Christianity key terms

Allegorical

A way of reading the Bible non-literally, or that the Bible should not be taken factually and people should instead find deeper meanings within the texts and stories.

Anglican Church

Christian tradition which consists of the Church of England and is headed by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Apostles

12 men Jesus had chosen to help Him in his teaching. Can also apply to a wider group of Christian figures such as st. Paul.

Arianism

The belief, stemming from a man named Arius, that Jesus was not fully divine or co-eternal with God. Instead he was created by God before the rest of the world.

Apostolic Tradition

The passing down of knowledge from Jesus' Apostles which they'd received from Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Apostolic Succession

The act of Jesus' apostles appointing bishops who were given teaching authority, establishing a continuous line of succession.

Atonement

Forgiveness - part of St. Paul's theology that after original Sin, God and people were reconciled after Jesus' death.

Canon

The collection of books which a religious group agrees are inspired by God.

Cathecism

The Roman Catholic Church's summary of it's doctrine and moral code.

Christology

The study of Jesus Christ and his status as divine, human, or the Son of God.

Denomination

A recognised branch of the Christian Church

Deist

Someone who accepts God's existence on the basis of reason; so, they wouldn't believe in special revelation or that God interacts with the Earth

Disciples

A pupil of a teacher - Jesus' apostles were also his disciples

Divinity

The state of being divine

Ecumenical Council

Councils of Church leaders and scholars who met to discuss matters of doctrine and practice. These decisions would have authority.

Epistle

The 21 letters in the New Testament

Evangelism

To spread good news about God and try to convert others.

Fundamentalism

The belief that the Bible is completely inerrant and contains the exact truth of God. Focus on the plain reading of scripture, so won't look into deeper meanings of stories.

General Revelation

Revelation that is available to people at all times - e.g. knowing God is real because of the complexity of nature

Gentiles

Non - jews

Holy Spirit

Third part of the Trinity

Illumination

The process of understanding religious truth and embedding it in your life.

Incarnation

The doctrine that Jesus, as the son of God, became flesh when he came down to heaven.

Inerrancy

The belief that the Bible is entirely truthful and reliable, and has no errors.

Inspiration

The doctrine that God influenced the writers of the Bible through revelation, and so what they write must be the Word of God.

Literalism

A way of reading the Bible as the exact words of God, rather than as an allegory

Magisterium

The teaching body of the Catholic Church, made up of Popes and Bishops

Special Revelation

Revelation which happens to certain people at special times, such as miracles

Sustainer

The idea that God sustains creation and keeps it in existence at all times, so if God disappeared the universe would cease to exist.

Anthropomorphism

Attributing human characteristics onto non-human entities - describing God in human terms.

Covenant

An agreement or relationship in the Bible between God and certain people - Abraham, Moses and David.

Compatibilism / soft determinism

The belief that God's sovereignty is compatible with voluntary choice through free will

ex Deo

'Out of God'

ex Nihilo

'Out of nothing'

ex Materia

'Out of matter'

Homoousis

Literally 'same substance' - the idea that Father, Son and Spirit are of the same substance

Immanent

The idea that God is existing within the same space and universe as us

Incarnate

'Enfleshed' - Jesus is God incarnate and embodied in human form

Monotheism

The belief in only one God

Omnipotent

All-powerful

Omniscient

All-knowing

Pantheon

All the Gods and Goddesses within a religious system

Perichoresis

The relation between the three people of the trinity. The Son is the Father, the Spirit is the Father, but the Son is not the Spirit

Polytheism

Belief in more than one god

Redemption

Part of atonement, proving yourself for forgiveness

Salvation

To be saved from sin and allowed to enter heaven

Salvation History

The story of God's saving action in human history

Shema

a prayer from the Book of Deuteronomy reminding the Jewish people to love God with all their heart, soul, and strength. Also a Hebrew word meaning 'to hear'

Sovereignty

The belief that God is Lord over all creation and the controller of all things

Theological determinism

All events are predestined to happen by God

Transcendent

God is outside humanity's experience, perception or grasp

Yahweh

Hebrew name for God in the Old Testament

Allegory

For example: a piece of literature which has a hidden / symbolic meaning

Eschatology

The study of the 'end times', or the end of the world - which Christians believe will occur, and is depicted in the book of Revelation.

Forms

Plato's 'theory of forms' is that everything in the physical universe is a particular instance of a perfect idea in the metaphysical world of forms; so every particular chair is a chair by virtue of being a particular instance of the perfect form of a chair

Immortality of the Soul

The belief that when a person dies, the immaterial soul will continue to exist, either within or outside of a body

Objective immortality

The belief in process theology that every living thing exists for ever in the mind of God, because they are literally objects 'in' God.

