Colin Christianity Practices Knowledge Sheet Flashcards
- Worship
. Worship is the way in which Christians show their love, reverence and respect for God.
. It allows Christians to thank God for his blessings, ask for forgiveness or seek help.
- Worship
Liturgical worship:
. Follows the same set pattern.
. Priest leads the congregation.
. Bible passages are ready out and there may be a sermon.
. Often will be music, hymns sung and sometimes chanting by the priest.
. People receive God’s forgiveness through the priest.
. People receive the living presence of Jesus in Communion.
. Bible readings follow the Christian calendar.
. A set order which is familiar to all even visitors.
. Has been passed down through generations giving a sense of tradition.
- Worship
Non-liturgical worship:
. Does not have to be a set order or ritual.
. May choose an order to suit the theme.
. The service is usually focussed on Bible readings and sermons.
. The basic structure may remain the same or the preacher may change it.
. Follows worship of some early Christians.
. Faith is expressed in a variety of ways.
. Christians can share personal interpretations of the Bible.
. People take an active part by praying out loud or talking without training.
. May have more of an emotional impact, with a feeling of a personal revelation from god.
- Worship
Private worship:
. Allows individuals to spend time with God.
. Can happen either alone or with close friends or family.
. May involve prayer, meditation or studying.
. Sometimes includes aids such as an icon or rosary.
- Worship
Informal worship:
. Depends of people’s spontaneous prayer or sharing of thoughts.
. Quaker worship is mainly silent.
. Some informal worship is ‘charismatic’ (led by the Spirit) and many involve dancing, singing and clapping.
. Some worshippers feel it is easier to experience God’s Holy Spirit in informal worship.
- Prayer
. Prayer is communicating with God in silence our aloud.
. You can use set prayers or informal prayers.
. People may pray kneeling down sometimes with hands together. Others pray standing up.
. Christians believe that prayer will be answered by God but not always in the way the person would like.
. Private prayer and meditations allows Christians to find peace and a sense of communion with God in their everyday life.
. The Lord’s prayer gives individual Christians a pattern for how to pray as it combines praising God and asking for their needs. This prayer is often said in Christian worship and tends to be said out loud by the whole congregation.
- Baptism
. For many Churches baptism is the initiation rite by which people become members of the Christian Church.
. The person if formally acknowledged as a child of God and receives God’s saving grace.
. Jesus’ baptism set an example for his followers to be baptised in order to receive the Holy Spirit and begin a new life in the Christian community.
‘Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’. Matthew 28:19
Infant baptism
. Catholic, Anglican and other churches practice infant baptism.
. These Churches believe infant baptism is necessary because of original sin.
. Everyone has a tendency to sin and needs salvation, even babies.
. Infant baptism removed original sin. The child is welcomed into the Church as soon as possible.
. Blessed water is poured over the baby’s head. God parents and parents promise to bring the child up in the faith.
. Other symbols are used to such as anointing with oil, the sign of the cross of the forehead and dressing the child in white.
Believer’s baptism:
. Some Christians thinking that a baby is too young to understand the meaning of baptism, so people should wait until they are old enough to make the decision.
. They believe baptism does not save a person; it is someone’s conversion to living a life dedicated to Jesus which is important.
. It involves full emersion in to a pool, symbolising the cleaning from sin and rising up to a new life with Jesus.
. The minister usually talks about the importance of baptism.
. Each person may read a Bible passage or give a testimony of their faith in Jesus.
. The minister will baptise them in the pool in a similar way to Jesus’ baptism.
- Holy communion
There is a similar pattern in which most churches celebrate Holy Communion:
- The ministry of the Word which focuses on God’s word in the Bible.
- The ministry of Holy Communion – offering, consecrating and sharing the bread and wine.
Read revision notes on how the churches celebrate communion
- Pilgrimage
. Pilgrimage is a journey made for religious reasons, alone or with other Christians, to a sacred place.
. They make a physical journey and a spiritual journey towards God.
- Pilgrimage
Importance of pilgrimage:
. Grow closer to God and strengthen faith.
. Expresses sorrow for sin and be forgiven.
. Reflect on their lives.
. Pray for something special or thank God for a blessing.
- Pilgrimage
Lourdes:
. In the south-west if France.
. Dedicated to Mary, the mother of Jesus.
. In 1858 a young girl had visions of Mary in a cave near the river.
. Mary told the girl to dig for a spring of water, which was discovered to have healing properties.
. Thousands of pilgrims visit to pray and the cave where she appeared and to bathe in the water where it is claimed that 67 miracles and over 6000 thousand other cures have taken place.
- Pilgrimage
Iona:
. An island off the west coast of Scotland.
. In the 6th century and Irish missionary who brought Christianity to Scotland established a small monastic community there.
. It is the home of the Iona Community and a place of Christian pilgrimage dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
. People believe it is a place where the veil between the spiritual place and physical place is thin.
