By the time a Christian is ready to marry, they will have been taught that marriage is the joining of two people in a faithful and loving covenant-relationship before God. The Christian marriage ceremony takes place in the sight of God and before friends and family, and is conducted by an ordained minister or priest. The couple make vows (binding obligations towards each other), rings are exchanged (a sign of the everlasting nature of the vows and the couple’s relationship) and prayers are said for the couple and their life together. In England and Wales, all Anglican clergy are legally recognised as official registrars for wedding solemnizations within their own church buildings. This may not be the case for other churches and clergy.

Although life ends in physical death for everyone, Christians believe that this is not the end, but that the spiritual body will continue on in some way, united with God and finding eternal peace with Him. Jesus’ resurrection is the evidence and assurance of this. Traditionally Christians were always buried, but today they may be either cremated or buried, with a service conducted by a priest or minister. A funeral service is often held at the church itself, followed by another short service of committal at the graveside, or else at the crematorium. The funeral service gives thanks for the life of the departed one, and reinforces the message that God’s love is stronger than death itself.

Ever since the beginning of the Church, there have been some Christians who wished to devote themselves more fully to a life of prayer or service, away from the everyday distractions of life. In time, monastic orders were developed for such communities, examples of which are the Benedictines, Dominicans, Franciscans, and Jesuits. Christians devoting themselves to such a life take vows for life (usually of obedience, poverty and chastity) and are known as monks or nuns. Some of these communities are intentionally separated from society at large, while others offer services such as schools, care homes and spiritual retreats. Most of such orders are Roman Catholic or Orthodox; Protestants are less drawn to this form of community, although the Anglican Church does have some. In the twentieth century a number of Protestant or ecumenical Christian communities were established however, but usually without the above vows or life commitments, but which nevertheless had a clear intention of prayer and service. Examples of this are the Iona Community in Scotland and the Othona communities in Essex and Dorset.

Christian values are based upon the life and teaching of Jesus, whose moral ethic is summed up in Mark 12 as, “Love God, and love your neighbour as yourself”. An expansion of this is found in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7), which affirms that the blessed are those who are poor in spirit, the meek, the peacemakers, those who are persecuted for doing what is right, etc.

In Luke’s gospel Jesus says, “… Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (Luke 6:27-31).

Right and wrong for a Christian is therefore viewed through this attitude to people – self-giving love. In I Corinthians 13:4-8a St Paul defines this further, “Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.” For a Christian, these words are the starting point for how to know what is right and wrong.

However, in practice, these principles may be interpreted in many different ways. It is therefore very difficult to generalise about Christians when defining their beliefs about particular social or moral issues. In seeking to apply the teachings of Jesus to everyday life, for some Christians the primary moral authority is their Church’s teaching; for others it is the Bible; for others individual conscience, or else a combination of all three. Christians who take a traditional or conservative social outlook might oppose abortion, homosexual relationships, sex outside marriage, and transition of gender, while Christians with a more liberal outlook might take a different view. Likewise, some Christians take pacifist views on war and violence (such as Quakers and some non-conformist traditions) while others take a view that wars may be just, based on Aquinas’ Just War Principles. Some conservative Christians believe that the death penalty is a justifiable form of punishment for a Christian community while others will disagree.

It is also important to note that not all Churches require their followers to adhere to an agreed statement of their Church’s moral theology, while others, like the Roman Catholic church, may maintain quite a strict view of how the followers should believe and live. Even then however, there are often dissenting voices, even within those traditions.

One should be very wary therefore in assuming to determine Christian attitudes to finances, sexuality, family and so on, since groups and individuals will interpret these differently according to their particular teachings and the religious contexts of their own individual lives.

The Bible is pivotal to Christian faith -particularly the New Testament- because it contains the Gospel accounts of Jesus and letters of guidance written by the early Church. It therefore takes a central position in the church, both literally, often placed on a lectern at the front of the church, and metaphorically, by being a major focus within the community worship. In nearly all church services readings are taken from it, and sermons are prepared from these readings. Many Christians will also have Bibles in their homes and read portions from it on a daily basis.

