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page 2 of 5was seen as a sacrifice for the sins of the world,and forms a central part of their faith. They believethat his resurrection is a promise that they too willrise from the dead.The twelve disciples were inspired by the HolySpirit and started to spread Jesus’ teachings.Jesus and his followers were Jewish, butChristianity soon began to develop as a separatereligion.The Holy Book – The BibleChristians believe that the Bible is the directrevelation of God, written by men directly inspiredby the Holy Spirit. It contains a record of God’sactions in history, God’s commands on howChristians should live their life, and the life ofJesus. The Bible consists of two sectionsbooks,The Old Testament and the New Testament. TheOld Testament contains the story of the people ofIsrael before the time of Jesus. The NewTestament contains the story of Jesus and thedevelopment of the early church. Each Testamentconsists of a series of books that contain stories,songs, poetry, letters, history, and religiouswriting.There have always been differences in theinterpretation of the Bible by Christians. Somebelieve that the words of the Bible are true in theliteral sense, whilst others consider the Bible to beessentially symbolic with profound spiritualinsights.Worship and PrayerChristian worship involves praising God throughmusic and speech, using readings from scripture,prayers, sermons and ceremonies (sometimescalled sacraments).Traditionally the main day of worship forChristians is Sunday: the first day of creation andthe day on which Jesus rose from the dead. Thisis the day when Christians gather together for themain act of worship.Worship will usually be at a designated churchbuilding, but can be at any venue. In the UK,church buildings are often the oldest buildings in acommunity, but they can also be more modern.There are differences in the style and emphasis ofthe main act of worship between differentdenominations:• For some denominations the main act of worshipwill be a service of Holy Communion, which reenactsthe last meal that Jesus shared with hisdisciples.• At some churches the central act of worship willbe bible readings and the interpretation of them.There are some denominations andcongregations within the Christian church whohave experimented in new ways of worshippingthat use different venues to churches, along withhigh tech lighting and music.• Other smaller acts of worship, social activities,and teaching times will be held during the week,either at the church building or in peoples homes.The SacramentsMost Christian denominations believe insacraments. These can be described as the mostholy or special things that the church can offer tobelievers. Not all churches have the same numberof sacraments, and some give different value andimportance to them. In all the sacraments thepresence of the Holy Spirit and his working is ofkey importance. There are seven sacraments thatare recognised to a different degree by manydenominations.• BaptismBaptism is the most widely accepted means ofentry into the Christian faith. This may happen asa baby or as an adult. The service is full ofsymbolism and contains the pouring out orimmersion into water.Key symbols within this service is darkness andlight, unclean and clean, old life and new life. Theparents of a baby who is to be baptised willchoose Godparents who act as advisers for thebaby as they grow up within the church. The
page 3 of 5parents and Godparents speak for the baby at theservice and commit the baby to the Christianchurch.In some Christian denominations Baptism isconsidered to be such an important sacramentthat it is only offered to adults who can expresstheir faith for themselves.• Holy CommunionHoly Communion is the service where bread andwine are consecrated and shared by theCongregation. This sacrament re-enacts the lastmeal, the Last Supper, that Jesus shared with hisdisciples. Some Christians see this is a simple reenactmentof the Last Supper, whereas for othersthe bread and wine symbolically represent thebody and blood of Christ, and others believe thatthe bread and wine become the real body andblood of Jesus Christ.The beliefs surrounding Holy Communion will varybetween denominations and even within them.The Holy Communion itself can be referred to byseveral titles these include mass, Eucharist, theDivine Liturgy and the Lords supper• ConfirmationThis is a service in which a baptised child or adultconfirms their faith in Christ. It is also a sign of fullmembership of the Christian community. Throughconfirmation, a Christian believes that they arereceiving the gift of the Holy Spirit.In Eastern churches, infants are confirmed afterbaptism, most Western denominations wait untilparticipants are old enough to understand whatthey are undertaking. There are variations in theway the service is being carried out betweendenominations. Confirmation candidates attendclasses to help them have a better understandingof how to live as a follower of Christ.commissioned either by ordination or a similarmethod, which is considered a sacrament.Performing this leadership role is often known asministry, and seen as the continuation of the workof Jesus Christ. Ministry can take many differentforms, both within and between denominations.There are also variations in who is able performdifferent types of ministry. In some denominations,only someone who has been ordained can usuallyadminister the sacraments.• MarriageChristians believe that marriage is a gift from God,that shouldn’t be taken lightly. They considermarriage to be a lifelong commitment, andimportant for the love of the couple themselvesand the procreation and upbringing of children.Getting married in a church in front of God is veryimportant, and some denominations see marriageas a sacrament. During the service of marriagethe couple will make vows to each other withfamily, friends and God as their witnesses.• ReconciliationChristians believe that only God is perfect. Asimperfect beings we often do things of which weare ashamed and that go against the teachings ofJesus. There are many forms of formal confessionor saying sorry to God for these faults or sins.God’s forgiveness comes through the absolutionthat normally comes from a Christian minister.This symbolises the forgiveness that comes fromGod.• HealingThe Bible teaches that Jesus Christ performedmany miracles, including those of healing. SomeChristians believe that this healing continuesthrough the power of the Holy Spirit, and can beperformed as a sacrament.• OrdinationIn some Christian denominations the leaders ofthe church are officially recognised and
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The Christian Community in Scouting - ScoutBase UK

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