Christianity: Practices Flashcards
What is worship?
How religious people describe how they feel about and act towards God
What do Christians show through their worship?
1) adoration
2) love
3) honour
4) respect
What is congregation?
A group of Christians meeting for worship
What are the three basic forms of worship?
1) liturgical
2) non-liturgical
3) charismatic
What is liturgical worship?
A more formal service with a set pattern
What denominations use liturgical worship?
1) Roman Catholic Church
2) Orthodox
3) Church of England
What do the colours of the vestements (robes) that the priest wears during the service or liturgy express?
The character of what it is that is being celebrated or remembered
When are the colours white and gold used?
Special celebrations, like Easter and Christmas
When is the colour red used?
On days when Christians recall the suffering and death of Jesus. It also recalls the coming of the Holy Spirit and is used on Pentecost and for Confirmation
When is the colour violet or purple used?
In Advent to help remind Christians that it is a time of preparation for the coming of Christ. These colours are also used during Lent, the season of penance and renewal
What are the two main types of service in liturgical worship?
1) Eucharist service
2) service of the Word
What does the Eucharist service celebrate or remember?
Jesus’ suffering and death
What do the bread and wine received during the Eucharist service represent?
Jesus’ body and blood
What does the service of the Word focus on?
1) Bible readings
2) the sermon
What do Anglican services use for congregational worship?
1) Book of Common Prayer
2) Common Worship liturgy boooks
What is transubstantiation?
The transformation of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ despite no change in appearance and taste
What do Quakers call their worship?
A ‘meeting for worship’
How long do Quaker meetings last for?
Approximately an hour
What is ministry?
During Quaker worship when people may choose to speak, pray or read aloud
When does a Quaker meeting end?
When two Quakers shake hands
What is open communion?
All people are welcome to participate in the communion
What is non-liturgical service?
Services that may be more spontaneous and have little pre-organised structure
What Churches use non-liturgical worship?
1) Baptist
2) United Reformed
3) Presbyterian
4) Methodist
What is a sacrament?
A ritual through which the grace (or blessings) of God can be received
List the sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church.
1) baptism
2) Eucharist
3) confirmation
4) reconciliation
5) marriage
6) holy orders
7) anointing of the sick
What two sacraments do the Protestant Churches and the Church of England recognise?
1) baptism
2) Eucharist
What is consubstantiation?
The belief that Jesus is spiritually present in the bread and wine
Why is the Eucharist important for Christians?
1) reminds them of the sacrifice of Jesus and the salvation they have received
2) brings them closer to the other members of the Christian community to which they belong
3) symbolises their connection with all Christians
What does the sacrament of baptism symbolise?
A person’s admission into the Christian Church
What does it mean when water is sprinkled over a person’s head or they are immersed in water during baptism?
Purification and being washed clean from sin
What is an infant baptism ceremony called?
Christening
Which denominations practice infant baptism?
1) Roman Catholic Church
2) Orthodox Church
3) Church of England
What is confirmation?
When a person can make a public statement of faith and reaffirm the promises their parents made on their behalf when they were a baby
In most denominations, what does a person have to be before they can share in the Eucharist or communion?
Baptised
What is prayer?
A way in which Christians believe they can communicate with God
What does the Lord’s prayer include?
1) confession of the things the Christian has done wrong
2) thanksgiving for all God has given them
3) adoration of God
4) concern for others
5) supplication (asking for something special for themselves or others)
Why is private worship important to Christians?
It helps them develop a close and personal relationship with God
List some of the different types of prayer.
1) adoration
2) confession
3) supplications and intercession
4) thanksgiving
What do prayers of adoration focus on?
God’s character and who He is
What does ‘supplications’ mean?
Asking for help
What do prayers of intercession focus on?
Praying on behalf of others in the hope that God will help them
What is The Grace?
A prayer
What does The Grace acknowledge?
God’s love and generosity to people
What is ‘meditational prayer’?
When a believer focuses in stillness upon God
What is a pilgrimage?
1) part of a person’s spiritual journey
2) a physical journey that will take a person to a place of religious significance
List some popular places for Christian pilgrimage.
1) Lourdes
2) Jerusalem
3) Walsingham
3) Rome
What do Christians celebrate at Christmas?