. Many pilgrims feel like it’s a place where nature reveals God’s infinite power and presence.
. They hold daily services at the abbey, lead hikes and conduct workshops on Christian themes,
. Pilgrims help out with daily chores whilst they are there.
- Festivals
. Important role in helping Christians remember the major events in the religious and to plan public worship.
. The Christian calendar has two main seasons: Advent. Christmas and Epiphany; Lent, Easter and Pentecost.
- Festivals
Christians:
. Commemorates the incarnation of Jesus.
. The celebrations last 12 days ending with the feast of Epiphany.
. Homes are decorated with lights to symbolise Jesus being the light of the world.
. Many churches hold carol services with reading from the Bible.
. It is seen as a time of ‘peace and goodwill.’
- Festivals
Easter:
. Most important festival. Celebrates Jesus rising from the dead.
. During the week leading up to Easter, Christians remember the events that lead to Jesus’ death.
. Special services are held on the Friday to remember Jesus’ crucifixion.
. On Easter Sunday, churches are filled with flowers and special hymns are sung celebrating the resurrection.
. Many churches organise open-air sunrise events and share breakfast together, often eggs which are a symbol of new life.
- Foodbanks
. The Church consists of a group of believers under the leadership of Jesus.
‘And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body’. Ephesians 1:22-23
. The role of the Church is not confined to the building. The Church is a major source of social services like schooling and medical care.
. It has become involved in projects that help the local community. It fits with the teachings to act with compassion to those in need.
‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirst and you gave me something to drink’. Matthew 25:35
- Foodbanks
The Trussel Trust
. Founded in 1977, provides emergency food, help and support to people in crisis in the UK.
. The aim is to bring people together to work towards ending poverty and hunger in Britain.
. Non-perishable food is donated to the foodbanks and is sorted by volunteers.
. Professionals identify people in crisis and give them a voucher for three days of food.
. Some provide courses designed to help people to eat well and spend less.
. There are around 420 foodbanks in the UK and in a year they provide food for nearly 1,000,000 people.
- Foodbanks
. A community hub in Plymouth with an internet café, creative courses, a job club, training opportunities and a base for meetings.
. Also runs a food bank.
. Paid staff are supported by volunteers and session tutors.
. Around 200 people use the centre each week and both spiritual and practical support are given to those who need it.
. They help people who have ill health, learning disabilities, domestic violence, substance abuse, low income and housing problems.
- Street pastors
. The network of street pastors in Brixton was an initiative of Ascension Trust, a Christian charity, where Christian adult volunteers receive training in order to patrol the streets in urban areas.
. Initially the main aim was to challenge gang culture, the use of knives and guns in London. The focus then widened to include responding to drunkenness, anti-social behaviour and fear of crime.
. They aim to help and care for vulnerable people in practical ways. Their work includes giving guidance which might be able to help.
. Since 2003 they have grown rapidly and now operate in nearly 300 locations worldwide, with around 14,000 trained personnel.
. A sister organisation called School Pastors, was set up in 2011 with the aim of reducing anti-social behaviour, illegal drug use and bullying.
. Within school, they mentor young people and patrol within and around schools to help prevent behaviour problems.
. The mission of the Church includes trying to make a positive contribution to the local community and being a good neighbour.
‘Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead’. James 2:17
- Mission and evangelism
. The Church has a mission to spread the good news to non-believers that Jesus is the Son of God and came to the world to be its saviour.
. Christians are called not only to know Jesus in their lives but also to make him known to others as Jesus instructed.
. Christians have the responsibility to tell others of their faith. This may be spreading the word to people they meet in everyday life or, for some, through organised events or preaching.
. Others feel called to go to other countries and become missionaries, which involves evangelism and in some cases humanitarian work.
. The main aim is to persuade people to accept Jesus as their Saviour and to extend the Church to every nation of the world.
‘Therefore go and make disciples of all nations’. Matthew 28:19
- Mission and evangelism
The alpha course:
. The aim was to help church members understand the basics of the faith but soon began to be used as an introduction for those in learning about Christianity.
. It is designed to be ‘an opportunity to explore the meaning of life’ through a series of talks and discussions.
- Church growth
. Estimates of how many Christians there are in the world vary from 1.5 to 2.5 billion. Up to a third of the world’s population claim to have some sort of Christian faith.
. In 2010 there were nearly 1.1 billion Catholics, a big increase on the estimated 291 million in 1910.
. Despite opposition from the government, it is estimated that in China there will soon be more Christians than in any other country of the world.
. In 1900 there were no Protestant churches in South Korea, now the capital city of Seoul alone has 7000.
. It is estimated that churches in Africa are increasing by an average of 34,000 people a day.
. Worldwide something like 80,000 people become Christians per day, and over 500 new churches are formed.