The Bible however is a complex collection of written texts. It has sixty-six books (39 in the OT, and 27 in the NT), written over a period of thousands of years. The Old Testament consists of the five books of Moses, including accounts of creation and God’s dealings with His ‘chosen’ people, stories and writings about the Hebrew kings and prophets, and various other wisdom writings, including the book of songs (Psalms), and Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, two books of wise sayings. The New Testament has four Gospels (about the life of Jesus), a history of the early church (Acts) and then a collection of letters to various churches, most of which are written by St Paul. The New Testament finishes with the book of the Revelations of St John, outlining a vision of the end of this world and the beginnings of a new heaven and earth.

Making sense of this collection is not easy- even for scholars, firstly, because it comes from a totally different era of time, but also because it requires translation from its original Hebrew and Greek. Subsequently there are libraries of books about what it says (commentaries) and about how to apply this to modern everyday life (hermeneutics). Some of these Biblical scholars are linguistic experts, some explore findings from history and archaeology to understand the context of the Bible world, and others offer theological insights, trying to piece together insights from across the Bible to make sense of what is the ‘grand narrative’ of these scriptures.

As a result, how Christians use and interpret the Bible today is varied. Some might read particular biblical passages as literal or historical truth, while others might take allegorical or symbolic meaning from the same verses. The account of creation in Genesis is a good example, with a literalist reading understanding the world to have been created in six days, and an allegorical or symbolic reading understanding creation as willed by God, but the mechanism adequately described by Big Bang and evolutionary theory.

Those who read the bible literally can also be called Fundamentalists, referring to a desire to hold on to the ‘fundamentals’ of faith. Fundamentalism, of which Creationism is a type, is a modern reaction to liberal and critical readings of the bible which developed from the 19th Century. In between the liberal and literal positions are a wide range, both traditionalist and progressive.

It was for these reasons, particularly before universal education, that the Church was reluctant to let ordinary Christians read the Bible for themselves, preferring instead that it be read and explained to congregations by trained and qualified clergy. This was one of the major tensions underlying the Reformation: protestants became convinced that the Roman Catholic church had strayed away from the true message and meaning of the Bible and they wished to restore things to what they felt Jesus and the apostles had originally believed and practiced. On the whole therefore, Protestants give much more emphasis to the Bible in their worship and in their rationale for their distinctiveness.

The core historical beliefs of Christianity are summed up in the Nicene Creed, which is recited by Christians of many denominations in their regular acts of worship. This Creed was drawn up in 325CE by the Council of Nicaea (a gathering of all bishops from across the world) as a statement of orthodoxy and as a defence against heresies. The Creed explicitly states the belief that God is Three-in-One, or Trinity, i.e. God the Creator and Father, Jesus as the Son of God, and the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of God at work in the world, all of whom are both worshipped and acknowledged as separate persons of the one triune God. The Creed also affirms the unity of the Church, baptism and repentance for the remission of sins, the resurrection of the dead, the final judgement, and everlasting life.

All Christians seek guidance and inspiration from three main sources: the Bible, the Holy Spirit (or inner light, conscience), and the Church. However, the weighting given to each of these will vary individually and denominationally.

The sacred text of Christianity is the Bible. The Bible is divided into two sections, the Old and New Testaments. Testament means ‘covenant’ and so the Old and New Testaments are descriptions of the bond between God and humans, and an explanation of their place in the divine plan. There are 66 chapters (known as ‘Books’) in the Bible. 39 books in the Old Testament, and 27 in the New Testament.

The Old Testament comprises a ‘history’ of the relationship between God and the people of Israel from its inception at creation until the time just preceding the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. The Old Testament includes a variety of written styles, including historical narrative, poetry, legend, myth, laws, allegory and symbolism. They are contained in three main sections of the Old Testament – the Law, Prophets and Writings.

