Christian practices

what is worship?

a form of prayer to God and an acknowledgement of God’s greatness

what are the different types of worship?

* public
* privae
* liturgical
* non-liturgical
* informal

what are private worships?

* this form of worship is more personal and expresses a Christian’s more intimate relationship with God

what is public worship?

* they follow a form that is set down, often led by a minister
* this form of worship brings people together and allows them to worship God as a united community

what are bible services?

* often led by a minister who has recieved special training
* the service will include readings from the bible and hymns based on the bible are often sung by the congregation

what is liturgical worship?

* they are more traditional and follow a set pattern
* when christians come together to worship God, such as in the celebration of the Eucharist
* the Eucharist uses rituals such as processions and sacramental signs such as the bread and wine to symbolise the presence of Christ
* priests or ministers are appointed to lead these

what are the characteristics of liturgical worship that makes it important for christians?

* they recieve forgivness from God through the priest
* they recieve the living presence of Jesus through holy communion
* bible readings and rituals

what is non-liturgical worship?

* there is no set order or ritual
* they emphasis on the word of God in the bible
* usually focused on bible readings and a sermon

what are the characteristics of non-liturgical worship that makes it important for christians?

* faith is expressed in a variety of ways
* christians can share personal interpretations of the bible
* people can take an active part in church without formal training

what is informal worship?

* depends on people’s spontaneous prayers
* quaker worship is mainly silent
* it is charismatic

what is prayer?

communicating with God in silence or aloud using set or informal prayer.

why do christians pray?

* To feel closer to God
* Adoration
* Confession
* Thanksgiving
* Supplication

what can be used in prayer?

* a rosary - used to count prayers
* orthodox christians use icons to aid prayer

what is an example of a set prayer?

the lord’s prayer

what is the importance of the Lord’s prayer

* it gives individual christians a pattern for how to pray
* when used in private prayer, a christian is reminded that she or he must forgive others
* it reminds christians that God is the Father of the whole community, not just the individual
* it can bring a sense of unity when recited

what are sacraments?

rites an rituals through which the believer receives a special gift of grace

what are the 7 accepted sacraments?

* baptism
* confirmation
* holy communion
* marriage
* holy orders
* reconciliation
* the anointing of the sick

how do sacraments help Christians?

they involve symbolic actions, words and physical elements : such as water in baptism, bread and wine for the body of christ in holy communion

many christians believe that sacraments help to affirm that christians are a part of the body of Christ and the church

what are the different beliefs for infant baptism?

AGAINST

* people say that they are too young to sin

FOR

* it removes the original sin
* everyone has a tendency to sin and needs salvation
* they are welcomed into the church as early as possible

what is believer’s baptism?

initiation into the church by immersion in a pool of water, of people old enough to understand the ceremony and want to start living a life devoted to Jesus

give an example of baptism in the bible

when John the baptist, baptised Jesus in the Jordan river

what is holy communion? ( Eucharist)

a service of thanksgiving which the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus is recalled and symbolised through bread and wine

why is holy communion so impactful for christians?

they believe that through it they will receive God’s grace by joining in the great sacrifice of Jesus

how is holy communion celebrated?

* through the divine liturgy in the orthodox church - it recreates heaven on earth - hymns and prayers are said, there is a priest
* the catholic mass - greeting from the priest of penance and praise

what is a pilgrimage

a journey often made for religious reasons to a holy site in an act of worship or devotion

what is an example of a place to pilgrim too?

