”
- God parents and parents promise to bring up the child as a Christian
- Child is welcomed into the Christian community.
Why is believers baptism important?
- People should be old enough to consciously make a mature decision about their faith
- The decision to live a life dedicated to Jesus is what saves a person, rather than the baptism itself
What happens during Believers baptism?
- Person is fully immersed in a pool which symbolises cleansing from sin and rising to new life in Christ
- When asked whether they are willing to change their lives, the person gives a brief testimony of their faith in Jesus
- The person is baptised “in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit”
What is holy communion?
Holy communion (Eucharist) is the sacrament that uses bread and wine to celebrate the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and his resurrections -It recalls the last supper of Jesus, using his words and actions
What are the differences in holy communion for diff denominations?
Catholics, Orthodox Christians and some Anglicans believe bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ. This means Jesus is fully present in the bread and wine
Protestant Christians celebrate holy communion as a reminder of the last supper. They don’t believe the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ. Instead the bread and wine remain symbols of Jesus’ sacrifice, which helps believers to reflect on its meaning today.
Give a quote for holy communion
“For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
What impact does holy communion have on individuals?
- Christians receive God’s grace by joining in the sacrifice of Jesus
- This helps to strengthen their faith
- They become closer to God
What impact does holy communion have on communities?
- Bring the community of believers together in unity
- Provides support and encouragement for those going through a difficult time
What impact does holy communion have on wider society?
- Acts as a call to love others in practical ways
- It encourages Christians to work for equality and justice for all
- Many churches collect money during the service to help support those in need, such as the poor or homeless
What is a pilgrimage?
Pilgrimage is a journey made by a believer to a holy sit for religious reasons. As well as making a physical journey to a sacred place, the pilgrim also makes a spiritual journey towards God.
Why go on pilgrimage?
- Grow closer to god
- Strengthen faith in God
- Be forgiven for sin
- Pray for something special
- Thank God for a blessing
- Seek a cure for illness
- Meet others who share the same faith
How does pilgrimage impact a christian’s life?
- Give them better understanding of their faith
- Help them feel cleansed from sin
- Help them to see problems in a new light
- Give them a good feeling about helping other pilgrims who are disabled or ill.
Name 2 places of pilgrimage
Lourdes (town in France)
Iona (an island off the coast of Scotland)
Why is Lourdes significant?
- Where Mary is said to have appeared in a number of visions to a young girl called Bernadette
- Mary told Bernadette to dig in the ground, and when she did a spring of water appeared
- The water is believed to have healing properties, and a number of healing miracles are claimed to have taken place here
What do people do at Lourdes?
- Bathe in waters of the spring, or help other pilgrims who are ill or disabled to bathe in the waters
- Pray for healing of forgiveness
- May recite the rosary together
Why is Iona significant?
- Its where St Columba established a monastic community in the 6th century
- The community now has an ecumenical centre where pilgrims can stay
What do people do at Iona?
-Because it’s quiet, peaceful and a place of natural beauty, pilgrims can spend time praying,reading the bible, and reflecting or meditating
What is a festival?
Day or period of celebration for religious reasons.
What is Christmas?
- Commemorates the incarnation of Jesus, which is the belief that God became human in Jesus. The celebrations reflect Christian beliefs and teachings in the following ways:
- Lights represent Jesus as the light coming into the world of darkness
- Midnight mass reflects the holiness of the night and the joy Christians feel at Jesus’ birth
- Cards and Gifts recall the wise men’s gifts to Jesus
What is Easter?
-Most important Christian festival, celebrates Jesus rising from the dead
List the events of Easter
- Holy week remembers the events leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion, including his arrest and trial
- Good Friday is the day Jesus was crucified, there are special services and processions led by a person carrying a cross.
- On Saturday night, some churches hold special service to celebrate Christ’s resurrection, Orthodox Christians walk with candles in procession, then enter the dark church as if going into Jesus’ empty tomb
- Easter Sunday: Churches filled with flowers and special hymns are sung to rejoice at Jesus’ resurrection, Services are held at sunrise, and shared breakfasts include eggs to symbolise new life
What does the Church do?
