CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

1.0 STRAND: INTRODUCTION TO RELIGION.( OVERVIEW)

Sub - strand: Concepts of Religion

SPECIFIC LEARNING OUTCOMES.

By the end of the sub strand, the teacher trainee should be able to:
a) Explore the meaning of religion according to different scholars.
b) Evaluate different perspectives of religion to enhance analytical skills
(theological, psychological, anthropological, and sociological).
c) Recognize the importance of different meanings of religion according to different
scholars.

INTRODUCTION

The word Religion is derived from the Latin word religio which means paying homage or
paying heed to. Religion is part and parcel of human existence because it occupies an
important position in the lives of the people.

Religion therefore means a system of beliefs and practices directed to ultimate concern,
or supernatural being with supernatural power which stands those values. Religion is
crucial in a society in terms of acquisition of good values.

Meaning of Religion according to different scholars.

James G. Frazer

Religion is a propitiation or conciliation of powers superior to man which are believed to

direct and control the course of Nature and of human life.

Alfred North Whitehead

Religion is what an individual does with his solitariness.

Rudolph Otto

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Religion is that which grows out of, and gives expression to, experience of the holy in its
various aspects.

Edward B Tylor

Religion is the belief in spiritual in spiritual beings.

Clifford Geertz.

Religion is a system of symbols which acts to establish powerful, persuasive and long-
lasting moods and motivations. By formulating conceptions of a general order of
existence and clothing these conceptions with such aura of factuality that the moods and
motivations seem uniquely realistic. Clifford vies religion as a cultural system.

Fredrick streng

In his book “Understanding religious life “Religion is a means to ultimate transformation.

Joseph Adler

Religion is a means of ultimate transformation or orientation. Varieties of spiritual

experiences.

Thomas F. Odea

In his book of the sociology of religion, he says, religion is like culture and is a symbolic
transformation of experience.

Catherine L. Albanese

Religion is a system of symbols (creed, code) by means of which people of a community

orient themselves in the world with reference to both ordinary and extraordinary powers,
meanings and values.

R. Forrester Church

Religion is our human response to being alive and having to die

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Recognizing the social origin of religion, Durkheim argued that religion acted as a source
of solidarity and identification for the individuals within a society, especially as a part of
mechanical solidarity systems, and to a lesser, but still important extent in the context of
organic solidarity.

Religion is the self - validation of a society by means of myth and ritual.

Max Weber

Believed religion could be a force for social change. Religion is a social institution,
because it includes beliefs and practices that serve the needs of society. Religion is also
an example of a cultural universal, because it is found in all societies in one form or
another. Weber’s main concerned was to what extent religious conception of the world of
existence have influenced the economic behavior of various societies.

James G. Frazer

Religion is a propitiation or conciliation of powers superior to man which are believed to

direct and control the course of Nature and of human life

Karl Marx

Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature. A protest against real suffering, it is the
opium of the people, the illusory sun which revolves around man for as long as he does
not evolve around himself. Marx is the founder and primary theorist of Marxism, viewed
religion as "the soul of soulless conditions" or the "opium of the people". ... At the same
time, Marx saw religion as a form of protest by the working classes against their poor
economic conditions and their alienation.

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Karl Marx argues that religion works to calm uncertainty over our role in the universe
and in society, and to maintain the status quo. Learning Objectives.

Paul Tillich

Religion is the state of being grasped by an ultimate concern, a concern which qualifies
all other concerns as preliminary and which itself contains the answer to the question of
the meaning of life.

PERSPECTIVES OF RELIGION.

Theological

Religion is regarded as a virtue which leads one to render to God the homage that is
due to him. The homage consists of believing in one God who is personal. God has
infinite attributes. Human beings develop an attitude of absolute respect for God and
submit themselves to Him. Belief in God is expressed through worship. Christianity as a
religion is the progressive revelation of God to humankind culminating in Jesus Christ
and humankind's response to this creation.

Psychological

The word “psychology” is a combination of two Greek words psyche meaning “soul”,
“spirit”, or “mind” and logos meaning “science” or “study of”. Psychology of religion
tries to understand the cause and effect relationships of religious experiences and
religious consciousness so as to be able to predict behaviors. It aims to study the religious
consciousness with investigations in religious behavior systems. Religion is greater
psychological and physical well-being. Religious faith and practice can enhance
psychological well-being by being a source of comfort to people in times of distress and
by enhancing their social interaction with others in places of worship

Anthropological

Religion represents an ideal subject for anthropologists. It is, on the one hand, a human
universal—all groups of people develop complexes of symbols, rituals, and beliefs that
connect their own experience to the essential nature of the universe.

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Sociological

Religion describes the beliefs, values, and practices related to sacred or spiritual
concerns.

Sub – Strand: Dimension of Religion.

Specific learning outcomes.

By the end of the sub-strand the teacher trainee should be able to:

a) Assess the dimensions of religion according to different scholars to promote

positive reflective practice.
b) Evaluate the importance of the different dimensions of religion in promoting
cohesiveness in the society.
c) Apply the dimensions of religion to African religion and Christianity for spiritual
development.
d) Examine the role of an essence statement as a component of the curriculum.
e) Recognize the role of the dimensions of religion in promoting social
responsibility.

a) Experiential dimension

This is the dimension of religion where the individual has contact with the invisible or
the spiritual world. A person experiences the invisible world through encounters with
God, Angels, spirits (good and bad) and ancestors. This happens in different ways such as
through prayers, dreams, visions, clairvoyance (power to perceive things that are not
present to the senses), the holy spirits and personal experiences. These experiences are
strong and real and leave an impact on those who undergo them.

Personal religion involves belief in the invisible world, which is appropriated or accessed
either through prayer. Religious people believe that God speaks to them in an intimate
way and that they have an inner experience of the universe.

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The experiential dimension is an important one in a religion. It is the foundation of the
other dimensions. Other components of religion only shape an encounter with the
invisible world.

b) Mythological dimension

The term mythological is derived from the word “myth”, which means a story. A myth
may be true or false but has a hidden meaning to be interpreted. The mythological
dimension is characterized by myths, folktales or stories. They help to explain important
religious events and deep truths about human life. Myths covers historical events of
religious significance in a tradition or community. These stories and events explain the
origin of certain beliefs and practices and provide meaning and purpose in life.
Mythological dimension helps to preserve and transmit religious beliefs and practices.

c) Doctrinal dimension

A doctrine is a set of beliefs / principles held and taught in a religion or a political party.
This is the dimension of religion that gives explanation and clarity to religious beliefs and
practices.

It forms the pillar of religious doctrines and unifies religious faith so that all members of
the same religion believe and practice the same thing. it forms the foundation of religious
beliefs and practices. this dimension is expressed through:
 Creeds such as the apostle’s creed. this expresses the belief in God the father the
son and the holy spirit.
 Proverbs. this contains important guiding principles of living.
 The ten commandments. they offer guidelines on how to relate to god and other
people.
d) Ritual dimension

A ritual is a religious /solemn ceremony involving a series of actions performed

according to a prescribed order. The ritual dimension is an important component of
religion because it provides an opportunity for the individual to express the inner
experience of religion. It is the ceremonial side of a religion with inner and outer aspects.

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Examples of inner aspects include; feelings of guilt, meditation and silent prayers. outer
aspects include; verbal prayers, singing, dancing, libations, offerings and sacrifices.
Ritual gives a kind of communication through symbolism and in performing them out
gives the believers a solemnity and importance.
e) Ethical dimension

The word “ethical” is derived from the word “ethics” which refer to moral principles
governing conduct. The ethical dimension sets the morals standards for a community. It
includes teachings on moral behavior, values, norms, taboos, laws and customs. This
dimension has clear guidelines on how to deal with deviant behavior.
Every religion has code of ethics, ethics concerns the behavior of the individual and to
some extent the code of ethics of the dominant religion controls the community. Human
beings do not always live up to the standards they profess. Religion is so influential in
molding ethical attitudes of the societies they are part of. Religion is not just a personal
matter, it is part of the life of a community.

f) Social dimension

The social dimension is the organizational part of religion. It deals with relationships
among people in the community, family, age sets and within the whole kinship system.
This dimension is important because it:
 Enhances unity and peace among people.
 Identifies people of a particular group.
 Helps provide security of those closely knit together.
 Facilitates guiding and counselling.
 Helps in the formation of culture.
 Enhances a sense of togetherness through sharing and fellowship.
 Preserves cultural identity.
g) Material dimension

Refers to representation of religion in tangible form through works of art like rock
paintings, pictures, shrines, buildings like church, mosque etc. They symbolize religious

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beliefs of a community. Material expressions are important for believers in their approach
to divine e.g., Mecca for Muslims, Vatican City for catholic.

Importance of the dimension of religion to the Society

 The dimensions are important because through prayer and divine interaction,
individuals gain a heightened sense of self-worth and control, as it strengthens
the feeling that they are valued and helped by a divine force.

 The social dimension forms a fundamental part of every Religion thus helps in
bringing a group or a society whose duty is to watch over the religious views of
the followers, to carry out certain tasks together, and also to control the cultic and
ethical behaviours of the [Link] marriage.

 The practical and ritual dimension can be seen in all three religions through
worship and rituals and patterns of behavior the latter are those acts that help the
believer develop spiritual awareness or ethical insight, such as yoga or meditation
in Buddhism and Hinduism.

 The ritual dimension can be seen through worship and rituals and patterns of
behavior, this dimension helps the believer develop spiritual awareness or ethical
insight, such as yoga or meditation in Buddhism and Hinduism.

 Experiential and emotional dimension of religion explains that religion feeds

on human emotions and key events from history to illustrate this is, the
enlightenment of the Buddha, or the visions of Muhammad. A person will not
follow something without meaning or emotion driving it.

 The mythic dimension of religion involves use of storytelling in religion, all

faiths uses stories to illustrate their beliefs or events in history, whether they
might be of things to come, stories are often accounts of history myths can
enhance the believer’s faith and are often integrated into rituals.

 The doctrinal dimension of religion talks about the importance of the holy
books/ doctrines. Since the doctrines typically have an account of the spiritual

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 figures, and believers read the doctrines to gain an insight into the leader’s life;
and thus, strive to become more like them or abide by their [Link] Moses.

DIMENSIONS OF RELIGION AS APPLIED TO TRADITIONAL

AFRICAN COMMUNITIES.

a) Experiential Dimension

People in the traditional African communities experience the invisible world

through various ways such as dreams and visions. For example, ancestors may
talk to the living through dreams whereby they express their dissatisfactions with
how things are being done and give appropriate advice on how things should be
done.

The religious specialists like seers/prophets, diviners, rain-makers, medicine

people and elders also experience the invisible world. They do this through
dreams, visions, major events, intuition, falling in in a trance and use the use of
mediums.

Other groups of the people who experiences the invisible world are magicians
and sorcerers. they consult the bad spirits to cause evil in the community.

Examples of seers and prophets who experienced the invisible world include the
following;

 Sakawa from kisii who prophesied about the coming of the white people. He
prophesied that they would come with a cock which would make noise under a
certain tree. this prophecy was fulfilled when the white people arrived in gusii
land and blew a trumpet on arrival.
 Koitalel Samoei from the Nandi community prophesied about the long iron snake
that would move over their land puffing smoke. This prophecy was realized in
the building of the Kenya- Uganda railway and trains moving leaving behind
trails of smoke.
 Mugo wa Kabiro from the Gikuyu community also prophesied about the long
snake that would come puffing fire and smoke. He also prophesied about the

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 coming of the white people who would be clothed like butterflies and fly over the
land. The prophecy referred to the white people who wore colored clothes and
also used aero planes to fly over the land.
b) Mythological dimension.
A myth is a story with a hidden meaning. The mythological dimensions in the
African traditional community is applied through the following ways:
a) Stories of origin.

