Christianity Summary Notes

Baptism

Key Terms
Ritual
• A ritual is a recurring practice that demonstrates significant meaning to both a collective
and individual being
• It’s a practice to create identity
• Unifies the community
• Contains tradition
• Follows a set formula

Sacrament
• Symbolises God acting through people
• Demonstrates the presence of God within certain stages of life
• A sacrament is aimed to acknowledge the presence of God through a symbol and action

Rite of Passage
• A ritual or experience that marks a major milestone or change in a person’s life
• They provide a sense of renewal and belonging
• They’re a connection with one’s past and heritage

Meaning of Baptism
• Baptism is the full acknowledgement and testimony of the acceptance of God’s grace
that is bestowed to them
• Adherents are plunged into the death of Christ
• It signifies the death of the persons old self and the rebirth into a Christ centred life
• Baptism occurs because Jesus commanded all who believed in him to be baptised
• The water symbolises the washing of sin
• Baptism can only be performed once

The Practice of Baptism

Forms of Baptism
• Application of water can manifest itself in different forms
• It is important that all applications are repeated three times – signifies the father, the son
and the holy spirit
• Priest/Pastor will apply the water while uttering the words, “I baptise you in the name of
the Father, and of the son, and of the Holy Spirit

1. Aspersion – sprinkling of the water over the head

2. Affusion – pouring of water over the heard
3. Immersion – complete lowering of the entire body into the water and the subsequent re-
emerging of the body represents the dying of the persons old self before being

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 brought back to life as a member of God’s church (Pentecostals and Baptists strictly
perform immersion)

Differences between Denominations

Catholicism
- Baptism is the first step to full membership In the body of Christ – the first sacrament of
initiation
- Catholics believe Baptism that Baptism allows for adherents to enter into the life of
Christ – it washes away the sins of the adherent and they are touched by God’s grace
- To Catholics, baptism is not a symbolic gesture, they believe it must be performed to
achieve salvation
- Catholics perform infant baptism – they believe God works through the ritual and the
community of believers to instil within the child, a faith in Christ
- As it is performed on infants, the Parents and God parents are required to make the
commitments on behalf of the child
- Aspersion or Affusion is typically performed
- Adult Baptism is allowed for those who have converted to Catholicism – the Baptism
process is done by the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)

Orthodox
- Baptism allows the child to be sanctified and become one with Christ
- Baptism renews the soul in the risen Christ as it removes initial sin
- Orthodox perform infant baptism
- Parents or God parents are required to make the commitments on behalf of the child
- Immersion is generally performed
- Confirmation is given at Baptism – this allows children to be given the fullness of grace
+ communion they are pure and thus God can sanctify them

Baptists
- Baptism is a symbolic ritual of having been saved by God
- As it is a symbol, it is not required for salvation – they have already been saved prior to
Baptism
- Adult Baptism is performed as they believe it is necessary that adult should consciously
make the commitment to Christ
- Immersion is performed

Pentecostal
- Baptism is a symbolic ritual that signifies the accepting of Christ as their personal saviour
- Adult Baptism is performed as they believe it is necessary that one should have the
choice to accept Christ as their saviour
- The belief on whether Baptism is required for salvation varies between the individual
- Immersion is performed

Symbols of Baptism
Symbol Meaning Use

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 Water Water washes the sin away as it Holy water is used to fill a ‘font’ where the
represents cleanliness. The person is either aspersion, affusion or immersion is
reborn without sin performed on the candidate
Bible The bible is used to inform adherents Verses from the bible is read during the
that the act is significant for Salvation ceremony
and must be preceded by faith and
repentance. Through readings of the
bible, it references the Baptisms given to
believers in the early Church thus
establishing a link to traditional nature of
the act.
Prayer Prayer demonstrates the desire by the Catholics, Orthodox and Anglicans recite the
Parents and God Parents for the child to ‘Our Father’ and the ‘Creed’
choose salvation in following Christ
Oil Oil provides both healing and strength The candidate is anointed with the oil of
which is associated with the rebirth in Catechumens prior to the Baptism
Christ
White A White garment is worn to symbolise The infant will wear a white garment during the
Garment purity, righteousness, and cleanliness. ceremony
White is a metaphor for the cleaning
associated with Baptism and new life
Candle A candle signifies the light of Christ. It A candle is present at the Baptism
emphasises how the person being
baptised is born into a new life in Christ
and thus identifies in all aspects of Christ
to reach salvation.
Community The culmination of members from the Relatives, friends and God Parents are
community signifies the coming together encouraged to give witness to the Baptism to
in Christ. It demonstrates how everyone encourage the candidates journey through the
is parts of the one body of Christ and faith.
thus can share in salvation

