Christianity Keywords

Ascension — Going or being taken up; the event forty days after the resurrection when Jesus returned to glory in heaven. (⇦ Go Back)

Atonement — Making amends or payment for a wrong. The belief that reconciliation between God and humanity was brought about by the death of Jesus as a sacrifice. (⇦ Go Back)

Baptism — The sacrament through which people become members of the Church. It involves the use of water as a symbol of the washing away of sin. (⇦ Go Back)

Believers' baptism — Initiation into the Church, by immersion in water, of people old enough to understand the ceremony/rite and who have made the decision to live a Christian life. (⇦ Go Back)

Bible — Source of wisdom and authority; a holy book containing both the Old and New Testaments. (⇦ Go Back)

Catholic — The tradition within the Christian Church which is led by the Pope; also called the Roman Catholic Church. (Note: The term ‘catholic’ refers to the communion of all Christians, the universal Church, although it is not a term included on this specification). (⇦ Go Back)

Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) — A Christian charity that provides emergency and long-term aid to the developing world. (⇦ Go Back)

Christ — Literally means 'Anointed One' in Greek; the Hebrew equivalent is Messiah. The leader promised by God to the Jews; Christians believe Jesus to be the Christ. (⇦ Go Back)

Christian Aid — A Christian charity that provides emergency and long-term aid to the developing world. (⇦ Go Back)

Christmas — The festival/celebration to remember the birth of Jesus. (⇦ Go Back)

Church — The People of God/Body of Christ, among whom Christ is beloved to be present and active. Members of a particular Christian denomination/tradition, eg Roman Catholic, Methodist. A building in which Christians worship. (⇦ Go Back)

Creation — Bringing the world into existence; the belief that the world is God’s loving creation. (⇦ Go Back)

Crucifixion — The death of Jesus; a form of the death penalty used by the Romans. (⇦ Go Back)

Easter — Festival/celebration of the resurrection of Jesus; the Easter season ends with Pentecost (50 days after Easter Sunday) which remembers the coming of the Holy Spirit to earth following the ascension. (⇦ Go Back)

Eucharist/Holy Communion — Literally 'thanksgiving'; a sacrament in which the death and resurrection of Jesus are celebrated, using bread and wine. (⇦ Go Back)

Evangelism — Preaching the gospel (the good news about God) to convert people to the Christian faith. (⇦ Go Back)

Evil — The opposite of good; a cause of suffering and against the will of God. (⇦ Go Back)

The Father — The first Person of the Trinity, the belief in God as creator and sustainer of the universe. (⇦ Go Back)

Food banks — Places in local communities where people in need can go to collect food; often run/supported by local churches and religious charities. (⇦ Go Back)

Grace — The unconditional and generous love that God shows to people who do not deserve it. (⇦ Go Back)

Heaven — Belief that after death Christians can enter a state of being with God for eternity. (⇦ Go Back)

Hell — Belief in a place of eternal suffering, or a state after death of being in separation from God. (⇦ Go Back)

Holy Spirit — The third Person of the Trinity; believed to be present with believers since Pentecost and active on earth. (⇦ Go Back)

Incarnation — Literally 'in flesh', or 'enfleshed;' belief that God took on human form in the person of Jesus. (⇦ Go Back)

Infant baptism — Sacrament of initiation of babies and young children into the Church. (⇦ Go Back)

Informal prayer — Spontaneous prayers spoken from the heart which are personal and unique to the person/people at the time. (⇦ Go Back)

Iona — Place of pilgrimage founded by St Columba in the fourth century. (⇦ Go Back)

Jesus — Believed by Christians to be the Son of God, he was a first century Jewish teacher living and travelling in Palestine/Israel. (⇦ Go Back)

Judgement — The belief that God will decide whether each person should receive eternal life or eternal punishment based on their earthly life. (⇦ Go Back)

Just — Fair or equal treatment, a state of justice. Belief about the nature of God as treating all people justly. (⇦ Go Back)

Liturgical worship — A church service which follows a set structure or ritual. (⇦ Go Back)

Law — Rules or commands which must be followed; the law of God is revealed in the Bible. (⇦ Go Back)

Lourdes — Place of pilgrimage where the Virgin Mary appeared to St Bernadette in a series of visions and it is claimed that miraculous healings have taken place. (⇦ Go Back)

Lord's Prayer — The prayer taught to the disciples by Jesus; also known as the 'Our Father' and widely said by Christians in both church services and privately. (⇦ Go Back)

Mission — Literally ‘sent out’; the duty of Christians to spread the gospel (the good news about Jesus). (⇦ Go Back)

Non-liturgical worship/informal worship — A service which does not follow a set text or ritual; sometimes spontaneous or charismatic. (⇦ Go Back)

Omnipotent — The belief that God is ‘all powerful’. (⇦ Go Back)

The Oneness of God — The belief that God is one singular divine being (who can be manifest in the Three Persons of the Trinity). (⇦ Go Back)

Original sin — Belief human nature is flawed, and that we all have the tendency to sin; traditional belief held by some Christians that this came from Adam & Eve’s eating of the forbidden fruit as recorded in Genesis 3. (⇦ Go Back)

Orthodox — A denomination/tradition of the Church popular in some parts of Eastern Europe. There are two main Orthodox Churches – Greek and Russian. (⇦ Go Back)

Persecution — Facing hostility and ill-treatment; some Christians face punishment and death for practising their faith. (⇦ Go Back)

Pilgrimage — A religious journey to a holy site/sacred place, it is an act of worship and devotion. (⇦ Go Back)

Prayer — Communicating with God through words of praise, thanksgiving or confession, or requests for his help or guidance; listening to and speaking to God. (⇦ Go Back)

Private worship — A believer giving God praise and worship on their own. (⇦ Go Back)

Protestant — Christian denominations in which authority is generally based on the Bible, rather than Church tradition/teaching. (eg Anglican, Methodist, Baptist). (⇦ Go Back)

Reconciliation — Making up and rebuilding relationships between two groups/sides after disagreement. (⇦ Go Back)

Sacrament — The outward and visible sign of an invisible and spiritual grace. (eg Baptism and the Eucharist are recognised as sacraments by most Christians). (⇦ Go Back)

Salvation — Being saved; belief that through God’s grace, Jesus’ death and resurrection brought about salvation for humanity. Saving of the soul and being able to enter eternal life in heaven. (⇦ Go Back)

Set prayers — These are prayers written throughout the centuries which many Christians worldwide use (eg The Lord’s Prayer). (⇦ Go Back)

Sin — Behaviour which is against God's laws and wishes/against Christian principles of morality. (⇦ Go Back)

The Son — The second Person of the Trinity; Jesus believed to be God incarnate. (⇦ Go Back)

Son of God — A title used for Jesus; the second Person of the Trinity. Shows the special relationship between Jesus and God. (⇦ Go Back)

Street pastors — A Christian organisation involving people working, mainly at night, on city streets giving care to those who need it. (⇦ Go Back)

Suffering — An effect of evil; undergoing pain and hardship. (⇦ Go Back)

Tearfund — A Christian charity that provides emergency and long-term aid to the developing world. (⇦ Go Back)

Trinity — The belief that God as One includes God also being manifest in three Persons: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (⇦ Go Back)

Word — In the Bible, John 1 describes God creating the world through his eternal Word. This links the eternal Word to Jesus in the statement: 'The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us' (John 1:14). (⇦ Go Back)

Worship — Showing adoration and reverence; offering praise to God. (⇦ Go Back)