Every African community has myths that explains its origin and how the world came into
existence. All myths explain how God created the first parents. For example, among the
Agikuyu , gikuyu and mumbi were the first parents while among the Ababukusu the first
parents were Mwambu and Sela . These myths show how God was close to people and
provided for their needs.

b) Myths of how human beings were separated from God.

The Hausa people of Nigeria have a myth which explains why God moved to the skies.
he had warned the Hausa not to make noise by pounding yams. he was irritated by their
constant noise of pounding yams therefor because of their disobedience god separated
himself from them.

c) Myths about the death.

There are myths that explain different aspects of human life such as powers in the
ancestral world and how suffering and death came into the world

c) Doctrinal dimensions

The African set of beliefs and principles are not written down but internalized and passed
on from one generation to another. the doctrinal dimension is expressed in proverbs,
riddles, maxims (short sayings) and the observance of rites of passage and principles set
by elders.

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(i) Proverbs

These are short sayings with hidden meaning. They contain salient teachings on attitudes,
character and morals.

(ii) Riddles

Are puzzles whose meanings have to be interpreted. riddles are used to train people to
think for themselves. for example, “my house has no door “What do you think is the
meaning of this riddle?

(iii) Maxims

Are short sayings containing truths and principles of life? They have moral teachings

(iv)Principles set by the council of elders.

They provide guidance on all aspects of the community. for examples, on inter-personal
relationships and on how to relate with the invisible world that is God. ancestors and
spirits.

d) Ritual dimension

The traditional African religion is expressed through some of the following rituals:

 Praying as a way of communicating with God

 Offering sacrifices to God
 Pouring libation to appease the ancestors
 Singing, dancing and drum beating to express feelings
 Invoking a curse as a disciplinary action
 Kneeling and bowing down, as assign of respect for God and ancestors
 Closing eyes when praying to increase concentration and to stop any disruption.
 Sharing food during ceremonies as a sign of unity
 Miming as assign of silent prayer.
 Respecting sacred places such as shrines.
e) Ethical dimension

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 Every African community has some rules and a code of ethics which govern the
behaviors of every member of that community. every person is expected to abide
by the same social standards, taboos, norms, customs and laws.
There are clear principles that govern different relations such as of parent- child,
wife-husband, age-mates and other members of the community.
Respect and obedience were the key principles that governed all these
relationships.
Those who go against the set principles or break the taboos are punished in
various ways through;
 Ex-communication for murderers.
 Fines for example, for those who commit adultery
 Curses for those who break taboos
 Those who go against societal norms have to undergo ritual cleansing in order to
be restored to the community.
f) Social dimensions

Social dimensions of religion deals with relationships among people. Human beings are
social beings because they relate with one another in certain ways. therefor they are inter-
dependent in nature. This dimension is important because it:

 Enhances unity and peace among people.

 Identifies people of a particular group.

 Helps provide security of those closely knit together.

 Facilitates guiding and counselling.

 Helps in the formation of culture.

 Enhances a sense of togetherness through sharing and fellowship.

 Preserves cultural identity.

h) Material dimension

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Refers to representation of religion in tangible form through works of art like rock
paintings, pictures, shrines, buildings like church, mosque etc. They symbolize religious
beliefs of a community. Material expressions are important for believers in their approach
to divine e.g., Mecca for Muslims, Vatican City for catholic.

Importance of the dimension of religion to the Society

 The dimensions are important because through prayer and divine interaction,
individuals gain a heightened sense of self-worth and control, as it strengthens
the feeling that they are valued and helped by a divine force.

 The social dimension forms a fundamental part of every Religion thus helps in
bringing a group or a society whose duty is to watch over the religious views of
the followers, to carry out certain tasks together, and also to control the cultic and
ethical behaviours of the [Link] marriage.

 The practical and ritual dimension can be seen in all three religions through
worship and rituals and patterns of behavior the latter are those acts that help the
believer develop spiritual awareness or ethical insight, such as yoga or meditation
in Buddhism and Hinduism.

 The ritual dimension can be seen through worship and rituals and patterns of
behavior, this dimension helps the believer develop spiritual awareness or ethical
insight, such as yoga or meditation in Buddhism and Hinduism.

 Experiential and emotional dimension of religion explains that religion feeds on

human emotions and key events from history to illustrate this is, the
enlightenment of the Buddha, or the visions of Muhammad. A person will not
follow something without meaning or emotion driving it.

 The mythic dimension of religion involves use of storytelling in religion, all

faiths uses stories to illustrate their beliefs or events in history, whether they
might be of things to come, stories are often accounts of history myths can
enhance the believer’s faith and are often integrated into rituals.

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  The doctrinal dimension of religion talks about the importance of the holy books/
doctrines. Since the doctrines typically have an account of the spiritual figures,
and believers read the doctrines to gain an insight into the leader’s life; and thus,
strive to become more like them or abide by their [Link] Moses.

The community gives a person essence of his/her being therefore everyone sees
himself/herself co-existing with others. Everything done in the community is a communal
affair.

DIMENSIONS OF RELIGION AS APPLIED TO BIBLICAL EXPERIENCES.

Biblical experiences refer to the incidences that are recorded in the bible that explain
dimensions of religion.

a) Experiential dimensions.

(Genesis 18:2-23; Exodus 3:4-22; Isaiah 6:1-13; Luke 1:11-20)

Is expressed in the bible in:

 All biblical stories in which God speaks to people either, directly or in

visions.
 All the incidents in the Bible in which angels visit or appear to people
 All the biblical experiences of inner conversions.

The following people experienced the presence of God in the bible.

 Abrahams encounter with the men (Genesis 18:2-33)

It is a story in which Abraham had a direct experience with God where they engaged in a
conversion and discussed a number of issues ; that Sarah would have a son in her old age
because nothing is impossible with God , God reassured Abraham of His earlier promises

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to him and also God would not destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah if there were
at least ten righteous people dwelling in them .Abraham pleaded passionately with God
not to destroy these cities .

 Moses encounter with God. (Exodus 3 :4-22)

Moses had a direct experience with God during his call

 Isaiah encounter with God (Isaiah 6 :1-13)

Isaiah experienced the presence of God through a vision in the temple of Jerusalem. The
vision is described in a symbolic language. Through this vision, Isaiah experienced God
in the following ways: He saw the lord seated on his throne, lifted high up. this led to
Isaiah to understand Gods majesty. He saw God surrounded by flaming creatures, which
had six wings each. he experienced the shaking of the foundations of the temple as a
result of the creatures’ voices. he also experienced the smoke filled with temple.

 Zachariah’s encounter with the angel of God (Luke 11:11-20)

Zachariah had an experience with the angel Gabriel in the temple when it was his turn to
administer incense on the altar.

a. Mythological dimension

It deals with myths or stories that explain important religious teachings. mythological
dimension is applied in the following biblical accounts:

 First creation account (Gen 1 -2 :1-4)

The myth explains how God created the universe and everything in it from nothing. God
is portrayed as having brought everything into existence by the power of his word.
Everything God created was good. The summarizes God as the creator and the source of
life.

 Second creation account (Gen 2:5-25) the myth explains

 the importance of marriage which is for companionship.
 why people work as co-creators with God

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  How everything that God created was to fulfill the needs the needs
of human beings.
 Why human beings should obey God failure to which they would
suffer severe consequences leading to death
 The fall of human beings (Gen 3:1-24)

The myth explains how the first human beings disobeyed God by eating the fruit from the
forbidden tree. Their disobedience made God angry, and hence they were punished. As a
result, they were separated from God and chased away from the Garden of Eden.

 The flood (Gen 7)

The myth explains how God punished human beings through the flood because of their
wickedness. It also explains how God saved Noah and his family. the story tells us how
God instructed Noah to build a boat to save him from the flood. This myth also explains
that disobedience leads to Gods wrath and punishment. It also shows that God will
always bestow His favour on the righteous.

 The tower of Babylon (Genesis 11:3-8)

The myth tells us how human beings had a common language unified them. they agreed
to make bricks and build a city with a tower that reached the sky. they wanted to make a
name for themselves, Due to this pride God punished them by mixing their language so
that they could not understand each other.

The story explains the emergence of many languages in the world, people are cautioned
on how unity can be abused to and eventually lead to suffering. It also explains that God
hate pride and punishes the proud

 The end of time (Daniel 12:1-3)

The myth explains how the end of time will take place:

 Angel Michael, guardian of the Jews, will appear before the end takes place
 There will be a time of troubles and suffering that the world has never known
 Those whose names are written in Gods book will be saved from those troubles

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  Those who died will resurrect either to enjoy eternal life or to suffer eternal
disgrace
 There will be rewards for the faithful
The myth explains that this present world order will come to an end at one time
therefor people should be prepared for it by doing good. Those who remain
faithful will be rewarded.
 The final judgement (Revelation 20:11-15)
In the book of revelation, John, the Apostle, saw a vision of God seated on the
great white throne. All the dead stood before Him for the final judgment. The
dead were judged according to what they had done. Whoever did not have their
name written in the book of life was throne into the lake of fire.
b. Doctrinal Dimension

Doctrines refers to a set of principles held and taught in a religion. In Judaism God gave
the Israelites the principles to govern their way of life. Christians were given moral
principles by Jesus to guide every aspect of their lives. These principles are expressed in
the following ways:

 The origin of the ten commandments (Exodus 20:1-17)

They were given to the Israelites by God through Moses at Mount Sinai. They
guided the Israelites in their relationship with God and their fellow human beings.
 The sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7)
Jesus identified specific principles that should guide the Christians in their daily
lives. For example:
 Be peace makers
 Accept sufferings as part of discipleship
 Be ready to forgive
 Love their enemies
 Not judge others

c. Ritual dimensions

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(Read Genesis 4:4-7,17:4-10; Exodus 12:1-14; Luke 3:21-22)

In the following biblical accounts, the ritual dimension is expressed in different ways i.e

1) Sacrifices and offerings (Gen 4:4-7)

Able sacrificed the first lamb born to one of his sheep as a sacrifice to God who
was pleased with his offerings.
Cain made an offering of farm produce to God but was rejected
2) Circumcision (Gen 17:4-10)
God entered into a covenant with Abraham. He gave it an external sign of
circumcision. Abraham and his male descendants were to be circumcised on the
eight day. Circumcision was the ritual that bound Abraham and his descendants to
God. It was used as a sign of identity among the Jews.
3) The Passover ceremony (Exodus 12:1-14)
It involved many rituals i.e.
 Slaughtering of a one-year old male lamb or goat without any defects and
of one colour. the age and colour signified innocence and purity of the
sacrificial animal.
 Smearing blood on doorpost of the Israelites was to identify the houses of
the Israelites and spare them from the angel of death.
 Roasting of the sacrificial meat. This was the quickest method of cooking.
 Eating of bitter herbs to remind the Israelites of the bitterness of slavery.
 Eating of unleavened bread to signify the lack of preparation of time.
 Burning all the leftovers as assign of leaving no mark behind in Egypt by
the Israelites.

4) Baptisms (Luke 3:21-22)

Jesus underwent baptism by John the Baptist. He was baptized by being immersed in
water. Immersion symbolized the washing away of sins. During baptism Jesus performed
another ritual of praying to God. Through baptism Jesus identified Himself with sinful
humankind whom he came to save.

