Christianity Practices: Key Words Flashcards
worship
acts of religious praise, honour or devotion
liturgical worship
a church service that follows a set structure or ritual
non-liturgical worship
a service that does not follow an set text or ritual
informal worship
a type of non-liturgical worship, sometimes ‘spontaneous’ or ‘charismatic’ in nature
private worship
when a believer praises or honours God on his or her own
prayer
communicating with God, either silently or through words of praise thanksgiving or confession, or requesting for God’s help or guidance
set prayers
prayers that have been written down and said more than once by more than one person, for example the Lord’s Prayer
informal prayer
prayer that is made up by an individual using his or her own words
nonconformist
an English Protestant who does not conform to the doctrines or practices of the established Church of England
sacraments
rites an rituals through which the believer receives a special gift of Grace; for Catholics, Anglicans and many Protestants, sacraments are ‘outward signs’ of ‘inward grace’
baptism
the ritual through which people become members of the Church; baptism involves the use of water as a symbol of the washing away of sin
protestant
a branch of Christianity, originally Protestants were called by that name because they protested against some of the practices of the Catholic Church; there are many Protestant denominations, but they agree on the central belief that the Bible is the only authority for Christians
believer’s baptism
initiation into the Church, by immersion in water, of people old enough to understand the ceremony/rite and willing to live a Christian life
infant baptism
the ritual through which babies and young children become members of the Church, where promises are taken on their behalf by adults; the infant is freed from sin and introduced to the saving love of God and the support of the Christian community
holy communion
a service of thanksgiving in which the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus are celebrated using bread and wine; also called Eucharist, Mass, the Lord’s Supper, the Breaking of the Bread, and the Divine Liturgy
eucharist
from a Greek word meaning ‘thanksgiving’; a service of thanksgiving in which the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus are celebrated using bread and wine
pilgrimage
a journey by a believer to a holy site for religious reasons; pilgrimage is itself an act of worship and devotion
festival
a day or period of celebration for religious reasons
Christmas
the day commemorating the incarnation, the birth of Jesus (25th December in most churches); also, the season of 12 days ending with the Epiphany (when Christians remember the visit of the wise men
Easter
the religious season celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead; it starts on Easter Day and finishes with the feast of Pentecost
church
- the holy people of God, also called the Body of Christ, among whom Christ is present and active; 2. a building in which Christians worship
agape
a word used in the Bible that describes selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love
mission
the vocation or calling of a religious organisation or individual to go out into the world and spread their faith
the Great Commission
Jesus’ instruction to his followers that they should spread his teachings to all the nations of the world
Missionary
a person sent on a religious mission, especially to promote Christianity in a foreign country through preaching or charitable work
evangelism
spreading the Christian gospel by public preaching or person witness
reconciliation
a sacrament in the Catholic Church; also the restoring of harmony after relationships have broken down
persecution
hostility and ill treatment, especially because of race, or political or religious beliefs