Jesus’ birth
Why was Jesus’ conception miraculous?
Mary was a virgin
What are wise men known as?
Magi
How were Magi guided to the place of Jesus’ birth?
By a star
What gifts did the Magi bring with them?
Gold, frankincense and myrrh
What does the gold symbolise?
Kingship
What does frankincense symbolise?
The presence of God
What does the myrrh symbolise?
The prediction of Jesus’ death
What does Advent in the Church mark?
1) the period of waiting for the celebration of Jesus’ birth
2) Jesus’ Second Coming at the end of time
What are the benefits to Christians of going on pilgrimage?
1) their experience brings them closer to God as other distractions in life are stripped away
2) they become more aware of their need for God as they endure the physical challenges of a pilgrimage
3) being in places of significant religious meaning can have a deeply spiritual impact
4) pilgrimage may cause a believer to experience a great sense of awe and wonder or a fresh revelation of God
What caused Lourdes to become a place of pilgrimage?
In 1858 at Lourdes, in France, a 14-year-old girl named Bernadette Soubirous had a series of visions from God. A spring appeared at the site of the visions and today the water is believed to have healing powers
Why is Jerusalem a significant place to many Christians?
This is where Jesus lived towards the end of his life and it is where he died, was buried and seen alive after his resurrection
Where would a pilgrim go to visit the site of St Peter’s bones?
St Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City, Rome
What is the Stone of Unction?
The stone on which Jesus’ body is believed to have been laid and washed after his crucifixion
What is Advent?
The mark of waiting for both the celebration of Jesus’ birth and for his second coming
What day starts Holy Week?
Palm Sunday
What is being remembered on Maundy Thursday?
The commandment that Jesus gave his disciples at the last supper to love one another, just as he had loved them
On what day is there a vigil held and why?
Easter Saturday
What is celebrated on Easter Sunday?
1) Jesus’ resurrection
2) Jesus’ victory over sin
What is the purpose of infant baptism?
To represent leaving behind the life of sin and having a new Christian life
What is the link between infant baptism and confirmation?
Children who have been baptised as babies may choose to make their own decision about belonging to the Christian faith when they are old enough in a ritual known as confirmation
Name the denominations that practise infant baptism.
1) Roman Catholic Church
2) Church of England
3) Orthodox Church
What elements would you expect to be part of a Christian wedding service?
1) the minister explains the purpose of marriage
2) the minister checks that there is no lawful reason why the couple may not be married
3) the couple exchange their vows in front of God and all the witnesses in the church
4) the couple exchange rings
5) the minister asks that God bless the vows they have made to one another
6) Eucharist
What is a stefana?
A silver crown
In which denomination is a stefana part of a marriage service?
Orthodox Church
What is the purpose of the vows in a Christian wedding service?
To promise to love and support one another in all circumstances until death
What is the sipping of wine from the cup symbolic of in an Orthodox wedding service?
The time recorded in the Bible when Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding in Cana
What is meant by ‘Missio Dei’?
God’s activity or God’s mission
What is being remembered on Good Friday?
Jesus’ crucifixion
Name a Christian organisation that has a strong tradition of evangelism.
The Salvation Army
Describe the form of worship most common in churches that have emerged from the house church movement.
Meeting in small groups in one another’s homes during the week. In these home groups Christians may pray, study the Bible together and invite their friends to join them
Identify a Bible teaching that directs Christians towards missionary work.
‘He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”’ (Mark 16:15)
What is ecumenism?
The idea of creating Christian unity, as it seeks to reunite Christians from different denominations
What three areas does the World Council of Churches focus on?
1) to seek visible unity (between churches) in one faith and one eucharist fellowship
2) to promote common witness (telling people about their Christian faith) in work for mission and evangelism
3) to engage in Christian service by meeting human needs, breaking down barriers between people, seeking justice and peace, and upholding the integrity of creation
List some ecumenical communities.
1) Taizé in France
2) Iona in Scotland
3) Corrymeela at Ballycastle in Northern Ireland
Name some organisation that work to help the persecuted church and summarise what they do.
1) Open Doors helps people to have access to Bibles
2) Barnabas Fund works to bring hope to those Christians in persecution
3) The Fund directs aid to Christians largely through existing churches or Christians organisations
