Christianity Practices Flashcards
Evangelism
Preaching of the gospel to others with the intent to convert others to Christianity (e.g. through public speaking or distributing leaflets)
Worship
An expression of adoration and praise for God, referred to frequently in the Bible - “To keep the Sabbath Day holy” is often interpreted as a command to worship God
Liturgical worship
Worship that follows a set structure and established rituals (e.g. a set pattern of prayers or the use of a set book in a service); a good example of Liturgical worship is the Eucharist
Informal worship
Worship that does not have a set structure and is more spontaneous - services in Evangelical denominations are more formal than traditional worship. Informal worship emphasises the importance of the Holy Spirit and the ability to worship anywhere where Christians gather
Individual worship
Takes place in addition to worshipping in a Church. Christians believe in the importance of forming a personal relationship with God and worshipping alone is part of this
Matthew 18:20
“Where two or more are gathered in my name, I am there with them” - implies that worship can take place anywhere where Christians gather
Importance of prayer
At the heart of Jesus’ lifestyle so is essential to the faith - it should not be superficial and you should worship God with all your thoughts and actions
Aspects of prayer
Adoration; confessional; contemplation; penitential; thanksgiving; supplication
- Adoration - Deep love and respect for God
- Confessional - Statement of faith through prayer
- Contemplation - Meditation
- Penitential - Saying sorry
- Thanksgiving - Saying thank you
- Supplication - Asking for something
Set prayers
Allow Christians to learn and repeat prayers that have significant meaning - allow it to become collective to have one communal voice when recited with others (e.g. Lord’s prayer)
Extemporaneous prayers
Non-formulaic and spontaneous prayers - some Christians believe this is more spiritually honest - other Christians believe prayers in this way are influenced by the Holy Spirit whereas others reject prayers such as the Lord’s prayer because the original meaning is lost when repeating set prayers
Informal prayers
Some Christians find it difficult to relate to set prayers as they are written in formal English (e.g. God referred to as “Father” instead of “Dad”) and have adopted an informal voice in prayer. Informal prayers tend to be private - Quakers value the idea of being in God’s presence and sit in silence and stillness in services as this develops their relationship with God
Sacraments
An outward sign of an invisible and inward blessing by God. Most Protestants will only recognise Baptism and Eucharist as they were the only two documented in the Gospel as being practiced by Jesus
Infant Baptism
In most Catholic and Church of England Churches, children and infants are baptised. In infant baptism, parents and godparents promise to raise the child in a Christian setting. Baptists don’t believe in infant baptism because they believe a believer should declare their own faith and babies cannot do this - Jesus baptised as an adult
Baptism’s importance
Baptism is a right of entry, allowing people to become members of Christianity; many Christians believe original sin is removed through baptism; believer’s baptism gives an individual the opportunity to declare their faith
Baptism’s importance
Additional arguments
- Baptism links us directly with death and resurrection of Jesus - “We were buried with him through baptism”
- Jesus instructed his disciples to baptise “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them”
- Through baptism you can enter heaven - “No one can enter God’s kingdom unless they are born of the water”
Eucharist
Eucharist is a sacrament insitituted by Jesus at his Last Supper before his crucifixion where he shared bread and wine with his disciples. Christians today continue this tradition as they believe this brings them closer to God because it is an act of thanksgiving for the life and death of Jesus
Transubstantiation
Transubstantiation is the Roman Catholic belief that the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Christ during Holy Communion - Protestants reject this - Presbyterians believe that Jesus is spiritually present whereas Baptists believe the ritual is an act of remembrance known as memorialism
Consubstantiation
Consubstantiation is the Lutherans’ (Protestant reformers) concept of “sacramental union” - that the body and blood of Jesus are somehow present “within” the bread and wine.
Christmas
Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus (Incarnation) - due to its importance a period of time known as advent was set aside to allow Christians to prepare for Christmas, beginning four Sundays before Christmas. Eastern Orthodox Church fasts during this time whereas Western Churches do not