CHRISTIANITY (y12) - Expressions of religious identity

What does religious identity mean?

The sense of group membership to a religion

What is Baptism?

It is a rite of passage related to birth and religious adulthood

What is Holy Communion?

A community practice

Where does the word “Baptism” originate from?

The Greek word “baptizo” meaning to dip or dunk

Where do the roots of baptism come from?

• Jesus was baptised as an adult my John the Baptist

• It exposed his special relationship with God and marked the start of his public ministry

Give a quote from Mark 1:4-11 about John the Baptiser

“John the Baptiser appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins”

Give a quote about the importance of baptism and where it is from

“I say to you, unless one is born of the water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God..” - John 3:5-6

Give a quote where the disciples are told to continue this practice after Jesus dies

“All authority…has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them..” - Matthew 28:6-20

Summarise the importance of baptism to Catholics

It marks the irreversible spiritual change to someone’s soul - it has an effect on eternal life

Summarise the importance of baptism to Baptists

It is a symbol of the person’s public commitment to the Christian faith

Baptism is one of the ______ in Catholicism

Sacraments

What does the sacrament mean to Catholics?

That the act of using water in a cleansing ritual through God’s grace makes a profound and irreversible change to the person’s spiritual existence

What is a sacrament?

A ceremony seen as imparting spiritual grace

What do Catholics believe about original sin?

They believe all humans are born with the stain of original sin due to the Fall of Adam and Eve - even newborns

How do Catholics free someone from original sin?

• By linking them with Jesus whose death on the cross atoned for original sin’s consequences

• This is done by reenacting death and rising again, joining the spiritual community of the Church

• This is why they generally practise infant baptism (paedobaptism)

Explain the sequence of events in a Baptismal service for RC

1. Priest makes sign of the cross on child’s forehead symbolising they belong to Christ

2. The parents and godparents reject evil and sin on child’s behalf, priest asks God to make the water holy through the Holy Spirit so it will be “born of water and the spirit”

3. Child is immersed/ has water poured on their head 3 times to baptise “in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit” - symbolises washing away sin, death and then the resurrection

4. Child then anointed with perfumed oil (symbol of gift from Holy Spirit) and the child becomes a member of the church

5. The child is given a candle lit from Easter Candle symbolising death to sin and rising to new life with Christ

6. Child may be dressed in white = sign of new life free from sin

What do Catholics believe should happen after baptism?

The child should be educated through the catechism and when they’re old enough to understand the meaning of baptism/ living as a Christian, they take responsibility for the promises made during their “confirmation”

Which denomination do Baptists come under?

Protestant

What do baptists believe that is different to Catholics?

• They do not believe in sacraments

• They don’t think symbols are necessary but rather we should read the Bible to learn of Jesus’ life then copy him

What is baptism for Baptists?

Baptists believe Jesus gave direct instructions to “make disciples of all people” through baptism, and this is an ordinance that must be taken seriously

What is an ordinance?

A law or instruction

What does doing things exactly as Jesus did mean for Baptist’s practice?

• Jesus was an adult when he was baptised so they do not baptise infants

• As they don’t believe in original sin, they don’t feel t necessary to “wash away sin” early

• Instead baptism is a ceremony of membership and commitment to the Church - they join Bible study groups so they can learn all about their faith before committing to it

• They believe it is only meaningful if they know what they’re committing to

Describe the sequence of events of a baptismal service for Baptists

1. A sponsor who is a member of the church and knows the candidate presents them to the community

2. Person being baptised makes short speech (testimony) about how God has worked in their lives

3. Candidate enters baptismal pool fully clothed and confirms they turn from sin and accept Jesus as their saviour

4. Minister says “I baptised you in name of etc” then pushes them into the water and out again

5. Candidate dries off as congregation cheer and they join the rest of the service

How is baptism as a sacrament in favour of infant baptism?

Sacraments (for Catholics) are something God does to the person’s soul, so they do not have to do anything as this change doesn’t depend on their actions but on God’s grace - hence even newborns can get baptised

How is baptism as a mystery in favour of infant baptism?

• Catholics believe what happens in baptism is down to God’s grace

• God is too great and divine for us to understand anything he does so if we wait to fully understand him in order to get baptised, no one would be baptised because no one can ever understand him

• This means anyone can be baptised, whether or not they understand

How is baptism as the remedy for original sin an argument in favour of infant baptism?