Panentheism

The philosophical view that everything that there is exists 'in' God

Purgatory

A (mainly Catholic) doctrine of an intermediate state after death in which those who are destined to enter heaven are punished / purified in order to make them worthy of heaven

Reincarnation

The belief that at death, the soul at some point is 're-enfleshed' into another body

Ressurection

The raising of the body back to life; Christians believe Jesus was resurrected on the 3rd day after his Crucifixion.

Soul

The metaphysical aspect of a person, according to Christianity. Some Christians believe that the soul lives on after death even though the body dies (dualist approach).

Soteriology

Technically this is the 'study of salvation', or the ways by which Christians can go to heaven after death

Subjective immortality

The belief that after death the thinking self continues as the same subject of consciousness - the same 'I'

Venial sin

A forgivable sin that does not result in separation from God and eternal damnation to hell (as opposed to 'mortal sin', which does not result in this)

Calvinism

The doctrine of Christianity which follows teachings of Calvin, including predestination and sola scriptura

Denomination

A recognised branch of the Christian church

Dominion

Meaning power / power over, as in debate about human dominion over the world

Double predestination

God predestines some to the Kingdom through his grace but leaves others immersed in their sin to be condemned to Hell

Eco-theology

The approach to environmental issues focusing on establishing the right relationship between religion and nature. It stems from the perception that our current environmental problems are due in large part from religious misunderstanding

Eschatological

To do with the last days, that is, the last Judgement / God's Kingdom

Foreknowledge

When applied to God, the doctrine that an all-knowing God knows the entire future, so knows from eternity who will accept the gift of grace and who will reject it.

Grace

God's grace is seen as the free gift of mercy to sinful humanity, eg through the atonement made by the suffering and death of Jesus. According to Pelagius, God's grace was the gift of free will to humans

Intrinsic value

Something that has value for its own sake, for example, human life in the Sanctity of Life principle

Ius ad Bellum

A part of Thomas Aquinas' 'Just War Theory', refers to the criteria that must be satisfied before a war can be declared and be considered justified and moral

Ius in bello

The second aspect of Thomas Aquinas' 'Just War Theory', refers to the criteria that must be followed during warfare in order for it to continue being justified and moral

Justification

When used in 'justification by faith' and 'justification by works' - Christians are counted as righteous before God on the basis of faith or by works, or both

Luther

Martin Luther, a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation, who whilst a Catholic monk wrote the '95 theses' which outlined his criticisms of the Roman Catholic Church's practices (e.g. selling of indulgences) and nailed these to the castle Church in Wittenburg

Predestination

The view that all events have been willed by God from eternity, specifically the fate of the righteous and the damned

Salvation

'Being saved', and therefore able to enter heaven. Christians believe that Jesus is the source of salvation as the Saviour and the way to conquer evil, resist temptation and join him in the Kingdom of God

Sanctity

As in the Sanctity of Life principle: holy / sacred to God

Sanctity of Life Principle

The idea, based on the concepts of (1) being made in God's image and (2) having (uniquely) a soul, that human life is sacred to God

Sola Fide

'Only faith'; the belief that a Christian is justified (shown to be righteous and a good Christian) before God only by their faith in him and Jesus, rather than by their actions or 'works'

Sola scriptura

'Only scripture'; all that Christians need in order to understand God, Jesus and their faith can be found in the Bible, which contains the inerrant words of God and must be the sole source of authority for Christians

Soteriology

Technically, this is the 'study of salvation', or the ways by which Christians can go to heaven after death

Stewardship

The view that 'dominion' over the environment should be understood as responsible human care for it, on the understanding that humans are answerable to God for their treatment of the environment

Biblical criticism

The academic exercise of examining the authorship of different aspects of the Bible to identify any potential bias or context from the writers

Celibacy

Refraining from sexual intercourse or other sexual activity, for example to fulfil a vow made as a religious monk, nun, or Roman Catholic priest

Complementarian

The belief that men and women are equal in status and value but have different roles to play in the church (and family)

Egalitarian

The belief that equality between men and women extends to their roles. Both should have equal roles in the church (and family)

Feminist theory

An approach to biblical scholarship and theological thinking that aims to analyse and challenge biblical interpretation and Christian theology, working from a feminist perspective

Patriarchal

Literally means 'ruled by fathers'. In the context of feminist theology, it refers to the fact that the texts, practices and teachings of religion were produced and passed on by men who had been theologians. This means that they ignore the role of women in the history of the faith, and undermine women in the church today.

Androgynous

Combines male with female characteristics

Homophobia

Fear of homosexuals - can lead to hate-filled statements and acts of violence

Eunuch

A castrated male