Expression of Beliefs
Repentance
Repentance is the concept of turning away from sin – expressing regret and remorse
Most denominations believe that Baptism renounces sin and evil and allows one to live a
life according to the work of the Holy Spirit
Baptists and Pentecostal denominations view baptism as a complete submission to the
will of God
John the Baptist initiated the idea of preparation for baptism by understanding the need to
be saved from sins

Salvation
The belief in salvation initiates adherents into the faith and allows them to become one with
the church
Baptism is the entry into the Holy Church and thus is an expression of Salvation
Catholics, Anglicans and Orthodox variants believe Baptism is a requirement for
salvation Baptism cleanses original sin and allows one to continue the teachings of
Christ

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 Baptist and Pentecostal variants view Baptism as a symbolic expression of the
salvation effected by God

Trinity
Baptism allows Christians to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit
Baptism connects Christian to God and his three dimensions – “I baptise you in the name of
the father, and of the son, and of the holy spirit”
The sign of the cross performed throughout the rite reaffirms a belief in the Holy Spirit

Re-Birth from Sin

The concept of being re-born without original sin is emphasised throughout the rite
Linked to Jesus’ death and resurrection
Christ died to free the world from sin and then was re-born Christians emerge
from the water without sin
The full body immersion represents the death of the person before they are re-born by
emerging from the water as a new person whose life is centred on Christ

Significance for the Individual

• Through Baptism, the candidate becomes a member of the parish community
• It signifies their salvation
• Significance for the Parents and God-Parents – a formal declaration of their commitment
to raise and educate the child in Christ
• For children, it means that they will be raised in the surroundings that aids them in their
spiritual journey
• For adults, it is a personal statement that they are putting away their old beliefs and
lifestyle and adopting a new lifestyle centred around Christ
• It expresses the candidates living relationship with Christ

Significance for the community

• Baptism reaffirms the community’s commitment to their own baptismal promises
• The community assumes the responsibility of assisting the candidate in their spiritual
journey
• Baptism allows for the community to be united with Jesus’ death and resurrection as
baptised individuals, they form a community of believers

Pope John Paul XXIII

Syllabus Dot Point: To investigate the extent of Pope John XXIII’s contribution to making
Christianity a living religious system

The Vision of Pope John XXIII

Vision Link to Life Experiences
Look for ways to improve • The association with the Bulgarian church – helped in
following the errors made transforming it into a solid institution

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 by the Church made in • Lifting the French church from its tainted image due to
the past the previous association with Nazi Germany
Establish a church that • The Pope made active friendships with Orthodox Church
was accepting others leaders – striking down any prejudices
• He was commended for his modesty, charity and his total
acceptance of others without exception while the Papal
Leader of France
Establish harmony, peace, Exemplified through his willingness to protect the lives of others
tolerance and unity within • Protecting the people of Athens during the war by
the world declaring it an open city
• Hiding the Jews from Nazi Searches
• Persuading the British not to consider Greece in their
embargo – protected the Greeks from starvation
• Establishment of communities in Bulgaria, France and
Istanbul – encouraged unity
Spread Christianity to • As cardinal, he raised 30 parishes and made
ensure it reaches the improvements to the cathedral
children of God • He visited the French territories in North Africa covering
a large expanse of the region ensured Christianity was
received by as many people as possible
Wanted to emphasise the • Forged ecumenical relationships with other central
positive aspects of Church figures – created a sense of Christian unity, a
Christianity and the notable aspect of the faith
Church
Meet the needs of the • He desired to protect the rights of workers – went against
modern day – reform the the beliefs of traditional church leaders
Church into one more • Workers’ rights was an ongoing issue during his time –
fitting of a contemporary his support of the movement demonstrates an
society understanding of contemporary issues
To distribute God’s grace • Provided humanitarian aid to many Jews and others
to all people victim to the damage of WWII
To be a leader of truth, • He wanted to preach Gospel values to the people of the
compassion, and mercy Church – modelling what it meant to be the face of
Christ
• Pope John was perceived to be a stop gap pope who would warm the throne until a
more suitable appointment could be found
• For centuries it was established that the Church kept a distance from the world – this
notion was destroyed by John