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d. Ethical dimension

(Read Exodus 20:1-17; Amos 5:21-24; Mark 12:28-37)

Sets out the moral standards that should govern people’s behavior. the following biblical
passages give examples of where the moral standards are derived from:

 The ten commandments (Exodus 20:1-17)

They give guidelines on moral behavior. for example: “Do not steal “. The law is
given because stealing shows lack of respect for other people’s property and also
encourages laziness

 Social justice (Amos 5:21-24)

During the time of Amos, God was angry with Israelites because they were
hypocritical in their religion i.e. they stressed the external observance of religion
such as offering sacrifices and praying at the expense of inner piety. Amos
advised the Israelites that God preferred justice and righteousness to external
religious ceremonies that were not true reflection of their inner hearts.
 The great commandments (Mark 12:28-31)
Jesus taught that the most important commandment is “Love the lord your God
with all your heart, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and
with all your strength. Love your neighbor as you love yourself…….”” (verses
30-31) this means that love is the key moral principle that should govern people’s
behavior towards others.
e. Social dimension

(Read Genesis 47:1-6; Mark 6:30-34; John 2:1-3; acts 2:1-4,42-47,13:1-4)

Deals with the relationship among people in the bibles as expressed below;

 Josephs relationship with his family in Egypt (Genesis 47:1-6)

Joseph was attached to his brothers even though they had mistreated him by
selling him as a slave to the Egyptian traders. He introduced his brothers and

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 father, Jacob, to Pharaoh as his family members. Joseph maintained a good
relationship with his brothers.
 Jesus and his disciples participated in various activities. (Mark 6:30-34)
Jesus had close ties with His disciples i.e. he taught them, trained them, trained
them in ministry, was concerned about their needs and spent time with them.
Jesus and His disciples worked as a team, he sent them on missions to preach
Good news and they reported to Him

 Jesus relationship with his mother. (John 2:1-3)

Jesus had been invited to a wedding at Cana in Galilee this showed that he related
well with members of His community. His mother asks him for assistance when
the wine ran out and this shows that he had close relationship with His mother. It
also expresses the social concern His mother had for those present at the
ceremony.

 Social relationship within the early Christian community. (Acts 2:1-4,42-47)

Among the early Christians communities, the social dimensions are expressed
through the activities they carried out together such as:
 Devotion to the teachings of the Apostles
 Sharing food
 Sharing their belongings with one another
 Praying together
 Sharing their property and distributing the money
among all according to individual needs.
 Meting in the Temple as a group to pray and worship
God
 Social relationships in the church at Antioch (Acts 13:1-4)
In the church at Antioch the social dimension is expressed through different
people holding different responsibilities. The responsibilities were held for the
common good of the church. Some were prophets while others were teachers i.e.

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 Barnabas, Simon (called the black) ,Licius (from Cyprene ), Menaen( who had
been brought up with Herod the governor ) and Saul . They prayed together and
fasted.

DIMENSION OF RELIGION AS APPLIED TO CHRISTIANITY TODAY

Experiential dimension

In the Christian community the experiential dimension is seen in the working of God in
people’s heart. Human beings experience Gods presence through the following means:

 Repentance of sins
 Confession of sins (renunciation of sins)
 Conversion from a sinful life to a new life in Christ Jesus
 Baptism in the holy spirit
 Revival of a backsliding Christian to Christ
 Manifestation of the gifts of the holy spirit in people’s lives such as preaching,
speaking in tongues, prophesying and healing.

Example of people who had personal experience with God

 The conversion of Saul (Acts 9;1-19)

 The vision of Cornelius and peter (Act 10-1-55)

Mythological dimension

These are various stories that today’s Christian have to explain their belief of old
and new testament for example;
 The nature of the risen body (1 Corinthians 15:40-58)
Saint Paul explains the nature of the resurrected body. He argues that just as
Christ Rose from the dead, so will Christians. They will be transformed into
heavenly bodies Heavenly bodies are beautiful, spiritual, strong and immortal
while earthly bodies are physical, weak and mortal St Paul explains that the

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 trumpet will be sounded on Jesus second coming and the dead will be changed as
quickly as the blinking of an eye. The dead will be raised never to die again. The
mortal bodies will be changed to immortal.
 The second coming of Christ (1thessalonians 4 :13-17)
Paul teaches that Christ will come back again. There will be the shout of
command, the sound of Gods trumpet and Jesus Himself will come down from
heaven. Those who will first die believing in Christ will rise. Those who will be
living will be in the clouds to meet the lord Jesus Christ. They will then live in
eternal peace with God.
 The new heaven and the new earth (rev 21:1-4)
St John had a vision in which he saw a new Earth, the first heaven and the first
earth disappeared. He also saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down
from heaven. God would dwell in the new earth. God Himself will be with His
people once again as it had been at the beginning of creation. There will be no
suffering or death. The story assures Christians of eternal life

Doctrinal dimension

Christians today have a number of doctrines that are used to teach and to guide
them on how to relate to God and each other. There are also doctrines that teach
about Jesus Christ, Gods nature, the church and prayers

Examples of doctrines include;

 The lord’s prayer (Luke 11:1-6)

In His teachings on how to pray, Jesus outlined the main principles that should
govern Christians during prayers i.e.
 Address God as, “Our father “
 Ask God to provide our daily needs
 Ask God to protect them from trails and temptations
 Ask God for forgiveness of sins
 Be ready to forgive those who wrong them

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These doctrinal guidelines help Christians to understand who God is and why we should
pray to Him, he is ready to forgive us and provide for us.

 Confession (Roman 10:9-10)

Christian believe that it is only through confessing that Jesus is Lord and God
raised Him from the dead, that they receive salvation. The confession of Jesus
Christ as the Risen Lord is what distinguishes Christianity from other religions
therefor, Christians should confess that Jesus is lord and savior in order to enter
the kingdom of God.
 The apostle creed

The entire Christian doctrine is expressed in the Apostles creed. The word “Creed “comes
from the Latin word credo which means “I believe “. The key Christian beliefs brought
out in the Apostles creed are:

 Belief in God
 Belief in the Son, Jesus Christ
 Belief in the Holy spirit
 Belief in the forgiveness of sins
 Belief in the death and resurrection
 Belief in the judgement
 Belief in eternal life

Ritual dimension

 Christians today perform a number of rituals as part of their religious

practice.
 The annunciation of the birth of Jesus Christ (Mathew 1;18-25)
The angel brings up two rituals that was engagement and naming which are being
practiced by christens today. In the Jewish community, engagement was a ritual
of serious commitment for those intending to get married. Mary was engaged to
Joseph. In the Jewish community, the naming ceremony took place on the eighth
day after the birth of a child, in the case of Jesus the name was given by the angel

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 before He was born. Engagement is in modern times practiced by those intending
to get married. It is a sign of serious commitment

 During the last supper (Matthew 26:26-30) a number of rituals were performed
and each symbolized something, these rituals are;
 Eating together which emphasized sharing
 Praying to give thanks to God
 Breaking of the bread which symbolized the body of Christ that
would be broken on the cross for the forgiveness of sins.
 Drinking of the wine which symbolized the blood that would be
shed on the cross for the establishment of a new covenant
 Singing to express their faith to God.
 Rituals found in the passion, death and Resurrection (Mark 15-16)
 Passover festival
it was an annual religious festival celebrated in Jerusalem by the Jews to
commemorate their deliverance from Egypt, However, it took a new meaning
where the Jews remembered the passions, death and resurrection of Jesus.
 Dressing Jesus in purple
Purple is a royal colour that symbolized kingship. A crown is a symbol of power
for the king. Dressing Jesus in purple and crowning Him with thorns by the
Roman soldiers was aimed at mocking him as the “King of the Jews “. It was to
indicate a political charge of treason; however, Jesus was a spiritual King who
came to deliver people from the slavery of sins and not a political king to deliver
Israel from the Roman rule.
 Bowing to Jesus
The roman soldiers knelt down, bowed before Jesus. people bow down as a sign
of respect for those in authority. they also bow before God during worship.
However, in the case of the roman soldiers, they bowed before Jesus as a sign of
mocking Him as “King of the Jews and yet Jesus deserves to be worshipped as
King of Kings.
 Giving wine to Jesus on the cross

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 Jesus was given wine while He hung on the cross. wine was believed to ease the
pain of the dying person
 Praying
Jesus performed the ritual of praying to God while on the cross. He asked why
God had abandoned Him

Ethical dimension

Christians today have rules and regulations that govern the conduct of people in the
Christian families and the church as taught by St Paul.

 Moral conduct expected of husbands and wife (Ephesians 5:22-23)

includes submission, love, respect
 The moral conduct of children and parents (Ephesians 6:1-5)
 The moral conduct expected of church leaders (Timothy 3:1-16)

Social dimension

We are told the priest and other people helped to rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem. This was
the social contribution by a church leader. (Nehemiah 3:1-6)

In Acts 11:19-30) we learnt about how the early Christians work together for the better
meant of each other and the communities which they live. Christians today are
encouraged to live as one family, loving and caring each other.

1.2 FUNDAMENTAL BELIEFS AND PRACTICES OF WORLD RELIGIONS

By the end of the sub-strand the teacher trainee should be able to:

a) Distinguish world religions for religious diversity and for peaceful co-existence.
b) Compare the beliefs and practices of world religions for relevancy in application.
c) Analyze essence statements of HRE and IRE for reflective practice.

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 d) Develop empathy and respect for diversity to promote peaceful coexistence.

AFRICAN RELIGION

African religion refers to the indigenous religions of the African people, it deals with
cosmological, ritual practices and symbols, arts and Society.

Because religion is a way of life, it relates to culture and Society as they affect world
view of the African people. They have different understanding about things that exist in
the universe.

Beliefs in African Religion

 Believed there is life after death

 Believed there are superior and inferior gods
 Believed in demonic powers of ancestors.
 Believed in animal sacrifices e.g. goat.
 Believed in polytheism
 Believed in there is supreme high God who created the universe.
 Believed in making sacred sacrifices to ancestors or spirit can protect them from
harm.

Examples of African belief systems

Shamanism

This is the belief in demons and ancestral spirits among the Khoisan.

Animism

This is the belief in worship of animals, plants and rocks among the Zulus

Olympian religion

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Its religion which involves gods and goddesses e.g. Yoruba and ancient Egypt.

Polytheistic system

Worshiping various gods, spirits and other supernatural beings.

Places of worship in African Religion

 Under sacred trees

 On rocks
 On shrines
 At graveyards
 On mountain/Hills
 At the river banks
 In caves
 In homes of religious people.

Practices of African Religion

 Offering and sacrificial practices:

 Pouring libations
 Sacred dances.
 Initiation.
 Matrimonial services.
 Feast and festivals.
 Veneration or commemoration of their gods and goddesses.

CHRISTIANITY

Christianity, major religion stemming from the life, teachings, and death of Jesus of
Nazareth (the Christ, or the Anointed One of God) in the 1st century CE.

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It has become the largest of the world’s religions and, geographically, the most widely
diffused of all faiths. Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life
and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth

As a tradition, Christianity is more than a system of religious belief. It also has generated
a culture, a set of ideas and ways of life, practices, and artifacts that have been handed
down from generation to generation since Jesus first became the object of faith.

Christianity is a belief system that was founded by the followers of Jesus of Nazareth in
Judea, a Roman province in the Middle East in the 1st century CE.

