Christianity

Paul of Tarsus

1st-century missionary whose travels, preaching and letters shaped Christian theology, ethics and ritual, turning the faith from a Jewish sect into a global religion.

Epistles

Letters written by Paul (and others) included in the New Testament that guide Christian belief, worship and moral conduct.

Council of Jerusalem (c. 49 CE)

Early Church meeting where Paul argued that Gentile converts need not follow the Jewish Law, legitimising mission to non-Jews.

Gentiles

Non-Jewish peoples whom Paul successfully evangelised throughout the Greco-Roman world.

Salvation

Deliverance from sin and its consequences; in Pauline theology offered to all through faith in Christ.

Justification by Faith

Paul’s teaching that humans are made righteous (justified) before God by faith, not by observing the Law.

Grace

Unmerited divine favour that enables salvation; central to Paul’s theology.

Ecumenical Movement

Modern effort for Christian unity rooted in Paul’s teaching that believers are “all one in Christ Jesus.”

Conversion on the Road to Damascus

Paul’s dramatic encounter with the risen Christ that transformed him from persecutor to apostle; commemorated 25 Jan.

Fallen Creation

Pauline idea that the natural world is corrupted by sin and awaits renewal; motivates varied Christian environmental responses.

Sunday Worship

Orderly communal worship on the first day of the week, structured partly on Paul’s liturgical instructions.

Environmental Ethics (Christian)

Moral reasoning based on God as Creator, calling believers to avoid needless destruction and care for creation.

Catholic Earth Care

Australian Catholic agency addressing climate change through education, advocacy and sustainable practices.

Laudato Si' Action Plan

Catholic Earth Care initiative mobilising communities to enact Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical on ecological stewardship.

Stewardship

Christian duty to responsibly manage and protect ‘our common home,’ the Earth, as God’s creation.

Anglican Communion Environmental Network (ACEN)

Global Anglican body advocating for ecological justice and addressing issues like environmental racism.

Environmental Racism

Disproportionate impact of ecological harm on Black and Indigenous communities, condemned by ACEN.

Juneteenth Statement (ACEN)

ACEN declaration linking racial and climate injustice, pledging advocacy, Indigenous listening and non-violent reform.

Baptism

Christian rite of initiation using water to cleanse from Original Sin and welcome the candidate into the faith community.

Original Sin

Inherited human condition of separation from God, believed to be washed away in Baptism.

Trinitarian Formula

Words “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” recited over the baptismal candidate.

Immersion

Baptismal mode in which the candidate is fully dipped under water, symbolising burial and resurrection with Christ.

Easter Candle

Paschal light from which baptismal candles are lit, linking the sacrament to Christ’s resurrection.

Profession of Faith

Public declaration of belief in core Christian doctrines made by candidates (or godparents) during Baptism.

Sacrament

Sacred rite instituted by Christ that conveys grace; Baptism is acknowledged as one by most denominations.

Initiation Rite

Ceremony marking entry into a religious community; in Christianity, Baptism is the primary rite of initiation.

Godparents

Sponsors who pledge to guide the baptized, especially infants, in Christian faith and ethics.

Rebirth (Spiritual)

Transformation through Baptism symbolised by dying to sin and rising to new life in Christ.

Christian Mission

Mandate to “make disciples of all nations,” inspired by Jesus’ command and modelled by Paul’s evangelism.

Christian Unity

Ideal of oneness among believers, encapsulated in Paul’s assertion that all are “one in Christ Jesus.”