Vatican II
Purpose:
• Vatican II was a means of spiritual renewal and rejuvenation of the Church
• It sought for Christian unity among Church leaders around the world
• The Pope wanted to take steps which would modernise the church
• The catholic faith should be kept and taught; however, it should be taught in a fashion
that is understood and appropriate to a contemporary audience

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Structure:
• An ecumenical council which meant bishops around the world were allowed to
congregate in the Vatican
• It involved the meeting of the bishops for four separate 10 week sessions, sustained over
4 years
• He invited Eastern Orthodox, Anglican and protestant observers to attend the
proceedings

Vatican II adopted two central approaches to achieve their purpose:

- Aggiornamento “bring the church up to date” – aimed to find new ways to rethink
and reformulate the fundamental beliefs of Christian faith which would aid in effectively
communicating the Gospel to modern audiences
- Ressourcement A movement aimed to bring back the origins of Christianity which is
sourced from the bible and early church views. Theologians wanted to bring back the
nature of the church that would compel people to follow God

Vatican II was responsible for the publishing of four key documents:

1. Sacrosanctum Concilium – Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy

The document aimed to increase and enhance the participation of the laity (ordinary religious
believers who aren’t apart of the clergy). It ordered a revamping of traditional worship so people
could have a more defined involvement within mass.

• It declared that mass could be performed in the local vernacular instead of Latin this
allowed the Laity to properly understand what was happening
• The Liturgy of the mass was rewritten to involve the Laity
• New Hymns and prayers were introduced
• Christ was acknowledged as being present within the ordained minister (e.g. priest), in
the ministers word, and within the congregation
• The layout of churches was changed
o Previously the priest would celebrate mass with his back to the congregation who
were observers to the mass
o Due to Vatican II, the altar was moved and the priest faced the congregation so
they could be integrated within the mass
• Sacrosanctum Concilium allowed for the involvement of adherents within mass
proceedings

2. Lumen Gentium – Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

This document called to focus Catholic beliefs about the Church with five key areas:
- Universal call to holiness
- The church as the people of God
- The role of the bishops
- The permanent diaconate – deacons ordained by the Bishop to serve the local church
- The lay vocation – those in church who have not been ordained or taken any vows

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With placing a focus on these five areas, the role of the bishop was given more weight and the
laity were called to holiness. Additionally, describing the Church as the ‘people of God’ allowed
for the teachings on salvation and the communal nature of church to strengthen

3. Dei Verbum – Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation

This document focused on revelation and the clarification of Church teachings. It declared many
key statements:
- Scriptures teach the truth about salvation (having one’s sins cleared and being granted
eternal life) it is true that God wanted humans to be aware about salvation
- Christ was the ultimate revelation of God and preached the Gospel to man
- The message of Christ was written by the apostles and such teachings have been
preserved by the magisterium (the teaching authority of the Catholic Church formed by
the pope and bishops)

In essence, it claims that the claims that the church depends on scripture and tradition as the
proclamation of Gods’ work. In addition to this, it commended the use of modern scientific
methods in studying scripture

4. Gaudium et Spes – Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World

The document was focused on how the outside world related to the church. Its goal was to
provide practical principles to guide Catholics in how to relate to the modern world. It declared:
- The church must communicate with atheists to create peace
- Nuclear war is futile
- Aid to undeveloped nations needs to be addressed
- The purpose of marriage is not just for procreation
- Urged science to find an acceptable means of birth regulation

In essence it addressed human rights, the dignity of human life, the role of the individual in the
Church as well as in the wider world, and the role of the family in the Church and the wider
world. In addition to this, it tackled modern day issues such as nuclear weapons, technology, and
the advancement of science.

Encyclicals
An encyclical is defined as a papal letter which is sent to all the bishops of the Roman Catholic
church. An encyclical is purposed to deal with some aspect of Catholic teaching – clarifying,
amplifying, condemning or promoting certain issues. Two major encyclicals to be published by
Pope John XXIII was Mater Et Magistra and Pacem in Terris.