Jerusalem - the place where Jesus lived, died and was resurrected

what is the importance of pilgrimage

* to feel closer to God and strengthen faith
* express sorrows for sin and be forgiven
* reflect on their lives
* pray for something special or ask for a blessing
* seek a cure for an illness
* experience a holy place

is pilgrimage compulsory?

no - but it can affect a person on a spiritual level and often lead to a better understanding of faith

what is Lourdes?

a place of pilgrimage in the south of France dedicated to Mary, the mother of Jesus

* Mary was said to have found a spring of water with healing properties
* now many go to lourdes in hopes to be healed
* mainly catholic pilgrims

what is Iona?

an island off the west coast of Scotland dedicated to the virgin Mary

* some people think that Iona is the veil between the spiritual world and physical world - a place where nature reveals God’s infinite power and presence (general revelation)
* it is a place of silence and reflection and meditation and taking in the awe and wonder of God’s creations
* multi-dimentional faith

what is a festival?

a period or day of celebration for religious reasons

what is the importance of Christmas to christians?

* the incarnation of Jesus - God became human flesh
* light represents Jesus
* it is seen as a time of good will and peace
* the birth of Jesus

what is the importance of Easter to christians?

* the day when Jesus rose from the dead and was resurrected
* victory of good over evil
* life over death
* eggs symbolise new life

what is palm sunday?

the day in which four gospels state that Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey

what is Maundy Thursday?

the day where Jesus hosted the last supper

* marks the beginning of a time of sadness

what is good friday?

the day Jesus was crucified

* commemorated with hot cross buns

what is reconciliation?

a sacrament in the catholic church - also the restoring of harmony after relationships have been broken

what is the primary mission of the worldwide church?

* to proclaim that Jesus came so that the relationship between God and humanity was reconciled
* christians argue that original sin was what broke the relationship first - but Jesus came to restore it

what do christians believe about reconciliation?

they believe that you should be reconciled with God and one another

what is persecution?

hostility and ill-treatment, especially because of race or religious beliefs

what is the world council of Churches aim?

to try bring about reconciliation between different christian denominations and stop christian persecution

what is the churches response to wold poverty?

* they try to follow the teachings of Jesus in working to relieve poverty
* e.g the parable of the good samaritan, it teaches the importance of caring for others.
* christians believe they should present Jesus to the world through helping the disadvantaged

what is CAFOD doing to help the situation in turkey and syria right now?

CAFOD has worked with local experts in Syria and in neighbouring countries for over ten years, responding to the ongoing crisis. Most recently helping with the Turkey/Syria earthquakes

* Most recently we have responded to the earthquake in Syria and Turkey with:
* food baskets, hygiene kits, and non-food items such as blankets and mattresses, rehabilitation of water and sanitation units
* rent assistance to families who have been relocated
* direct support to our partners who have been directly impacted by the earthquake
* medication for people with chronic disease and baby nappies and milk.
* They try to provide a better quality of life for people in need

what is the church?

* the body of christ among whom christ is present and active
* a building in which christians may worship as a community

what does the church do?

* it provides help and shelter for disadvantaged people
* it provides food - food banks
* “for I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink” - Matthew
* they try to follow this principle
* they have a role of stewardship

why should Christians be involved in the local community?

* in the parable of the sheep and the goats - it teaches that Christians should not ignore the needs of society because showing AGAPE love is part of the christian way of life

what is agape?

a word used in the bible that describes selfless, sacrificial and unconditional love

what are street pastors?

they aim to help and care for vunerable people in practical ways

* “love thy neighbour”

what is a mission/missionary?

the vocation or calling of a religious organisation or individual to spread their faith

what is the great commission?

Jesus’s instruction to his followers that they should spread his teachings to all the nations of the world

what is evangelism?

spreading the christian gospel by public preaching or personal witness

what is the place of mission?

* the church aims to spread the good news to non-believers that Jesus christ is the son of God and our saviour
* the main aim of missionaries which involves evangelism is to persuade people to accept Jesus as their Lord and saviour

how much of the world’s population is christian?

* around 1.5-2.5 billion
* up to a third of the world’s population claim to be some sort of christian faith

how much has the church grown?

* in 2010 there were nearly 1.1 billion catholics a big increase on the estimates 291 million in 1910
* christians in 1899-1901 would go into China and force people to follow the Christian faith - they would also kill people of buddhist faiths or others

what is a convert

someone who has decided to change their religion and faith