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Astrology
[Doctrine & Theology]Astrology is a form of divination that interprets the positions and movements of the sun, moon, and stars to discern human destiny and foretell future events. Christianity has traditionally shunned it on the basis of the biblical prohibitions against divination.
The Imitation of Christ
[Christian Life]The imitation of Christ is an attitude of faith that seeks to live according to the character and life of Jesus Christ. The term also refers to a fifteenth-century devotional book of the same title, traditionally attributed to Thomas à Kempis.
Feminist Theology
[Doctrine & Theology]Feminist theology is a theological movement that rereads the Bible and the Christian tradition from the experience and perspective of women and critically examines male-centered interpretations and institutions within the church and theology.
Liturgy of the Hours
[Worship & Rites]The Liturgy of the Hours, also known as the Divine Office, is the public prayer of the church in which psalms, canticles, Scripture readings, and prayers are offered at fixed times of the day. The term is used chiefly in the Catholic Church, and similar traditions exist in the Anglican and Lutheran churches.
Obedience
[Christian Life]Obedience is hearing God's will and word and acting accordingly. Protestants generally understand it as a believer's response in life that flows from faith.
Seraiah
[People]Seraiah was a high priest in the final years of the Kingdom of Judah who was executed by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, after the fall of Jerusalem. He is recorded as the father of Jehozadak (Jozadak) and as an ancestor of Ezra.
Veneration of the Saints
[Doctrine & Theology]The veneration of the saints is a devotional practice of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches in which saints who serve as models of faith are honored and asked for their intercession. Protestants remember the saints as examples of faith but do not make them objects of prayer.
Book of Common Prayer
[Worship & Rites]The Book of Common Prayer is the official liturgical book used in Anglican churches for worship and prayer. First produced during the English Reformation in the sixteenth century, it contains the orders of service and prayers for daily prayer, Holy Communion, and various other rites.
Moral Law
[Doctrine & Theology]Moral law is a theological term for the part of the Old Testament law that expresses God's moral will and applies to all people regardless of era or nation; it is commonly held to be summarized in the Ten Commandments.
Pope
[Organization & Polity]The pope is the Bishop of Rome, the supreme leader of the Catholic Church (the Roman Catholic Church). The Catholic Church regards the pope as the successor of the apostle Peter, but Protestant and Orthodox churches do not recognize his primacy.
Mariology
[Doctrine & Theology]Mariology is the field of theology concerned with the identity and role of Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. Understandings differ considerably among the Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant traditions.
Messianic Judaism
[Denominations]Messianic Judaism is a religious movement whose adherents believe Jesus to be the Messiah of Israel while seeking to maintain Jewish identity and Jewish practices such as the Sabbath and the biblical feasts.
Hospitality
[Christian Life]Hospitality is the practice of welcoming guests or unfamiliar strangers into one's home and church and providing them with food and a place to rest. Scripture commends it as a virtue of believers and as an expression of the life of faith.
Song of Lamech
[Bible]The Song of Lamech is a short poem in Genesis 4:23–24 in which Lamech, a descendant of Cain, tells his two wives that he has killed a man and boasts that his vengeance will far exceed Cain's.
Apologist
[Doctrine & Theology]An apologist is a person who argues that the Christian faith is true and reasonable and who responds to criticisms and misunderstandings of it. The term is used especially for the second-century early church writers who wrote in defense of the faith.
Mass
[Worship & Rites]The Mass is the public, Eucharist-centered worship of the Catholic Church. It consists of two parts: one in which the Scriptures are read and heard, and one in which bread and wine are shared.
Theosis
[Doctrine & Theology]Theosis, also called deification, is the teaching that the goal of salvation is for human beings, by the grace of God, to participate in God's life and nature and so grow into the likeness of God. It is a central concept of Eastern Orthodox soteriology.
Declaration of Absolution
[Worship & Rites]The declaration of absolution is the element of a worship service in which, after the congregation has confessed its sins, the worship leader announces God's forgiveness of sins on the basis of Scripture. Its meaning and use vary among denominations.
The Pilgrim's Progress
[Christian Life]The Pilgrim's Progress is a Christian allegory by the English Puritan preacher John Bunyan, published in 1678 (Part One) and 1684 (Part Two). Told in the form of a dream, it depicts the journey of the pilgrim Christian from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City.
Apologetics
[Doctrine & Theology]Apologetics is a branch of theology that explains why the Christian faith is true and reasonable and responds to criticisms of and questions about the faith.