Pacem in Terris – Peace on Earth

• The encyclical set out the guidelines for all the people to live in peace
• The Pope placed a large emphasis on the dignity of the person which is made in the
image of God. Genesis 1:26 is mentioned of being of large importance.
• He declared that respect for human goodness, peace and justice along with basic human
rights should be recognised universally
• It was addressed to all mankind and ensued the recognition of human rights and duties
as the foundation of world peace

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 • It related to real world issues by pressing for a peaceful coexistence between the west and
the communist east
• Quotation: “the world will not be at peace until peace has found a home in the heart of
every person”

Mater Et Magistra – Mother and Teacher

• Emphasised social justice as a global concern
• Advocated for appropriate measures that would lead to better living conditions for all
o Advocated for social reform
o Assistance to underdeveloped countries
o A living wage for all workers
o Support for socialist measures that promised better conditions for society
o Human rights
• It affirms the role of the Church as a teacher, and a nurturing guardian for the
disadvantaged and marginalised
• John Paul calls for the greater awareness of the need for all people to support each other
to live as one community with a common good
• It detailed the importance for truth, justice, charity and freedom which will ultimately
lead to raising awareness for social justice
• Quotation: “Wherefore, whatever the progress in technology and economic life, there
can be neither justice nor peace in the world, so long as men fail to realise how great is
their dignity; for they have been created by God and are his children”

Interfaith Dialogue
• John XXIII strengthened the relationship between different world religions
• Activity that reaffirmed these notions:
o Released a statement that Jews were not responsible for the death of Jesus
o Published Nostra Aetate referred to Muslims who “adore the one God living
and subsisting in himself”
• Religious unity was important in the social context as many people began turning away
from religion as they viewed it to be a source of conflict

Impact of Pope John XXIII on Christianity

Impact 1: Modernisation of the Church

• Johns contributions were effective in bridging the gap between the Church and the
modern world
• He integrated the church within issues of social justice
o Prior to John XXIII, Christianity was straying away from Jesus’ teachings of love
and compassion
o John XXIII work resulted in Christianity having a focus on solving societal issues
and helping the disadvantaged/marginalised
Mater et Magistra’s teachings still influence Christian social justice
 Examples of this in Modern society include Caritas Australia + St
Vincent De Paul
• He united the religious community and established Christianity’s role in solving secular
issues

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 o This is evident in Ecumenism (Vatican II) + Interfaith dialogue United
adherents to work toward a common good
This allowed for Pope John to ensure that religion plays an active role in
solving the worlds problems
The impact of this is seen in the prevalence of Ecumenical movements in
modern society
• John had a significant impact on the overall modernisation of the church to ensure
adherents could properly understand their faith
o Bought Christianity back to its foundations of helping others and placed a basis
on community
o It united adherents to use their faith to contribute to contemporary issues

Impact 2: Impact on Worship

• Prior to John XXIII, the style of worship led people to lose touch with their religion
o People were not provided with fulfillment or involvement due to a significant
barrier between them and their authority
• John XXIII was critical in removing the barriers which limited adherents involvement in
worship
o It gave adherents an active role in their expression of their faith which bought
adherents back to church. Measures which achieved this included
Mass in vernacular
Priest faces congregation
More adherent participation
• Because of John XXIII, Christianity now has a significant focus on ensuring adherents
feel connected to their faith
o This is evident in Sunday School + Youth Groups
• Johns impact on worship continues to have a positive influence on the lives of adherents
in the modern day they are able to have an active role in living and expressing their
beliefs

Impact 3: Image of the Papacy

• John XXIII changed the image of the Pope to one that adherents could personally
connect with as an accessible role model
o He actively lived out the teachings of social justice he taught (practiced what he
preached)
Evident in his regular visits to hospitals + prisons
o His impact is also evident in the influence he had on Pope Francis
He follows John XXIII’s model for involvement with modern,
contemporary issues
• John XXIII, significantly impacted Christianity as he set an example for what the Pope
should be like he developed a blueprint for the relationship between the Pope and the
people

The significance of the overall impact of John XXIII is evident through his canonisation as the
Patron Saint of Unity reinforces the significance of his impact as he was able to demonstrate
how Christianity could be used as a force for good in the world

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