Christianity’s sacred text is called the Holy Bible and is made up of two parts. The first
section is called the;

 Old Testament, which is based on Judaism’s sacred text, the Torah.

 the New Testament which is made up of stories about the life of Jesus as
written by his followers, letters between his followers, and other writings
by early Christians in the religion.

Beliefs in Christianity

 God

The Bible is the basis of Christian beliefs. Christians believe that there is only one God,
whom they call Father as Jesus Christ taught them.

 Jesus

Christians recognize Jesus as the Son of God who was sent to save mankind from death
and sin. Jesus Christ taught that he was Son of God. His teachings can be summarized,

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briefly as the love of God and love of one's neighbor. Jesus said that he had come to fulfil
God's law rather than teach it.

 Justification by faith

Christians believe in justification by faith - that through their belief in Jesus as the Son of
God, and in his death and resurrection, they can have a right relationship with God whose
forgiveness was made once and for all through the death of Jesus Christ

 Scriptures

Christianity, like other religions, has adherents whose beliefs and biblical interpretations
vary. Christianity regards the Biblical canon, the Old Testament and New Testament, as
the inspired word of God.

The Books of the Bible, considered to be inspired, among Judaism, and the Catholic,
Orthodox and Protestant churches vary, thus each define the canon differently, although
there is substantial overlap. These variations reflect the range of traditions and councils
that have convened on the subject.

 Eschatology

The end of things, whether the end of an individual life, the end of the age, or the end of
the world, broadly speaking is Christian eschatology — the study of the destiny of
humans as it is revealed in the Bible.

Christians believe that the second coming of Christ will occur at the end of time after a
period of severe persecution (the Great Tribulation). All who have died will be
resurrected bodily from the dead for the Last Judgment. Jesus will fully establish the
Kingdom of God in fulfillment of scriptural prophecies.

 Death and Afterlife

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Most Christians believe that human beings experience divine judgment and are rewarded
either with eternal life or eternal damnation (is the state of being condemned to eternal
punishment in Hell). This includes the general judgement at the resurrection of the dead
as well as the belief (held by Roman Catholics, Orthodox and most Protestants) in a
judgment particular to the individual soul upon physical death

 The Trinity

Christians believe in the Trinity - that is, in God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Some
confuse this and think that Christians believe in three separate gods, which they don't.

Christians believe that God took human form as Jesus Christ and that God is present
today through the work of the Holy Spirit and evident in the actions of believers.

Practices in Christianity

Rituals and Rites

 Liturgical Calendar

Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Eastern Christians, and traditional Protestant communities

frame worship around a liturgical calendar. This includes holy days, such as solemnities,
which commemorate an event in the life of Jesus or the saints, periods of fasting such as
Lent, and other pious events, such as memorial or lesser festivals commemorating saints.

Christian groups that do not follow a liturgical tradition often retain certain celebrations,
such as Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost. A few churches make no use of a liturgical
calendar.

 Sacraments

Images representing the seven sacraments of the Christian church: Baptism,

Confirmation, Matrimony, Eucharist,

In Christian belief and practice, a sacrament is a rite, instituted by Christ that mediates
grace, constituting a sacred mystery.

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The two most widely accepted sacraments are Baptism and the Eucharist (or Holy
Communion),

 Baptism

This is a mosaic of the Baptism of Christ in Jordan. In the center is Christ our Savior in
the river Jordan.

Baptism is the ritual act, with the use of water, by which a person is admitted to
membership of the Church. Beliefs on baptism vary among denominations.

There are differences of opinion on the methodology of the act. These methods being:
Baptism by Immersion; if immersion is total, Baptism by Submersion; and Baptism by
Affusion (pouring), and Baptism by Aspersion (sprinkling). Those who hold the first
view may also adhere to the tradition of Infant Baptism.

 Prayer

Jesus’ teaching on prayer in the Sermon on the Mount displays a distinct lack of interest
in the external aspects of prayer.

ISLAM RELIGION

Islamic is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion teaching that, Mohammed is a messenger

of God. The word Islam is an Arabic word meaning submission/surrender to God.

During the time of Mohammed, the Arabs were nomads and also were long distance
traders, however they had two main settlement: Mecca and medina which were also
centers of trade and religion.

From historical view, Islam originated in early 7th c in Arabian Peninsula in Mecca and it
continued to expand to other parts of the world.

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The main feature in Arabic tradition was polytheism. They worshipped gods which
included:

Allah-The creator

Hallat-The main goddess

Aluza-god of destruction.

One of the rituals associated with the gods was the veneration/adoration/worship of black
stone which was beloved to have fallen from heaven during the time of Abraham or even
before.

Every year there is pilgrimage to Mecca for veneration of the black stone, because this
was a sacred place by Mohammed since 610 ADS after he was called by Allah during his
visits to My Hiva for spiritual meditation.

The life of Mohammed

Mohammed was born in 570 in Mecca among the quryish people, the word Mohammed
means praise worth.

The parents of Mohammed were Abdallah and Aminah, His father died before he was
born and his mother died when he was six years old.

As an orphan his uncle Abu Talibu brought him up, at uncle's home Mohammed worked
hard and uncle loved him much. He also looked after animals.

In his youthful Mohammed travelled to Syria twice and first trip he was 12 years. He did
not go to school but he grew up trustworthy and respectable and his uncle got him a job
as a manager of the caravans of Carmel belonging to a wealthy widow called Khadija
who later became his wife.

The lady had 2 previous husband's she was between 40-63 years while Mohammed was
25 years old at the time of marriage. During his trade journey he was able to travel and
interact with Christians among other believers.

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The began to go for meditation and prayer in the caves and hills near Mecca. He had
frequent visit to My Hiva for meditation and spiritual connection.

It is out of those visits Mohammed around 610 AD Allah called him and made him His
prophet. Allah asked him to recite the name Allah, after that Mohammed started
proclaiming Allah message to his wife Khadijah’s cousin Ali, Abu Abakhi Uthman and
Tasha and his friends.

Mohammed began preaching good news about Allah and condemning polytheism in
Mecca. He conquered Mecca in 630 AD and organized lessons for the new faith,
Mohammed later moved from Mecca to Medina with his supporters this journey is
known as Hijra or Hegira, and marked the beginning of Islamic calendar.

The established a very strong brotherhood called UMMA which binds all Muslims all
over the world, he made Friday a day of worship and mosque a place of worship.

They died around 632 ADS leaving an organized cult religion, after passing caliphs took
over the leadership the first Caliph was Abu Bake ((Father in law) after his death he was
succeeded by (Caliph Umar), Umar was assassinated 6yrs later Caliph Uthman
(Mohammed son in law) took over, he was also killed, Ali Mohammed s cousin became
the next Caliph who controlled and made Islam spread many parts on the globe.

Types of Islam

Sunnis

They are members of the branch of Islam that accepts the first four caliphs (a caliph is the
civil and religious leader of a Muslim state considered to be representative of Allah on
earth) as rightful successors to Mohammed. They make the majority Muslim world wide
accept that the first 4 caliphs were the true successors of Mohammed

Shiites

Believed that only the Caliph Ali and his descendants are the real successors to
Mohammed. They deny legitimacy of the first 3caliphs, dominants in Iraq and Syria.

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The religion has three basic texts

a) Quran-most sacred

b) Hadith-teachings of Mohammed

c) Shaaria-Instructions given by prophet and later by followers.

Beliefs of Muslims

Muslims are monotheistic and worship one, all knowing God who is Arabic known as
Allah. Followers of Islam aim to live a life of complete submissions to Allah they believe
that nothing can happen without Allah’s permission but human free will.

 Belief in Allah as the one and only God

 Belief in angels
 Belief in the holy book i.e. the Quran
 Belief in the prophet i.e. Adam, Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses), Dawud
(David), Isa (Jesus).
 Belief in the day of judgement
 Belief in the resurrection after death.

According to Muslims, Islam is the complete way of life composed of.

 Islam-submission

Believe man has to do total submission to Allah in obedience and with purpose to express
adoration to God. Total worship of Allah

 Iman- faith

Belief in the last day of judgement (Dryam), believe everyman will stand before Allah for
judgement. belief in Allah power and knowledge.

 Ihsa-practice

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Practices of Muslims

Pillars in Islam

a) Shahada (Confession of faith)

The Islamic code of conduct is founded upon the bed lock of the first pillar testimony of
faith “I bear witness that there is no God but Allah and Mohammed is God’s messenger
"(Islamic creed). This is declaring one’s faith in God and Mohammed.

The belief in Gods oneness and the prophethood of Muhammed is the first step of one’s
lifelong journey as a Muslim.

b) Salat (Prayers)

Ritual prayers are conducted five times a day, at dawn (fair- morning before sunrise),
midday (Dhuhr), afternoon (Asr-mid- afternoon), sunset and nightfall (night/evening
prayers). Standing, bowing, Kneeling and prostrating the body before God and reciting
Qur’anic passages teach humility and trust in God.

Muslims pray in a mosque where it is preferable but sometimes others pray together at
their home. Before the prayers, Muslims remove their shoes, perform rituals ablutions
and state their intention to worship.

Prayers are performed in cycles of bowing and prostration called rak’at. Muslims pray in
the direction of the kab’ah in Mecca

c) Zakat (Giving Charity)

Means purification

A payment of a portion of one’s wealth to purify the rest and to ensure justice in the
society. Used to help the needy members of a community.

This is giving assistance to those in need, it’s a duty to share what you have with those
who don't have. Its obligation for every Muslim to give alms (money or goods
contributed to the poor)

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Special alms are given out during Id-ul-fit which marks the end of Ramadan.

d) Sawm (Fasting)

During Ramadhan Muslims perform a daily fasting (sawm). They are obligated to abstain
from food, water, sexual activity and evil thoughts during the day light fasting hours. It is
done as thanksgiving to discipline the souls and wait patiently for Gods guidance and
providence.

Ramadhan is a time of discipline for the spirit as well as the body, a time to cultivate
patience and commitment. It is also a time of community solidarity, as meals and
festivities are shared with family and friends after sunset.

e) Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca)

Every Muslim is required to go on pilgrimage (a journey to a sacred place) to mecca at

least once in lifetime. They are supposed to visit the house of Allah called Kaaba built by
Abraham and Ismael.

The pilgrimates walk around Kaaba shrine seven times kissing the black stone every
time then they kneel seven times between the two nearby hills.

HINDUISM

The term Hindu comes from R. Indus in India.

It originated from India and the main religion followed by majority of Indians.

Hinduism has many scriptures that are authoritative which include various ways of
beliefs and practices which originated from ancient traditions of India.

Around 1500 BC the Indo-Aryan people migrated to the Indus valley and their language
and culture blended with that of the indigenous people living in the region.

Up to 1920 the evidence of Aryan people was Vedic literature of early Hinduism which
was literature for the Aryan people.

Sacred writings of Hinduism

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There are two types of scriptures

[Link]-which is understood

[Link] - concerns what is remembered.

Shruti

Comprises revelation of ancient wise people regarding the nature of God and world.

The shruti falls into three categories include.

(a)Vedas

(b) Brahmins

(c)Upanishads.

Vedas

Means wisdom or knowledge. It is the oldest and sacred scriptures of Hinduism, it was
originally translated orally and later written.

It contains the Hindu understanding of the universe

Contained songs which were sung during sacrifices and prayers.

Contained prayers and peace which took 100 years to be composed, this collection is
called Santillitas

Veda consist of;

Rig- Veda: Which talks about the sacred scripture.