• Catholics believe in original sin so baptism cleanses them from that taint so they can live with God after their death

• Infants require this in case they die before they’re old enough to profess their faith for themselves

How is baptism as the start of Christian life in favour of infant baptism?

• In baptising infants it ensures they will be raised as a part of the Church community

• It intends to help them lead a good and righteous life and can later confirm their faith as adult members of the Church

How is Jesus’ teaching about children in favour of infant baptism?

• In Luke 18:15-16, Jesus let mothers bring their children for blessings - “let the children come to me”

• This is used as justification for infant baptism as if he was happy for this to happen, the Church should welcome babies for baptism similarly

How is baptism in the early church in favour of infant baptism?

• The book of Acts tells us about the spread of the Early Church where households would be baptised together, likely containing infants

• If it was acceptable then, it should be now

How is baptism as an ordinance against infant baptism?

• Jesus told his disciples to make disciples and baptise them, however infants can’t be disciples as they’re too young to understand Christianity

• In order to do as Jesus commanded, the Church must teach them of the faith adequately until they’re old enough to be baptised as adult members

How is baptism as following Jesus’ example against infant baptism?

• Jesus was around 30 when he was baptised, he had built a relationship with God and learnt to understand his faith fully

• Christians should follow this as babies can’t make such a commitment

How is baptism as a washing away of sins against infant baptism?

• Despite Baptists not believing in original sin, they understand that people do believe sinfully, especially children

• Its only when they’re old enough to regret this that their baptism will be meaningful

How is everyone being included in God’s grace against infant baptism?

• From birth, the child receives God’s grace and the church shares the responsibility to raise them with Christian beliefs and values - the children aren’t excluded

• Hence baptism isn’t the beginning of their Christian life, it simply affirms their belief when they’re old enough to understand it

How is Jesus’ teaching about children against infant baptism?

Jesus didn’t baptise children and didn’t instruct his disciples to either

How is baptism in the Early Church against infant baptism?

Book of Acts never specifies baptism of children, most likely in reference to adults

What is required in the Catholic church for people to take Holy Communion?

• Must be carried out by an ordained priest

• Only those who are baptised can receive the bread and wine

• Children get their first communion around 7/8 after being educated and prepared

What is brought to the altar during Catholic Holy Communion? What does this signify?

• Unleavened bread and wine is brought to the altar as an offering

• Historically the altar was a place of sacrifice

• Thus celebrating the mass is re-enacting the sacrifice of Christ for our sins

What does the priest in Catholicism do with the bread and wine? What belief is this?

• The priest will make symbolic actions such as raising them over his head and saying a prayer of consecration

• This leads Catholics to believe the bread and wine transform into the body and blood of Christ

• This is called Transubstantiation

What happens after the consecration of the bread and wine?

• People go to the altar to be given the wafer

• They will often also get a sip of wine from the chalice

What is Communion for Catholics? What does this mean?

• It is a sacrament

• Thus it makes a deep and irreversible change to their body

What do many Catholics do before receiving communion?

• They fast for at least 2 hours/ overnight

• This is to prepare their body for this deeply spiritual and important meal

What is communion for Baptists? What does this means?

• It is an ordinance

• Jesus said “Do this in remembrance of me” therefore they must follow this instruction

• It is a memorial meal to remember Jesus’ words and actions so has little symbolism/ ritual attached to it

What is of more importance to Baptists than Communion?

• Their Christian life and worship is focused on the Bible

• They believe individuals can learn all they need through reading the Bible and praying

How does the Communion service go in the Baptist church?

• There are readings from the Bible

• Table is prepared with bread and grape juice/ wine

• The minister will read the words of Jesus from the last supper and will break the bread

• This will then be passed around to all in the congregation, even little children

What don’t Baptists believe about Communion?

• That the bread/wine undergoes any spiritual or physical change

• It is plain bread and wine and the recipient does not experience a spiritual change either

• The main value of it is to bring the community together to remember Jesus’ life and death

What kind of understanding of Communion do Baptists have?

a memorialist understanding

What was the Last Supper?

• It was a Passover meal when Jews remember the way God freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt

• They include bread and wine which have symbolic meaning

• The unleavened bread symbolises that it didn’t have time to rise before leaving Egypt and the wine remembers God restoring themfrom exile

What did Jesus add to the bread and wine at the Last Supper?

• On top of the already symbolic significance that the bread and wine had he gave it a deeper and extended meaning

• He said that through his death the bread wouldn’t just symbolise freedom from slavery but also freedom from sin

• The wine would symbolise not only restoration from exile but the restoration of mankind’s relationship with God

Where is the “new covenant” referred to? What does it symbolise?

