Curriculum Portal

neurologyYou need to know

• In Christianity, baptism marks entry into the Church, but Catholics usually practise infant baptism as a sacrament that brings grace and cleanses original sin, whereas Baptists usually practise believer's baptism for those old enough to make a personal profession of faith.
• Arguments for infant baptism include the belief that God's grace is not limited by age and that children should be welcomed into the covenant community, while arguments against it include the lack of personal consent and the New Testament emphasis on repentance and faith.
• Holy Communion commemorates the Last Supper, but Catholics teach the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist and celebrate it as a sacrament at the Mass, whereas Baptists usually treat communion as an ordinance and a symbolic act of remembrance.
• In Luke 22:17–20, Jesus links the bread and wine with his body and blood and speaks of a new covenant, so Christians see the Last Supper as giving Holy Communion its meaning of remembrance, sacrifice, fellowship and salvation.
• Christian ideas of mission have developed from a mainly evangelistic focus in the early 20th century towards a wider understanding that also includes social justice, community action, healing, dialogue and service.
• Nineteenth-century Biblical criticism examined the authorship, genre and historical context of scripture, and this gave Christians greater freedom to challenge traditional readings of texts such as 1 Timothy 2:8–15.
• In 1 Timothy 2:8–15, women are told to learn quietly and not to teach or have authority over men, and this passage has been central in Christian debates about gender roles and leadership.
• The Church of England ordained women as priests in 1994 and later permitted women bishops, but the debate continues between those who see ordination as a matter of equality and calling and those who appeal to scripture and tradition against it.
• Daphne Hampson argues that Christianity is irredeemably patriarchal because it is rooted in a male saviour, male-centred revelation and structures that cannot be fully separated from sexism.
• Rosemary Radford Ruether argues that Christianity can be reinterpreted to resist patriarchy, describing Christ as androgynous and claiming that qualities associated with women are often more Christlike than qualities associated with men.
• Christians hold different views about celibacy, marriage, same-sex relationships and transgender matters, with some upholding traditional teachings on heterosexual marriage and fixed sex and others affirming same-sex relationships and transgender inclusion on the basis of justice, compassion and human dignity.
• Science places strong emphasis on observation, evidence, testing and reason, and this has influenced Christianity by challenging believers to explain how faith, revelation and empirical knowledge relate to one another.
• Darwin's theory of evolution challenged literal readings of Genesis in the 19th century, and contemporary Christian responses to the Big Bang range from seeing it as compatible with creation to rejecting it in favour of creationist readings of scripture.
• The 'God of the gaps' idea describes using God to explain what science has not yet explained, and many Christians reject this because it makes belief depend on gaps in scientific knowledge.
• John Polkinghorne argues that science and Christianity are compatible because they answer different but related questions and can provide complementary explanations of reality.
• Christian responses to genetic engineering include support where it relieves suffering and expresses stewardship, and opposition where it appears to play God, threatens human dignity or risks unjust consequences.
• Secularisation in Britain involves religion losing influence as a public source of truth and moral authority, being pushed into the private sphere, and facing militant atheism, which presents religion as irrational and harmful.
• Christian responses to secularisation include criticising materialism and the pursuit of wealth, defending belief against atheist writers such as Dawkins, creating Fresh Expressions and House Churches, and stressing Christianity's social relevance through support for the poor and oppressed.
• Migration has helped to create a religiously diverse Britain, and Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights protects freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including the right to manifest belief within lawful limits.
• Christian attitudes to other faiths include exclusivism, which often cites John 14:6 to claim that salvation is through Christ alone, inclusivism, which allows that people outside explicit Christianity may still be saved as 'anonymous Christians', and pluralism, associated with John Hick, which sees different religions as valid responses to the ultimate reality and encourages interfaith and interdenominational dialogue.

• Compare Catholic and Baptist teachings on baptism and Holy Communion by explaining differences in doctrine, practice and spiritual significance with accurate specialist vocabulary.
• Interpret Luke 22:17–20 and 1 Timothy 2:8–15 in context and explain how different Christians apply these texts to debates about sacraments, gender and authority.
• Analyse how historical and social changes, such as Biblical criticism, women's legal rights and scientific discovery, have influenced developments in Christian belief and practice.
• Evaluate arguments for and against infant baptism by weighing theological reasons, Biblical support and objections about personal faith and consent.
• Assess scholarly views from Daphne Hampson, Rosemary Radford Ruether, John Polkinghorne, the McGraths and John Hick by explaining each argument accurately and judging its strengths and weaknesses.
• Distinguish between exclusivism, inclusivism and pluralism and apply these categories to examples of interfaith relations, denominational relations and freedom of religious expression.
• Construct a reasoned judgement on contested issues such as female ordination, same-sex relationships, genetic engineering or secularisation by using relevant teachings, scholars and examples.
• Explain how Christians respond to secular and multicultural society by using examples such as Fresh Expressions, House Churches, liberationist action and public debates about religious freedom.