Sama-Veda: it deals with liturgical to cure diseases, prayers for long life and prayers to
cast away demons.

Yajurveda: Consist of sacrifices (mantras)borrowed from Rig Veda.

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Brahmins

It deals with rites, roles, sacrifices and rituals performed by priest on behalf of the people.

Upanishads

It’s a collection of special treaties composed between 650-7000BC. The word

Upanishads contains the ideal sacred teachings and mysterical ideas about man and
universe specifically the eternal Bratman.

It deals with philosophical world view and nature of God.

The Smrit

Are class of works which contains code of collection of laws governing a society, these
include,

Itihasal: stories and poems

Bhaganad guitar: it has hymn which was written around 250 BC

Puranas: include legends of gods, ancestors, goddess, demons in which heroes display to
the desirable virtue.

Hinduism doctrines/Teachings

The Hinduism have a belief in a supreme deity-the name of supreme deity is Brahman as
concerned human nature has four stages,

1) Dharma
2) Karma
3) Moksha
4) Samsara

1) Dharma

Is an activity that a man or woman who is to live is required to contribute to the fixed
order of things or to the long life of the universe which is good and should not be

38
changed. Is considered the foremost goal of a human being in Hinduism, it includes
behaviors that are considered to be in accord with artha, the order that makes life and
universe possible and includes duties, rights, laws, conduct, virtues and right way of
living.

Hindu dharma includes the religious duties, moral rights and duties of each individual as
well as behaviors that enable social order, right conduct and those that are virtuous.

2) Karma

Refers to person's actions

According to karma as one performs righteousness acts he or she moves towards

liberation from cycle of successful birth and death. These underlies all Hindu behavior,
religion activities and thoughts, also called the law or cause and effects.

Karma also refers to a Vedic theory of ‘moral law of causes and the effects ‘. The theory
is a combination of;

 Casualty that may be ethical or non-ethical.

 Ethnicization that is good or bad actions consequences
 Rebirth.

Karma theory is interpreted as explaining the present circumstances of an individual with

reference to his/her actions in the past. These actions and their consequences may be in a
person’s current life, death and rebirth called samsara. Liberation from samsara through
moksha is believed to ensure lasting happiness and peace.

3) Samsara

It’s the transmigration of the birth.

It is passing through a succession of lives which it's a penalty of one’s karma.

It contains a chain of suffering from the result of one’s action or sins in one’s past lives
which is seen in successive results of souls which move from one body to another.

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The Hindus believe that having completed his or her karma god approves them to upper
ladder and gets freedom recycling of rebirths.

4) Moksha

Is the ultimate, most important goal in Hinduism. It is associated liberation from sorrow,
suffering and samsara (birth-rebirth cycle) a release from eschatological cycle, in after
life particularly in the theistic schools of Hinduism is called moksha.

This is also the liberation of one’s soul from the will of karma.

When one achieves these revelations, he enters a state that can be attained through the
following:

a) Junama-path of wisdom.
b) Bhakti-path of love and devotion.
c) karma.

Salvation

Salvation is achieved in the following three ways.

a) Through the way of karma/work

It is the salvation through religious duties which are carried out through prescribed
ceremonies and religious duties.

b) Through Junama

Is the salvation through a way of knowledge?

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In this the person should or is supposed to be bound to Brahman for him to be saved.
Man, therefore must be saved from his wrong beliefs and have proper understanding that
he is not independent.

c) Through Devotion

A salvation through devotion to a deity which is reflected in one’s action of worship both
private and public. His devotion is based on the love of deity which is carried into human
relationship.

Practices in Hinduism

Rituals

Most Hindus observe religious rituals at home. The rituals vary greatly among religions,
villages and individuals. Dily rituals include worshipping at dawn after bathing (takes
place at a family shrine and includes lighting a lamp and offering foodstuffs before the
images of deities), Recitation from religious scripts, singing (devotional hymns (bhajans),
yoga, meditation and chanting mantras.

Rite of passage (samskara, sanskaras)

Are not mandatory and vary in details by gender, community and regionally. List of
sanskaras in Hinduism include both external rituals such as those marking a baby’s birth
and the naming ceremony.

Major traditional rite of passage in Hinduism include pregnancy, rite before the fetus
begins moving and kicking in womb, parting of pregnant woman’s hair, baby shower

41
celebrating the new born and up to the baby goes to school and attends his /her
graduation.

Wedding, fasting. spiritual studies and cremation for an adult, burial for a child and also
the ritual of feeding people after cremation are practiced.

Worship (Bhakti)

Refers to the devotion. participation I and the love of a personal god or a representational
god by a devotee.

Is considered a possible path of spiritually and alternative means to moksha (liberation),

path of knowledge and path of contemplation and meditation.

Bhakti is practiced in ways like ranging from reciting mantras, japas (incantations) n, to
individual private prayers in one’s home shrine or in a temple. Hindus temples and
domestic altars are important elements of worships in contemporary theistic Hinduism.
Majority of the Hindus visit a temple on special occasions while others offer daily
prayers at a domestic altar.

Festivals

Hindu festivals are ceremonies that weave individual and social life to dharma
(righteousness and ethics). Hinduism has many festivals throughout the year, where the
dates are set by the lunisolar (Hindu calendar), either the full moon (Holi) or the new
moon (Diwali)

The festivals celebrate events I.e. celebrating the aspects of human relationships such as
the sister-brother bond.

Festivals marks different stories depending on the Hindu denomination and the
celebrations incorporate regional themes, traditional agriculture, local arts, family get
together, rituals and feasts.

Hinduism beliefs

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  Believe in the doctrines of samsara (the continuous cycle of life, death and
reincarnation.
 Karma (the universal law of cause and effect)
 Atman the belief in soul. it holds that living creatures have a soul and they are
part of the supreme soul.
 God exists. Hindus believe that there is only one absolute divine, a singular force
that joins all facets of existence together known as the Absolute AUM.
 All human beings are divine
 Unity of existence
 Religious Harmony

1.3 FUNCTIONS OF RELIGION IN THE SOCIETY.

By the end of the sub-strand the teacher trainee should be able to;

a) Justify the functions of religion in society for application,

b) Assess the impact of religion in society for reflective practice.
c) Analyze the National Goals of Education for promotion of citizenship and
leadership skills.
d) Appreciate the role of religion in the society.

Functions of religion include:

 It helps people to understand God and or the divine being.

 Religion helps people in understanding the meaning of life as they look at the
past, present and future events .it provides answers to all life situations and
happenings.
 Religion provides answers to mysteries of life. Human beings are not ready to
live with the issues they cannot understand such as Who am I? Does God exist,
why do people die? where do they go after they die? Religion tries to answer all
these questions which no other discipline including science can answer, it also
assures human beings of continued existence of life after death.

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  Religion gives a sense of purpose in life and a sense of belonging. people
belonging to one religion are able to identify with one another and support each
other for examples in times of difficulties and challenges.
 Religion provides moral guidelines on how people should behave as
individuals and as a group. through religion we acquire positive attitudes that
transform our lives so that we become better people who are capable of
influencing others in the society.
 Moral principles and doctrines found in many religions have been adopted
by the governments of many nations to form part of their laws I.e. the
Christians commandment ‘Do not steal, do not commit adultery,’ have been
adopted in the Kenyan constitution. Christian doctrines and moral principles are
expressed in the National Anthem and in the Loyalty pledge.
 Religion forms the basis of culture in all societies. this means that religion is
embedded in all the beliefs and practices of a people. i.e. modes of dressing,
people’s beliefs about God, spirits and ancestors, how to conduct religious
ceremony.
 Religion provides a forum for serving humankind for example, the clergy
and religious institutions such as schools and hospitals provide education and
health to people.
 Religion gives people their world view. People view the world around them and
try to understand it from their perspective of their religious beliefs and teachings.

Task 1: Research on the social, emotional, spiritual, moral and philosophical functions
on religion.

TASK 2: Research on the impact of religion in the society.

1.4 Development of CRE in Kenya

By the end of the sub strand the teacher trainee should be able to:

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 a) Evaluate the status of primary CRE before and after post-independence
period.
b) Explore the reasons for the coming of missionaries in Kenya.
c) Appraise the contributions of Christian missionaries to education.
d) Trace the historical development of CRE from independence up to date.
e) Examine the impact of Ominde commission report on CRE.
f) Analyze the general learning outcomes of primary CRE.

STATUS OF PRIMARY CRE BEFORE INDEPENDENCE

Informal education was carried out by the Africans before the coming of missionaries.

The period before independence is characterized by two types of education;

 The indigenous education

 Missionary education

In both types of education religion featured prominently.

Indigenous Education

In the African Community, religion and education are inter-related. Religion permeated
all the beliefs and practices in the traditional African communities i.e. people invoke
Gods name during rites of passage before going to war and when faced with calamities
and during planting and harvesting.

Religious leaders conducted prayers, give offerings and sacrifices during important
ceremonies.

Some communities had political and religious leaders i.e. Oloibon among the Maasai and
Orkoiyot among the Nandi. as religious leaders they were believed to have knowledge of
the hidden secrets of the community which they taught their subjects. Religious values
were transmitted to the people. specialists in the community i.e. rainmakers, medicine
persons, diviners and prophets believed to have acquired their knowledge and skills from
God and hence their instructions were taken seriously. Religious leaders lived an
exemplary life and were emulated by the community.

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Songs, stories, proverbs and everything that was done in traditional African communities
enhanced African Religious Education.

Missionary education

Religious education was central in missionary education.

The main objectives of educating the Africans was so that they could

 Read the bible which was the main reference book in teaching CRE.
 Religion was stressed as the main subject.
 The day began with prayer and also ended with prayer.
 Emphasis in education was the 4Rs which means, Reading, Writing, Arithmetic
and Religion.
 Education therefor aimed at winning converts for the kingdom of God.

Pupils who benefited from missionary education and teacher who taught in missionary
schools had to be Christians.

There were specific schools for the different Christian denominations and the parents
were careful that pupils went to schools of the denominations to which they belonged.
Each denomination devised its curriculum and teaching materials to be used in their
schools.

Teaching methods included;

 cramming,
 memorization,
 singing and
 recitation.

They were also used to socialize them to western life. terms used to refer to Christian
Religious Education were; Religious knowledge, Bible knowledge and Religious
Instruction.

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Traditional African Religion was not part of the Christian Religious Education
Curriculum. later with the establishing of missionary teacher training colleges, qualified
teachers from respective colleges taught in schools of their denominations.

The missionaries aimed at developing the whole person, physically, socially, spiritually
and academically.

The stress on CRE is also seen in the fact that all students were expected to be, God
fearing, of good character and responsible.

Reasons for the coming of the Early Christian Missionaries.

a) To spread Christianity or to evangelize Africans.

The missionary groups that came to Kenya were responding to the Great Commissions of
Jesus to His disciples to preach the Good News to all News to all Nations. The
missionaries had received reports from explorers that Africans were heathen and needed
to be converted to Christianity.

b) To win converts for the individual missionary group.

Each missionary group aimed at increasing the number of converts to its particular faith.
Each missionary established a mission station, built a church, school and hospital which
were used as centers of evangelization.

They also built Teacher Training Colleges to train teachers for their schools. the pride of
any missionary group was on the converts to its particular faith.

They gave out incentives like clothes, sweets and free education to attract more converts.

c) To civilize the Africans and introduce the western culture.

