Christian beliefs glossary Flashcards
Denomination
A distinct group within the Christian faith with its own organisation
monotheism
The belief that there is one God
Omnipotent
Almighty, having unlimited power; a quality of God
Omnipresent
Present everywhere at the same time; a quality of God
Omniscient
Knowing everything; a quality of God
Omnibenevolent
All loving; a quality of God
Immanent
The idea that God is present in & involved with life on earth & in the universe; a quality of God
Transcendent
The idea that God is beyond & outside life on earth & the universe; a quality of God
Perfect Good
Being entirely without fault or defect; a quality of God
Impersonal
The idea that God has no ‘human’ characteristics, is unknowable & mysterious, more like an idea or force
Personal
the idea that God is an individual or person with whom people are able to have a relationship or feel close to
Eternal
Without beginning or end
Judge
Provides fairness to all; a quality of God
Trinity
Belief that God is an individual or person in One God; the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit are separate but also one being
Problem of Evil
Evil & suffering as an argument against the existence of God
Inconstant triad
Evil can’t exist if God is omnibenevolent & omnipotent
atheism / atheist
A person who believes that there is no God
Natural evil
Evil & suffering that is not directly caused by human actions
Moral evil
Evil & suffering that is caused by human action
Theodicy
Defence of God & Christianity
“Soul-making” theodicy
Theodicy created by St Irenaeus to defend Christianity against problem of evil
“The Fall”
God punished Adam & Eve for their actions & the punishment was to endure suffering in life
Fundamentalists / Creationists
Christians who believe that the statements in the Bible are literally true & believe that there are certain basic beliefs that are essential to the Christian faith
Inerrant
Without error; a quality of God
The “Word” of God
Logos
Logos
The “Word” of God
Judgement
After a person dies they face judgment by God based on how they lived their life
Purgatory
The immediate state where souls are cleansed in order to enter Heaven
Heaven
A state of eternal happiness in the presence of God; the place of eternal peace ruled over by God
Hell
A state of eternal suffering or the state of being without God
Embodied life after death
The belief that life after death is a physical place
Disembodied life after death
The belief that life after death is a spiritual place
Parable of the sheep and goats
A story from Mathew 25 showing how God splits those who go to Heaven from those to go to Hell
Salvation
Saving the soul, deliverance from sin and admission to Heaven brought by Jesus
Salvation by merit
Christians can achieve salvation through their own actions
Salvation by Grace
Christians can achieve salvation by the grace of God; God incarnated as Jesus who died as a sacrifice for Humanity’s sins, thus bringing salvation for people
Salvation by law
Christians can achieve salvation by following God’s laws and commands in the Bible
Salvation by spirit
Christians can achieve salvation by being guided by the Holy Spirit. This could help them to follow God’s laws or live a good life, and so achieve salvation
The nativity
The process of circumstances of Jesus being born
The incarnation
Becoming flesh; taking a human form
Palm sunday
The day Jesus enters Jerusalem and is hailed as the Messiah
Maundy Thursday
The day of the last supper and the arrest of Jesus
Last supper
The last supper Jesus had with his disciples before he got arrested
Garden of Gethsemane
The garden in which Jesus was arrested in by Romans
The crucifixion
Roman method of execution by which criminals were fixed to a cross / the execution and death of Jesus on Good Friday
Good Friday
The day Jesus was crucified and died at 3PM and darkness followed
Atonement
Restoring the relationship between people and God through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus
Sin
Any action or thought that separated humans from God
Original sin
The first sin committed by Adam & Eve for disobeying God
Repentance
The action of repenting; sincere regret or remorse
Easter Sunday
The day of Jesus’ resurrection where he appears to many
Resurrection
Rising from the dead / Jesus rising from the dead on Easter day; an event recorded in all four gospels & central beliefs of Christianity
Ascension
Action of rising to an important position or higher level, 40 days after resurrection – Jesus returned to God & Heaven
