1) Key Concepts and 2) Rituals

Part I

Vocabulary

1. The Holy Trinity- The Christian concept that defines God in three elements: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The separates the definition of what and who. Although God is separated into three persons he is still one almighty and the persons are separate from each other. 
2. Resurrection- A living being coming back to life after death. The death and resurrection of Jesus is the central focus of Christianity, and is used to develop the idea of life after death.
3. Church- Christianity is practiced in a church. They are houses of God that sometimes symbolize His Body. The united prayers “make… in their very sound the sign of the Cross.”
4. Sin- The act of violating God’s will. These vary from minor to deadly and are shown through violating the 10 commandments. Sin is inevitable and separates humans from God, but they must be repented.
5. Repentance- Reviewing ones actions and feeling regret for past wrongs. In Christianity one must have a change of heart after Repenting and it is motivated by a love of God and a sincere desire to obey his commandments. 
6. Reconciliation- This occurs after repenting and is the restoration of good relations. This is when one is able to be forgiven in God’s merciful love.
7. Grace- By definition in the bible, “the love and mercy given to us by God because God desires us to have it, not because of anything we have done to earn it.” Grace is described as a gift from God to man, that manifests in the salvation of sinners. 
8. Agape- Selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love. There are four types of love in the bible and this is the highest. This is the love that Jesus had for his father and his followers, and is why he sacrificed himself. 
9. Atonement- Humans can be reconciled to God. This is the pardoning of original sin and sin in general by the sacrifice and death of Jesus. There are many different theories regarding atonement. 
10. Kingdom of God- This is heaven. If a person lives a righteous life and repents their sins, as well as loves God and accepts his love- then they will be granted entrance into the Kingdom of God. 

Rituals

Festivals/ Holy Days- There are many holy days in Christianity that all come with various festivals and traditions in their celebration. This includes Christmas, Lent, Easter, Ascension day, and Holy week. All of these celebrations are in honor of events in the life of Jesus or remember saints and acts of God. These rituals bring the Christian community together and celebrate and strengthen their faith. These holidays help practitioners appreciate the struggles of Jesus, and the major elements of their religion. They are celebrated differently all over the world in terms of food and tradition, but the reason they are celebrated and the mood they bring are international. 

Gender and Ritual- Christianity may be considered a male affair in the aspects of God, The Son, and the popularity of male Priests. However, with these common references of He and Him people forget about the absence of gender in the spiritual sense. Therefore, God is only referred to as Father because this is what Jesus calls him. Marriage is a holy gift from God that is considered sacred in Christianity. This is why getting married in a church, in front of God, is very important. Women are expected to dress modestly in order to save herself for her husband and avoid the sin of lust. 

http://www.christianity.com/ 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/