The missionaries condemned everything that the Africans did as, backward, barbaric and
even satanic. they believed that Africans was a savage, a pagan and primitive and therefor
Africans needed to be assisted to achieve a high level of civilization. Christianity was
seen as the only means of imparting survival skills such as observing personal hygiene
and modern ways of farming.

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 d) To discover and explore new lands.

Some missionaries came as adventurers and explorers to study the people and their
country besides spreading Christianity i.e. David Living Stone, Charles Rebmann and Dr
Ludwig Kraft who was the first European missionary to see Mt. Kenya. He marveled at
its beauty and the snow-capped peak.

e) To stop slave trade and establish rehabilitation centers where

the freed slaves would leave.

The missionaries noted that slave trade was an inhuman practice and they made effort to
stop it i.e. they would buy slaves from Arab traders and free them. they also built
rehabilitation centers for the freed slaves as such Frere town, Rabai Mpya in Kenya and
Bagamoyo in Tanzania. they were also taught vocational skills.

f) To introduce legitimate trade.

The missionaries introduced legitimate trade to stop slave trade. They introduced cash
crops such as coffee, and tea for their home industries.

g) To stop the spread of Islam

Some missionaries looked at the spread of Islam as a major threat to peace and
civilization. the Arab Muslims were the main slave dealers and had occupied the northern
and eastern coasts of Africa. Christianity was seen as a means of eradicating slave trade
and and bringing to a stop the expansion of Islam. the missionaries were also unhappy
with Islam because it condoned pagan practices which they were trying to eradicate.

CONTRIBUTION OF THE EARLY CHRISTIAN MISSIONARES TO

EDUCATION

Before the coming of the missionaries to Kenya, education was offered informally
through oral transmission and practical activities. It was intended to develop the whole
person, that is the moral, religious. social and physical aspects of an individual.

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Informal education was aimed at inculcating qualities such as faithfulness, loyalty,
honesty, courage, hospitality and skills for practicing life in the community.

a) Education for freed slave

Formal education in schools for Africans was introduced by missionaries. They

introduced Christian education with an emphasis on Bible knowledge and the Christian
way of life. In their attempt to spread the Gospel to the Africans, the missionaries found it
necessary to teach Africans on how to read and write. Krapt and Rebmann learnt the local
languages and started a school for the local children at Rabai. They taught Arithmetic,
reading and writing.

They also established a local village for freed slaves i.e. Frere town where ex-slaves were
given religious instructions so as to understand the Christian faith. they were also taught
agricultural and simple technical training, masonry, carpentry and tailoring so that they
could be self-reliant

b) Secondary education

In 1920, the missionaries began to develop more advanced forms of literary education for
more promising students. This was to become the beginning of the present secondary
school system in Kenya.

 The CMS opened Maseno school in 1906 and started a secondary school course in
1938.
 An Alliance of protestant denominations started Alliance High School.
 The Holy Ghost Fathers started a similar school in Kabaa later moved to Mang’u.
Another Catholic school, St Mary’s Yala become a secondary school.
 By 1939 there were four African secondary school in Kenya all of which had
missionary tradition. the Seventh Day Adventists (SDA) started a school at
Kamagambo. The church at Scotland Mission (CMS) opened a secondary school
at Tumutumu.
c) Education for girls

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The development of girls’ education was pioneered by the missionaries. Missionaries
wives, teachers and catholic sisters played a major role in this area. Tumutumu, Butere
and Ng’iya became important centers for the advancement of women’s education. In
1948, Alliance Girls High School enrolled its first class for girls

d) Technical education

It is the missionaries who took the first initiative to train the Africans in skills and crafts.
By 1912 training in skills like smiting, carpentry, agriculture and even typing had been
started. initially technical education was not successfully carried out because;

 Lack of facilities for training

 Inadequate funds
 Lack of qualified personnel
 Preference for white collar jobs at the expense of blue-collar jobs.

Catholic fathers introduced coffee growing at St Austin’s in Nairobi and became an

industrial center. The Church of Scotland Mission in Chogoria introduced coffee growing
in Meru, Other vocational training centers were opened in Tumutumu in Nyeri and
Sigalagala in Kakamega.

In 1925, the government, in corporation with the missionaries, established Jeanes training
school at Kabete. It was aimed at producing lowly educated teachers (usually married
couple) who would be deployed in teaching domestic skills in farming, child care,
masonry, carpentry and sanitation.

e) Medical training

Missionaries started hospitals and dispensaries. They tried to combat epidemics such as
the Influenza epidemic in 1919 and the bubonic plague of 1902. The missionaries also
tried to reduce the then high child mortality rate. Hospital personnel enlightened people
on personal and community health. Medical schools were started for the training of
nurses, midwives and medical assistants

f) Literary work.

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Missionary contribution to African education was the development of the alphabet
necessary for putting the African language into literacy forms. They wrote many books in
African languages. As demand for formal education continued to increase, the demand
for reading and writing materials also increased. As a result, printing presses were set up
by local churches and Bible societies. Books were also set up to assist in the distribution
of locally produced materials.

THE INTRODUCTION OF THE INDEPENDENT CHURCHES IN KENYA

The introduction of independent churches in Kenya represents a significant and dynamic

development in the country's religious landscape. These churches, also known as African
Independent Churches (AICs) or African Initiated Churches, emerged as a response to
both colonial influences and the desire for a more localized, culturally relevant form of
Christianity. Here’s an overview of their development:

Historical Context

1. Colonial Era and Missionary Influence: During the colonial period, European
missionaries established churches and schools across Kenya. These missionaries
often imposed Western religious practices and values, which sometimes clashed
with indigenous African traditions and cultures.
2. Cultural and Religious Tensions: Many Kenyans felt that the missionary
churches did not adequately address their cultural and spiritual needs. There was a
growing desire to create religious practices that were more in tune with African
traditions and experiences.

Emergence of Independent Churches

1. Early Foundations: The first independent churches began to emerge in the early
20th century. Leaders of these churches sought to incorporate African cultural
elements into Christian worship, thus creating a new form of Christianity that was
distinct from the European-influenced denominations.

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 2. Prominent Figures: Notable figures in the development of independent churches
in Kenya include Joseph Kangethe, who founded the African Christian Church in
the 1920s, and other charismatic leaders who established their own congregations
with a focus on African traditions and self-governance.

Characteristics of Independent Churches

1. African Traditions: These churches often integrate traditional African practices,

such as indigenous rituals, music, and dance, into their worship services. This
approach helps to create a more familiar and relatable religious experience for
their members.
2. Self-Governance: Independent churches are typically self-governing, which
means they operate without oversight from foreign church bodies or
denominations. This autonomy allows them to adapt their practices and teachings
to better fit the local context.
3. Social and Political Roles: Many independent churches have played significant
roles in their communities, addressing social issues and providing support in times
of crisis. They have often been involved in movements for social justice and
political change.

Impact and Growth

1. Diverse Denominations: The independent church movement in Kenya has led to

the establishment of a wide variety of denominations, each with its own unique
practices and doctrines. This diversity reflects the rich tapestry of Kenyan cultural
and religious life.
2. Community Engagement: These churches have contributed to the development
of local communities by providing education, healthcare, and other social
services. They often serve as important centers of support and advocacy.
3. Contemporary Influence: Today, independent churches continue to be a vibrant
and influential part of Kenya's religious landscape. They attract a significant
number of followers and have a strong presence in both urban and rural areas.

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Challenges and Criticisms

1. Internal Disputes: The growth of independent churches has sometimes been

accompanied by internal disputes and schisms, as different factions vie for
leadership and influence.
2. Perceptions of Legitimacy: Some mainstream Christian denominations and
critics view independent churches with skepticism, questioning their theological
validity and adherence to traditional Christian doctrines.

Overall, the introduction and growth of independent churches in Kenya reflect a broader
trend of religious innovation and adaptation, as people seek to harmonize their faith with
their cultural and social realities.

PROBLEMS FACED BY THE EARLY CHRISTIANS MISSIONARIES.

a) Challenge from the Islam

When missionaries came to the East Africa, they found that Islam was the dominant
religion having been established for many centuries by Arabs who were involved in slave
trade which was their means of livelihood. The teachings of Christianity were very
different from those propagated by Islam. for instance, Christianity condemned polygamy
and Female Genital mutilation, Islam condoned them. The Africans were, therefore, more
at home with Islam than Christianity as they held the same views on same issues

b) Language barrier

The missionaries experienced problems because they could not speak the language of the
Africans and vice versa. they not have interpreters. As a result, language created a barrier
between the two groups.

c) Suspicion

Missionaries came to Kenya with prejudices and negative attitudes towards Africans
having received information from explorers and traders. Africans also looked at
missionaries as foreigners and did not understand the real reasons as to why they left their

53
mother land for Africa. This suspicion created a big gap between the two groups as none
could wholly trust the other. The missionaries were rejected in some arears and accepted
in others

d) Cultural differences

Missionaries came with the culture that was very different from threat of the Africans.
Africans worshipped a supreme being, venerated ancestors and praised polygamy. They
also had initiation rites such as circumcision for both male and female. This missionary
did not make any attempt to understand these practices and beliefs which they
condemned wholesale as ungodly, unchristian and barbaric. They vowed to eradicate
these practices and forced Africans to ape the western way of life so as to be recognized
as Christians. These new demands created conflicts and confusion and some converts
started doubting the Christian faith. some refused to be dictated upon by the missionaries.
After they were able to read the Bible for themselves they abandoned the churches
founded by the missionaries and formed their own. These were called independent
churches.

e) Lack of security

Missionaries were attacked in their mission stations or during missionary journey by

hostile communities. They lost important items and sometimes they were attacked by
wild animals such as the man eaters of Tsavo (lions)

f) Poor means of communications

At the time pioneer missionaries arrived in Kenya, there were no roads or railways
constructed. From the coast, they travelled inland on foot and in convoys accompanied by
their porters Lack of any developed infrastructure (roads and railways) slowed their
progress as they tried to reach people who were scattered all over the country. Modern

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means of communication such as telephones, telexes, fax machines and postal services
and internet were non -existent

g) Tropical diseases

The missionaries were used to temperate climates of Europe and America. In Africa, they
found tropical climate and had to adapt to the hot and wet conditions which was not easy
to adapt to. They suffered from tropical diseases such as malaria, elephantiasis and
sleeping sickness. They also lacked adequate medical supplies and as a result they
became discouraged and frustrated. some even died from these diseases and were buried
in their respective mission stations

h) Problem of adjusting to Tropical Foods

Missionaries came with some food but this could last for a short time. They had to learn
to eat tropical foods such as Cassava, yams, arrowroots and finger millet which they
could not adapt to easily.

i) Lack of adequate funds

Missionaries needed money for their general upkeep, to build churches, schools and
hospitals. This money came from their home countries through the missionary societies
that had sponsored them. The financial aid they received was never adequate for many
responsibilities they had to shoulder. It was also difficult to get financial help
immediately it was needed because the mode of communication (by the sea) was slow.
some Missionary societies I.e. the Gospel Missionary society (GMS) had to pass on the
running of its mission stations to the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA)

j) Rivalry among missionary societies.

When missionaries came to Kenya, they divided the country according to different
missionary spheres of influence. There was stiff and unhealthy competition among them
which led to their speaking ill things against each other. This was done deliberately so
that some churches could win more converts to their faith.

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This rivalry had a negative effect among the local people who failed to see the
missionaries practice the brotherly love they preached. There were times when the
missionaries advised their followers to disassociate themselves from the family members
who did not belong to their denominations. This caused tension and confusion among
families and the various church groups to the extent that some people started doubting the
genuineness of the missionaries.