• Luke 20:22

• The new contract between God and humankind is symbolised by the breaking and sharing of bread

How do Catholics, Orthodox and some CoE view the significance of Jesus’ actions at the last supper?

• They think Jesus was imposing a formal ritual

• They use ritualised, symbolic language to reflect Jesus’ words along with symbolic actions to give Holy Communion special status

What often happens after the Communion service in Catholic churches?

• A wafer is kept in the sacred safe/ tabernacle

• This is so people can pray in the physical presence of Christ

When is it compulsory for Catholics to attend Mass?

• Christmas

• Corpus Christi

• All Saints’ Day

What is the most serious punishment from the Catholic Church?

Excommunication

When do Catholics typically take Communion?

• At key moments such as marriage/ death or at a time of personal challenge

• This is because it has a special effect on the soul

What do Protestants/ Baptists believe about the significance of the Last Supper?

• It is not as special

• They value the celebration as an aspect of communal worship but it doesn’t have an extra symbolic role in the life of individual Christians

What has higher status than Communion for Baptists? Why?

• Baptism

• It is another ordinance and these (such as feeding the hungry, caring for the sick etc) are all equally important to them

How often is Holy Communion celebrated in the Baptist church?

• Around once a month

• No requirement for them to receive it

• Seen as an optional extra rather than part of their normal worship

Where does the word mission come from?

• Mittere

• Means “to send” in Latin

What do Christians believe about mission?

• When Jesus said “go therefore and make disciples of all people” it was a command and demanded action

• He was speaking to all his followers

• Mission is at the heart of Christian religious identity as they believe they’ve been sent to do God’s work

What is the first understanding of mission?

Mission as Evangelism

What is Evangelism and who was the first Evangelist?

• Persuading others to become Christian

• St Paul was the first, he went around the Mediterranean visiting synagogues and told them about Christ

What and when was the Church Missionary Society?

• Founded 1812

• They sent people to places where the majority was not Christian (such as Africa/ Middle East) to help them and teach them of their faith

Give an example of the Church Missionary Society’s work

• In 1980 in Cairo the missionaries worked with the clergy of the Cairo Anglican Cathedral to run child-care projects

Give another example of Christian Mission

• The Evangelical Alliance Mission (TEAM)

• They sent qualified doctors and teachers to set up Churches/ schools/ hospitals where Christianity isn’t the dominant religion

• An example of their project is the Karanda Mission Hospital in Zimbabwe

What was started in London with the aim of evangelising?

• In 1977 the vicar of Holy Trinity Church Brompton set up the Alpha Course

• It began as just for members of the church but then he encouraged them to bring friends

• They would discuss the Christian faith over a meal and it aimed to convert people just as they did in other countries

What is the second understanding of mission?

Mission to the poor and disadvantaged

Give a few examples of how the church has helped those in need over time

• Paul went to visit churches he would collect money to support members of the church in Jerusalem

• 1881 the Children’s Society was formed and it was set up during the Industrial revolution to give homeless children a loving and caring home

• From 1970 on there were less homeless children

What is Christian Aid? When was it formed?

• Formed in the aftermath of WWII

• Provide aid to less economically developed countries

• Also give aid following disasters

• They don’t aim to convert people and is funded mainly by donations which they encourage people to give every May

What and when was Faith in the City?

• 1985

• They discovered large scale poverty in urban areas

• Led to the CoE setting up the Church Urban Fund to support people’s quality of life in those areas

How has the mission to the poor and disadvantaged changed over time?

• Was initially wealthy Christians giving to the poor through money/ housing

• Now they aim to tackle the root of the problem

What is the third mission?

Mission to the Christian community

What does the Church believe they have?

A duty of care for faithful Christians in their own communites

During the 20th century how did Churches help the Christian community?

• People frequently went to church

• Thus they would receive provisions and support via Sunday schools and other services

• They would also raise money for the poor

What is Ecumenism? Give an example

• The relationship between different denominations

• The Church of Christ the Cornerstone in Milton Keynes works on an ecumenical basis

• It is used by all denominations eg: CoE, Catholics, Baptists etc

What was set up in the 21st century?

• CoE set up Fresh Expressions

• Aims to bring the church to people rather than them having to come at inconvenient times

How has the mission to the Christian community changed since the 20th cent?

Denominations now work together to transform “church” into bigger and better things