christian practices Flashcards
evangelism
‘preaching the good news’
similar to mission, they have a goal to make as many people christian as possible
gets awarded with heaven for doing that
church growth
as of january 2016, attendance dropped below one million a week
how christians r attempting to improve church growth
‘Fresh Expressions’ - movement in the Church of England to change the way some churches worship.
- attempt to attract people to church who dont usually go
- Groups meet in cafés, gyms, beach
worldwide church growth
growing successfully in Asia, South America and particularly Africa.
work of tearfund 4x points
- Christian charity who put ‘love thy neighbour’ into action.
- putting into practice the agape love Jesus talks about in the gospel.
- helps the poor in many countries.
- works in over 50 countries providing emergency aid when natural disasters occur
evil and suffering
- suffering part of human life
- arguments about why evil and suffering exist in the world, known as theodicies
- free will
- There is a force for evil in the world, sometimes characterised as the devil/satan.
- Suffering is a test.
story of job
‘But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you.”
Job shows that God’s ways are beyond human understanding, but he has faith in God and understands his own place in the world.
charismatic christians
Christians who emphasise the presence and the work of the Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts and miracles.
what is tearfund doing in columbia
x3
- work with children and teenagers in Columbia.
- set up 30 sports clubs where children can come for football training.
- clubs provide safe spaces for young people at risk of joining gangs, to come and socialise.
persecution of christians past and present
- Jesus warned disciples they would be persecuted for their faith; each one of them was eventually martyred.
-Christians believe they were given a divine commission from Jesus to spread the good news of the Gospel and
this may be in the face of personal danger. - 21st century- terrorist organisations like Islamic State have targeted Christians, forcing them from their homes and subjecting them to violent attacks
what is persecution
persistently cruel treatment, often due to religion or belief.
open doors
- established in 1955 when Brother Andrew smuggled Bibles into the Soviet Union.
- helps persecuted christians
- distributes Bibles to those with no access to Bibles
- provides practical support for Christians who have been the victims of disasters.
working for christian reconciliation
- Reconciliation is idea that people should make up after an argument and move on.
- important for different Christian denominations to work together in pluralist society
- Ecumenical Movement and the World Council of Churches.
the ecumencial movement
- ‘Ecumenical’ relates to a number of different Christian Churches
- attempt to bring closer together the different Christian denominations and promote Christian unity
- began in 1910 and aimed to unify the Protestant Churches and ultimately all Christians.
the world council of churches
-brings together churches, denominations and church fellowships in more than 110 countries.
- The Roman Catholic Church isn’t a member but take part in local ecumenical organisations.
- ‘Churches Together in England’, focuses locally