TERM II
The Ominde commission report of 1964 and its implication for religious education

After Kenya attained independence in 1964, the new government found it necessary to
revise the whole school curriculum and state clearly the National Goals of Education in
an independent state. this task was undertaken by the Kenya Education commission of
1964 headed by the late Professor Ominde of the university of Nairobi. The Kenya
Education commission is also referred to as the Ominde commission.

The Ominde Commission was set up to examine the way education was being provided
by the churches and other related issues in education. one of the major tasks of this
commission was to spell out the six National Goals of Education in Kenya to give
direction of education in Kenya.

These national goals of education were to foster;

a) National unity.

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 b) National development (economic needs and social needs)
c) Individual development and self fulfilment.
d) Social equality
e) Respect and development of cultural heritage.
f) International consciousness.

The Ominde commissions had far reaching implications in the provision of CRE in
Kenyan schools. It recognized the significance of Christian Religious Education in the
Kenya school curriculum. The commission made the following observations and
recommendations:

1) Christian Religious Education was observed to be as important as any other

subject in the primary curriculum. As a result, it was to be treated like an
academic subject and be taught along sound educational lines. This meant that
Religious Education was to have an approved syllabus and textbooks and also to
be taught by a qualified professional member of staff. Teachers were meant to
facilitate learning and not to preach or evangelize.
2) There was need to make a distinction between Christian Religious Education,
Pastoral Instruction and Pastoral care. Prior to independence Religious
Education comprised programs of pastoral instruction and past oral care given by
the different churches. The Ominde Report recommended the development of
common Christian Religious Education syllabus alongside its programs of
pastoral instruction to cater for the unique beliefs and practices of the different
churches.
3) The Ominde Commission recommended that Religious Education should
continue to play a vital role in the school curriculum since it concerns itself with
the moral development of the child; spiritually, morally, intellectually and
physically.
4) The Ominde commission recognized the role in the churches in CRE and
stressed that they continue to play the leading role in the provision of CRE in
school. It was recommended that the churches develop the syllabus, learning and
teaching materials. they were also expected to play a role in the supervision of

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 curriculum. the churches were able to fulfill these responsibilities through the
joint efforts of the three major church secretariats namely, the Christian Church
es Education Association (CCEA), the Kenya Catholic Secretariat (KCS) and the
seventh Day Adventist (SDA). These bodies, together with the Kenya Institute of
Education (KIE) develop syllabi and teaching materials which are approved by
the Ministry of Education.
5) The Ominde Commission further recommended that schools were to be open
to all children to avoid religious or racial discrimination. This meant that
pupils could have an opportunity to learn Christian Religious Education from any
school. Similarly, teachers of CRE were expected to teach any school irrespective
of the denominations they belonged to. The Ominde commission also
recommended that these teachers be employed by the government. The Teacher
Service Commission was established in 1967 and became the main employer of
teachers for public schools.
6) Religious Education was to be conducted within the spirit of particular faith
for example, Christianity, Islamic and Hinduism. This recommendation has
been implemented because presently the curriculum accommodates Christian
Religious Education, Hindu Religious Education and Islamic Religious
Education. This enables pupils to be taught their respective faiths. These
recommendations also recognized the parents’ role in deciding the religious
instruction their children should receive.
7) It was also recommended that traditional African Religion be included in the
Christian Religious Education syllabus. This would help not only to preserve
the African heritage, but help pupils understand and appreciate the traditional
African beliefs and practices.

1.5 PRE-PRIMARY CRE IN KENYA AFTER INDEPENDENCE

Challenges facing the development of preprimary CRE curriculum in Kenya

after independence

a) Teachers could only teach in schools of their denominations e.g. protestant

teacher to teach in protestant schools.

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 b) Pupils were forced to attend schools that were using the syllabus meant for
their denominations.
c) They hindered unity because pupils were divided along denominational lines.
d) They went against ecumenical spirits that required the protestants an Catholics
work closely together for the betterment of Christianity.

The Value of CRE in primary school curriculum

The following reasons shows why CRE is important in primary school education. It
enables the learner to:

a. Understand the fundamentals of their faith.

b. Develop spiritually and morally.
c. Appreciate Gods creation and learn to protect it.
d. Relate well with other people thus avoiding conflict.
e. Appreciate himself or herself and thus be able to develop self-esteem
f. Appreciate and develop their talents.

DVELOPMENTS OF PROGRAMMES OF PASTORAL INSTRUCTIONS (PPI)

By the end of the sub strand the teacher trainee should be able to:

a) Trace the development of PPI from 1964 to date in promoting values and spiritual
developments in learning institutions.
b) Evaluate the importance of PPI to developing spiritual, moral, social and
emotional skills of overcoming contemporary challenges.
c) Compare and contrast between PPI and pastoral care for school -church
collaboration.
d) Analyze primary level learning outcomes for pedagogical content knowledge.
e) Appreciate the role of PPI plays in the primary school curriculum.

ASSIGNMENT

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Trace the development of PPI from 1964 to date in promoting values and spiritual
development in learning institutions

1.6 INTRODUCTION OF PPI (programmes of pastoral instructions)

Programmes of pastoral instruction deal with specific teachings of a particular faith

based on church doctrines and practices. Pastoral Instruction is therefore the kind of
teaching which shows concern for helping a pupil to be a better member of his or her own
church.

Pastoral care is the application of pastoral instruction. It is the actual caring of spiritual
needs of a person by an ordained church minister ‘pastor’ or ‘priest ‘. For example, after
a pupil has been taught the significance of baptism, she /he may realize the need to be
baptized. The actual baptism will have to be carried out by an ordained church minister.
This applies to administration of other church practices such as marrying off new couples
and general administration of sacraments.

Both the terms ‘pastoral Instruction ‘and ‘pastoral care’ share the word ‘pastoral’. The
word pastoral comes from the word ‘pastor’ which is the Latin word for shepherd. It is
worth noting that through pastoral Instruction and pastoral care, the pupils spiritual and
moral needs is catered for according to the teachings of their churches.

Church ministers are referred to as pastors because they care for their people the way a
shepherd cares for his/her sheep.

Importance of Programmes of pastoral instructions

 To cater for unique beliefs and practices of a particular Christian faiths that were
not included in the joint CRE syllabuses.
 To make the pupils mature and committed to their respective faiths in relation
their denominations.
 To give pupils the freedom to learn their faith and grow in the way in their parents
and churches teach them.
 To develop the spiritual and moral life of the pupils in accordance to the teachings
and practices of their faiths.

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  To allow pupils to exercise the freedom of conscience, expression, religion and
association.
 To promote unity in diversity. it trains pupils to respect and tolerate other people
and their faith.

Similarities between programmes of pastoral instruction and pastoral care

a) Both help pupils to be more committed and mature members of their own
churches. this is because the doctrines of the church are explained to the pupils in
details.
b) Both care and cultivate both the spiritual and moral life of the pupils according to
the teaching of their churches. the pupils are taught about kindness, perseverance,
forgiveness and respect
c) Both pupils’ freedom to learn their faith and grow in the way the parents and
churches teach them.
d) In both the Bible is the key reference book. This is because the teacher uses the
Bible in the same way the pastor uses the Bible to draw out the sermons for
preaching. The pupils are encouraged to read the Bible on their own in both cases
so as to gain better understanding and application of the scriptures.
e) The pastor and the teacher of programmes of pastoral instruction belong to the
same denomination. This is because they are well grounded in their faith. This
means that they are also committed to their faith. As they act as good role models
for the pupils to emulate.
f) The teacher emphasizes the church doctrines in class just as the pastor emphasizes
same during sermons

Differences between programs of pastoral instruction and pastoral Care

a) While programmes of pastoral instructions are handled by a qualified teacher who
uses professionally recommended methods and approaches such as, Life
Approach, Pastoral care can be handled by either an ordained church minister or a
lay leader . They can use any approaches suitable for achieving the set objective
of spiritual growth.

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 b) While the programmes of pastoral instruction follow official syllabuses made
jointly by the government and the churches, pastoral care has no rigid syllabus but
may be prompted by arising needs of the pupils at the time.
c) Teachers of Programmes of Pastoral Instruction are expected to make schemes of
work and lesson plans from the set syllabuses. Church ministers are not obliged to
make schemes and lesson plans in the provision of pastoral care.
d) Programmes of Pastoral Instructions are taught within the school curriculum and
are time tabled. They are taught to individual classes separately once a week.
pastoral care is provided outside class hours and is given to pupils of all classes
irrespective of age. It can be offered as many times as need be.
e) Programmes of pastoral instruction have specified textbooks to be used for each
class whereas in pastoral care pastors can use any relevant book of their choice
and the Bible as a reference book.
f) The organization and implementation of the programmes of pastoral instruction
are to be approved by the Ministry of Education while those used to provide
pastoral care are recommended by particular churches.
g) The texts book and other resources materials for teaching programmes of pastoral
instruction are to be approved by the Ministry of Education while those used to
provide pastoral care are recommended by particular churches.
h) Programmes of pastoral Instruction are concerned with educating learners on the
basic aspects of their faith whereas pastoral care involves the actual application of
what has been learnt in pastoral Instruction. for example, in pastoral Instruction.
pupils may be taught the gifts of the Holy spirit while during the pastoral care,
pupils may be allowed to exercise these gifts

Challenges facing the teaching of programme of pastoral instructions

 Lack of committed teachers because of the challenges the subject poses to

individual.
 Inadequate teachers of a particular faith to handle PPI from standard one to eight.
 PPI teachers may be poor role models and hence, fail to set good examples for
pupils to emulate.

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  Lack of knowledge and skills by some teachers on how to handle PPI effectively.
This may be due to lack of opportunities to attend in-service courses.
 Negative attitude of some headteachers and teachers who feel that this programme
is a waste of time. This is seen when they use the PPI lesson to teach other
subjects or fail to teach it all together.
 Lack of relevant teaching and learning materials such as textbooks and teaching
aid.
 Lack of adequate rooms to accommodate all pupils of different faiths during the
teaching of PPI.
 Negative attitude towards PPI by pupils and parents because it is not examinable.
Some pupils come from backgrounds which do not upholds Christian values and
as a result they are not keen on programs of pastoral instructions.
 Interference by the sponsors who may insist that the programme of pastoral
instruction of their faith should be the only one taught in that school. They may
also insist that the PPIs should be taught by their own personnel.
 Some teachers have heavy teachings load and may be reluctant to take up the PPI
lesson.
 Some teachers may view PPI’s as a likely source of disunity and hence be
unwilling to teach it. This is because when pupils are divided in different groups
according to their faiths it fails to promote the common understanding that they
are all Christians.
 Other teachers think that the subject is the responsibility of the clergy.
 Pupils whose parents are not of the same Christian faith may not know which
program of pastoral instruction their children should attend at school.
 Lack of good organizational skills by some head teachers may lead to poor
implementation of programme of pastoral instruction.

2.1 CREATION ACCOUNTS

Creation refers to Gods act of bringing the world and all life into being. To ‘create’
according to the book of Genesis, meant to put divine order into the universe without

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which it would revert the state of formless, confusion and disorder. In the first account,
creation was out of nothing. God uttered a word and His will was instantly fulfilled. He
said “Let there be …”and the immediate effect was “And it was …”. The second account
presents God as a molder. He molded Adam from dust.

First account of creation

This account of creation gives a record of what was created on specific days. God created
the world in six days and rested on the seventh day. Instantly, God uttered a word and His
will happened.