The New Testament contains the four Gospels which contain an outline of the life, teaching death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. The New Testament also includes descriptions of the early church in Acts of the Apostles, and a series of letters or epistles by St Paul to the early church. These epistles relate to controversies and theological issues of the day, as well as referring to other related tracts and homilies, and ends with the Revelation of St John which is an exploration of eschatological issues.

The Bible commands a central place in the life of the Church and the individual Christian. It provides guidance and inspiration and is regarded as the ‘Word of God’. For some Christian denominations, the bible it to be read and understood literally, for others, it is open to interpretation by spiritual leaders.

Passages from the Old and New Testaments will be read during worship as part of a lectionary of readings to ensure that all important parts in the Bible are considered over a period of time. It should be noted that in the UK the importance of the bible within the community can still be seen as witnesses who are Christian are required by law to swear an oath on the Bible during court proceedings.

The Bible is a theological work. It is Heilsgeschichte or ‘salvation history’ and the many authors and editors of the Bible moulded the text into a description of the way God has worked historically to bring about his plan for humankind. Accordingly, the text will contain complex as well as simple strands but, by unravelling the setting within which the text was written, as well as applying the text to present day situations, a fuller appreciation of the Bible may be gained.

Although the history of the development of the Bible is complex, with the many theological and interpretative stances of its authors and editors having to be considered, Christians nevertheless believe that the inspiration from, and guiding hand of, God enables the truth of the texts to become apparent.

Christians believe that throughout their own life they are following in the footsteps of Jesus, since His life is the example by which they should live. Jesus’ example included times of prayer and fasting, caring for the poor and sick, and living by the principles of God’s Kingdom, here on earth. By committing themselves to the church and through following its practices, Christians demonstrate their willingness to follow this example, bearing witness to the faith within their family and the wider community.

However, there is also the concept of ‘walking in the shoes’ of the founder in a literal sense, and many Christians view the idea of going to Israel where Jesus lived, seeing the sights he saw, and feeling the history of the country where he grew up, taught, died and was raised from death, to be an educationally and spiritually uplifting experience. Participating in such a pilgrimage with other pilgrims, often helps a person to better understand their faith and helps them in their own spiritual journey.

Today, the main places of Christian pilgrimage include Jerusalem, Galilee and Bethlehem in the Holy Land, Rome in Italy, Lourdes in France, Santiago de Compostella in Spain, Knock in Ireland, and Walsingham and Canterbury in England. In the days before cars, planes and other comfortable transport, a person of faith would have to walk or go by horse, and people who have done long pilgrimages to Santiago by foot, suggest that it is a wonderfully uplifting and spiritually worthwhile effort to walk the hundreds of kilometres necessary to gain the ‘compostella’ or certificate which confirms that the pilgrimage is completed.

Christians of some denominations, particularly Catholics, believe also that pilgrimages to historical places of interest, such as the Vatican in Italy in order to see the Pope, to be especially beneficial and a sign of devotion to the faith. Alongside this, Catholics also believe that God intervenes on behalf of his people through certain saints in order to be able not only to heal spiritual wounds that pilgrimage can cure, but also physical wounds and hurts. At Lourdes in France, for instance, many thousands of disabled people visit the grottos hoping to experience healing.

Christians have always seen their social responsibilities as part of their faith. The Christian Social Movement of the 19th century founded by FD Maurice gave its support to improving the appalling conditions of working men of Victorian England. In the 21st century, there are still many unresolved problems, and Christians continue to find ways to play a central role in this.

Christianity has always had a strong commitment to alleviating social injustice. Jesus was concerned for the poor, sick and outcastes of society and St Paul, Jesus’ theological interpreter, gives many instructions about how to respond to those in need.

In modern times, many Christians ranging from William Wilberforce (1759-1833 slavery), Elizabeth Fry (1780-1845 penal reform), William Booth (1829-1912 alcoholism & poverty), Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965 under-developed nations) through to Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968 civil rights), Fr. David Randall (1947-1996 HIV/Aids) and Archbishop Desmond Tutu (1931- apartheid activist) have felt inspired to respond to the Christian message of applying unconditional love to all humans.