Individual Churches:
-Educate people about Christianity (e.g. bible study groups)
-Are meeting places for prayer and worship
-Provide activities for younger people
-Are places where Christians can socialise and obtain spiritual guidance
The Church:
-Supports local projects such as food banks
-Provides social services such as schooling and medical care
-helps those in need
-campaigns for justice
Name the quote for Church
“And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body”.
Name examples of the church helping the local community
The Trussell trust and The oasis project are two organisations that help the local community by providing food banks and other services. The work of these charities is based on the Christian principles (such as the parable of the sheep and the Goats)
Why is it important to help the local community?
-Jesus taught that Christians should help others by showing agape (selfless) love towards them. For example in the parable of the sheep and the goats, Jesus teaches Christians they should give practical help to people in need
“Faith by itself, if not accompanied by action, is dead.”
What are street pastors?
- Adult volunteers are trained to patrol the streets in urban areas.
- Main aim was originally to challenge gang culture and knife crime in London
- The focus then widened to responding to drunkenness, anti-social behaviour and fear of crime
- Street pastors work closely with police and local councils
What is a mission?
-Mission is a vocation or calling to spread the faith. The church has a mission to tell non-believers that Jesus Christ came into the world as its saviour
What is evangelism?
-Christians spread the faith through evangelism (showing faith in Jesus by example or by telling others)
What’s a quote for evangelism?
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations”
- Jesus gave a great commission to his disciples to spread the gospel and make disciples of all nations through baptism
- All Christians have a duty to spread the gospel and tell others of their faith, but some become missionaries or evangelists (people who promote Christianity, for example by going to foreign countries to preach or do charitable work).
- The aims of missionary work and evangelism are to persuade people to accept Jesus as their saviour and to extend the church to all nations
What is Alpha?
- Alpha is an example of evangelism in Britain.
- Course is used as an intro for those interested in learning about Christianity.
List ways Christians can spread the faith
- Advertising and using media e.g Facebook or insta
- Praying for others to accept God
- Sharing what God has done for them with others
- Inviting ppl to christian meetings, fellowship meals and social events
What is reconciliation?
Reconciliation is restoring harmony after relationships have broken down
Why do Christians work for reconciliation?
- They believe humans were reconciled to God through Jesus’ death and resurrection, This means Jesus’ death and resurrection helped to restore the relationship between God and humanity, which had been broken by sin
- For Catholics, the sacrament of reconciliation also helps to restore people’s relationship with God
- Matthew 5:23-24 teaches that Christians should be reconciled to each other
Quote for reconciliation
“Forgive as the lord forgave you”
Examples of organisations working for reconciliation
- World council of churches works for reconciliation between different denominations and members of other faiths.
- The Irish churches peace project bring Catholics and protestants together in Northern Ireland
What is persecution?
Christians have faced persecution (hostility or ill-treatment) for very long
This might involve:
-Forced to pay extra tax
-Job discrimination
-Being forbidden to build churches
-Attacks on their homes, churches and families including murder.
How do Christians respond to persecution?
-Some Christians think persecution has a positive effect as it strengthens their faith and conviction, it also allows them to share in the suffering of Jesus.
“I want to know Christ - yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings.”
-The Church believes its important to act against persecution by supporting persecuted Christians wherever possible and campaigning on their behalf.
“If one part suffers, every part suffers with it”.
-Christians are encouraged to show love and forgiveness towards their persecutors.
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good”.
Why do Christians help those in poverty?
-Jesus once told a rich man to sell everything and give to the poor
-The parable of the rich man and Lazarus tells of a rich man who ends up in hell for ignoring a beggar
“If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?”
Give an example of a Charity
Tearfund
- Works with over 90,000 churches worldwide to help life ppl out of poverty
- Supplies emergency aid after natural disasters and conflict
- Provides long-term aid to help communities become more self-reliant such as education or new farming equipment
- Supported by donation, fundraising events and prayer from churches in the UK
