Curriculum Portal

neurologyYou need to know

• Many Christians believe the Bible is inspired by God yet written by human authors, so its authority is interpreted in different ways, from literal and inerrant truth to divinely guided teaching expressed through human context and genre.
• In many Protestant traditions, the Bible is the supreme authority for doctrine, while in Catholicism the authority of Scripture is understood alongside the teaching authority of the Church and sacred tradition.
• Christians differ over Jesus’ authority because some see his teaching as the direct authority of God, while others treat Jesus as a uniquely important but fully human moral teacher.
• In Matthew 5:38–48, Jesus rejects retaliation, teaches believers to turn the other cheek, love their enemies and pray for persecutors, and presents this as a model of perfect love.
• Christian monotheism teaches that there is one God who is the omnipotent creator and sustainer of all things, and who is both transcendent beyond creation and active within it.
• The doctrine of the Trinity states that God is one being in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and this is important because it shapes Christian worship, prayer and beliefs about God’s nature.
• The belief that Jesus is the Son of God is significant because it supports beliefs about the incarnation, salvation and the special authority of Jesus in revealing God to humanity.
• John 10:30, where Jesus says that he and the Father are one, is used by many Christians to support the divinity of Christ, while 1 Corinthians 8:6 affirms one God the Father and one Lord Jesus Christ within Christian monotheism.
• Christians often describe God as personal, Father and love, but these descriptions raise questions about anthropomorphic and gender-specific language because God is not literally male or human.
• Christian feminist perspectives argue that exclusively male language for God can distort belief and reinforce patriarchy, so some Christians prefer a wider range of biblical and metaphorical language for God.
• In process theology, God is not understood as omnipotent or as the creator who unilaterally controls all things, but as persuading creation towards greater good within an ongoing process.
• Christian teachings on the purpose of life include glorifying God, living in a personal relationship with God, preparing for judgement and helping to bring about God’s kingdom on earth.
• Some Christians teach that each person has a soul and will experience resurrection, and Augustine taught resurrection of the flesh, meaning a real bodily raising transformed by God rather than a merely symbolic survival.
• 1 Corinthians 15:42–44 and 50–54 teaches that the resurrected body is imperishable, glorious and spiritual, and that mortality is overcome through transformation by God.
• Christians interpret judgement, heaven, hell and purgatory in different ways, including as physical places or states, spiritual realities or psychological conditions, while process thought teaches objective immortality in the everlasting life of God rather than personal survival in the usual sense.
• Christian teaching on good conduct includes disagreement about salvation because some emphasise justification by faith, some stress the importance of works as evidence of faith, and some traditions teach predestination as God’s prior choice of the saved.
• The sanctity of life teaches that human life is holy because it comes from God, and this belief shapes different Christian views on the moral status of the embryo, the unborn child and the limits of human choice.
• Just war theory teaches that war may be justified only under strict conditions such as just cause, right intention and proportionality, and many Christians argue that weapons of mass destruction fail these tests because they cause indiscriminate and excessive harm.
• Some Christians interpret dominion over animals and the earth as responsible care rather than exploitation, so stewardship involves protecting animals, conserving resources and responding to environmental damage caused by human activity.

• Interpret biblical passages about authority, resurrection and ethics by explaining what the text says and how different Christians apply it in belief and practice.
• Compare Protestant and Catholic views on the authority of the Bible and the Church using precise points of similarity and difference.
• Analyse how beliefs about Jesus’ authority influence Christian responses to the Sermon on the Mount, especially on retaliation and love for enemies.
• Explain the doctrine of the Trinity clearly by linking the ideas of one God, three persons and the significance of Jesus as Son of God.
• Evaluate different Christian and process theological views of God by weighing strengths and weaknesses and reaching a justified conclusion.
• Distinguish between physical, spiritual and psychological interpretations of heaven, hell, purgatory and judgement using accurate examples.
• Apply Christian moral principles such as sanctity of life, just war, dominion and stewardship to contemporary ethical issues and support the judgement with relevant teaching.
• Construct reasoned arguments about justification by faith, justification by works and predestination, using specialist vocabulary accurately and considering contrasting viewpoints.