On the first day, God created light and saw it was good. He separated light from
darkness. He named light ‘Day’, and darkness ‘Night’.

On the second day, He divided waters above from the waters below by means of a
firmament. This was some kind of a solid dome, which pushed the pre-existing water
apart. This water above the firmament (which accounts for the rains) and the waters
beneath (in form of oceans. seas, lakes and rivers) He called the dome ‘sky’.

On the third day. God divided dry land from the water. The land appeared, as the waters
below the sky collected together to form ‘seas. God called the dry land ‘earth’. He also
created all kinds of vegetation including crops and trees.

On the fourth day. God created the sun, moon and stars. The lesser lights (stars and
moon) were to shine during the night and to rule it, while the greater light (sun) was to
rule the day. God separated day from night and established season, days and years.

On the fifty day, He created the birds of the air, fish and all other sea creatures. God
commanded them to reproduce and fill their habitat.

On the sixth day, God created all kinds of animals and completed His work by creating
human beings. He created human beings in His own image and likeness.

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God created both male and female and instructed them to reproduce and control the earth.
He put human in charge of all creation. The creation human beings marked the climax of
God’s creation work. God was pleased with His work and saw that it was good.

On the seventh day, God rested after completing His work of creation. This is the
sabbath which he chose, blessed and set apart as a day of rest

In summary

Day work Work of division and ornamentation

1 I Light and darkness

2 II Sky

3 III Land, Seas and Vegetation (grass,

herbs, trees)

4 IV Sun, Moon. Stars

5 V Birds and Sea creatures

6 VI Animals (Cattle and creeping animals)

Human beings (male and female)

7 VII Resting day

The Second Account of Creation

The second creation Account begins with the creation of the first human beings. The
creation of the earth and heavens is assumed to have already taken place. What is

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presented in this account are the stages that were followed by God with human beings at
the center of the created world as follows:

 God took some soil from the ground and formed man out of it.
 God breathed life-giving breath into the man’s nostrils and the man bean to live.
This means that man is totally dependent on God for survival.
 God created a woman out of the man’s rib. This illustrates the loving
complementary relationships between man and woman. This is seen in the fact
that as soon as Adam saw his wife, he realized that she was completely different
from other creatures. He exclaimed “At last, here is one of my kind -Bone taken
from my bone and flesh of my flesh. Woman is her name because she was taken
out of man.” This means that a man and a woman are the same in nature and
dignity. It should be noted that God created man and woman and wants them to
live in mutual love and companionship. This relationship is ideally fulfilled in
marriages.
 God planted a garden in Eden
 God then placed man in the beautiful garden from which he was to draw his
livelihood. God told Adam that he was to cultivate it and guard it so that it
continues to be a source of blessings. It is Gods desire that human beings should
lack nothing.
 God then created animal life, that is, various kinds of wild animals and birds. He
asked man to name them. This signifies the control God gives to human beings
over creation.
 God commanded man to eat fruits from every tree except from the tree of
knowledge of good and evil. This was the tree planted in the middle of the garden.
Eating from this tree would result in death. This command was a test on mans
trust of God as the loving provider. With all other trees provided to satisfy man’s
needs, there was no need for him to touch the forbidden tree.
 The knowledge of good and bad refers to the freedom of choices God has given to
human beings to choose between what is good and what is bad, with full
knowledge of the likely consequences of their actions. This is what is referred to
as the free will God has put in each one of us.

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Similarities between the first and second account of creation.

In both we observe the following similarities:

 God is acknowledged as the sole creator of the universe and everything in it. for
example, God worked without assistance and He created the world from nothing
but the power of His word as expressed in the phrase “Let there be ……”
 Creation includes both the living and non-living things. For example, God created
living things such as human beings, animals, sea creatures and nonliving things
include the sun, moon, stars mountains.
 Human beings are presented as special creatures. This is because they are the only
creatures that share in the life of God, for they were created in His image and
likeness and God breathed into the man’s nostrils the breath of life.
 Human beings were the only creatures given responsibilities by God which
included:
 to guard and care for the environment
 To procreate
 to work
 to worship God

Differences between the first account and the second account of creation.

 The creation of the firmaments, light, sun, moon, stars, fishes and
creeping things are included in the first account but omitted in the Second
account.
 In the second account there is the mention of the forbidden tree but the
first account makes no mention of it.
 The planting of the garden of Eden and the making of the rivers are in the
second account of creation but omitted in the
 In the first account of creation, the emphasis of marriage is for
procreation while in the second account is for companionship.

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  In the first account of creation everything that God created is good while
in the second account of creation there is no mention of the quality of the
things created.
 The work of creation was completed in six days and on the seventh day
God rested while in the second account of creation the order of creation is
not mentioned.
 In the first account of creation human beings were created last, on the
sixth day while in the second account of creation they were created first.
 Creation in the first account of creation is out of nothing but in the second
account of creation is out of a substance. For example, Man is made out
of the dust of the ground, the woman is made out of the man’s rib.

2.2 Attributes of God

An attribute refers to a characteristic of something or somebody. It is a specific quality

ascribed to a person. Gods attributes from the creation includes:

a) He is the sole creator. God is presented to have created the universe from
nothing.
b) God is self-existent. He was there before the creation. “In the beginning ….”
(Gen 1:1)
c) God is the sole source of life. this is illustrated the following three stages.
 The first stage shows how God brought the universe into being, that’s is
heaven and earth.
 The second stage shows how God created conscious life such as animals
 the third stage is where God finally created human beings
d) He is a personal God. for example, He creates human beings to be like Him so
that they may enjoy a personal and loving relationship with Him. God created
male and female so as to complement each other and live in a personal
relationship and companionship.
e) God is perfect and good. All that is created by God is perfectly good and gives
God joy. God was pleased with what He created therefor He is the source of
goodness and true happiness.

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 f) He is a moral God interested in the behavior of human beings. For example,
when human beings were placed in the garden of Eden, they are given rules and
regulations to govern their lives. If they broke them, they would be punished.
g) God is spirit. He is not made of matter. He is described t creation as the “spirit
moving over the water ….”
h) God is powerful (omnipotent) He uses the power of His word to create. He
simply spoke saying, “Let there be …….” And it happened.
i) God is a worker. Gods creative activity is described as work, which He
completed on the sixth day.
j) God is the provider and sustainer of the universe. God provided human beings
with all their needs.
k) He is a God of order and a great designer. This is illustrated in the fact that:
 In the first three days God separated light from darkness and divided
heaven and earth.
 In the last three days He furnished the heaven and earth, by placing the
soon, moon and the stars in the heavens, the fish in the waters, birds,
human beings and animals on earth.

THE FALL OF HUMANBEINGS AND ITS CONSEQUENSES

The two Biblical creation accounts of Genesis 1and 2 portray a perfect world in which
there is no evil, unhappiness, disorder, disharmony, disease or even death. For example:

 There was a perfect relationship between human beings and God.

 Man and woman lived in harmony
 Human beings and animals were in good relationship with the former
taking control of the latter.
 All created things were interdependent and in perfect harmony with the
environment.

However, as we move to Genesis chapters three to even, this beauty and order is
shattered and suffering enters into the world. The causes that led to the fall of humankind

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and the consequences of this fall are identified. The fall refers to the breakdown of the
harmonious relationship that existed between God and human beings as a result of sin.

Causes of the Fall

a) Temptation by Satan

Satan came disguised in the form of a snake and enticed Eve to eat the forbidden fruit
telling her: (Gen3:4-5) The woman seeing that the tree was good for food, pleasing to
the eyes and desirable for gaining wisdom, yielded to the temptation ate the fruit and
gave some to her husband.

b) Disobedience to the will of God

Adam and Eve disobeyed Gods command by eating the forbidden fruit from the trees
of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 3:16)

c) Greed and selfishness

Adam and Eve had been provided with enough food to eat and spare, but because of
greed, they went further and ate the forbidden fruit. (Gen 3;6) in (Gen11:1-5), human
beings were tempted by the desire for worldly glory. They wanted to control the
world by trying to build the tower of Babel with an ultimate aim of reaching the sky.

d) Human weakness

Due to human weakness and curiosity, Eve wanted to know why God had forbidden
them from eating the fruit from the forbidden tree.

e) Jealousy/ rivalry

The feelings of jealousy and rivalry caused Cain to kill Abel, his younger brother.
Cain was jealous of Abel because God accepted Abel’s sacrifice and rejected his
offerings (Gen 4)

f) Anger.

Anger led Cain to kill his brother Abel and as a result, God was angry with him.

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 g) Lack of self -control

Heavenly beings admired the beautiful girls on earth and married them and produced
giants

(Gen 6:1-4)

h) Pride

human beings’ pride is illustrated in challenging Gods authority and wanting to be

like God.

2.3 Consequences of the fall of Human Beings.

a) The friendship between human beings and God turned to that of fear of God (Gen
3:8)
b) Human beings were alienated from God. God chased Adam and Eve from the
Garden of Eden (Gen3:23-24)
c) The complementary relationships between husband and wife was changed. The
woman became subordinate to her husband. (Gen 3:16)
d) Pain, suffering and hardship became part of human experience, for example
 The woman would experience pain at childbirth.
 The man would toil and sweat to earn a living
e) Adam and Eve were ashamed of their nakedness, something they had never felt
before they sinned against God. For example, when God called Adam, he
answered: (Gen 3:10)
f) Work, which was not oppressive in the Garden of Eden, became a demanding task
and sometimes unproductive (Gen 3:17-19)
g) There is enmity between human beings and animals as expressed in God’s word
to the woman and serpent “I will make you and the woman hate each other; her
offspring will crush your head and you will bite her heel” (Gen 3:15)
h) The death sentence was passed upon all human beings.
i) Murder was introduced and human love for life was lost for example, Cain killed
his younger brother, Abel, out of envy (Gen 4:8)

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 j) The life span of human beings was reduced to 120 years. (Gen 6:3)
k) There arose a language problem and confusion. God confused human language
when human beings tried to build a tower to reach the sky (Gen 11:7)
l) Wickedness and evil thoughts increased on earth (Gen 6:5)
m) When Cain killed his brother Abel, he was cursed by God (Gen 4:11)

2.4 CARE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

In Christian Religious Education (CRE), caring for the environment is often

framed within the broader context of stewardship, responsibility, and respect for
creation as outlined in Christian teachings. Here’s how environmental care is
approached from a Christian perspective:
1. Stewardship of Creation: Christians are taught to view the Earth as God’s
creation, entrusted to humanity for stewardship. This concept comes from biblical
teachings such as Genesis 2:15, where Adam is placed in the Garden of Eden to
“work it and take care of it.” This implies a responsibility to manage and preserve
the environment.
2. Respect for God's Creation: The natural world is seen as a reflection of God’s
grandeur and creativity. Caring for the environment is an act of respect and
reverence for the Creator. Passages like Psalm 24:1, which states, "The Earth is
the Lord's, and everything in it," emphasize that the Earth belongs to God and
humanity is called to respect and care for it.
3. Ethical Living: Christian teachings often encourage ethical living, which includes
making environmentally conscious choices. This can involve reducing waste,
conserving resources, and living a lifestyle that minimizes harm to the
environment.
4. Love and Compassion: The principle of loving one's neighbor extends to caring
for the environment. Christians are encouraged to consider how environmental
degradation affects vulnerable communities and future generations, promoting
actions that support justice and compassion.

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 5. Simplicity and Moderation: Many Christian teachings advocate for simplicity
and moderation in lifestyle. This means avoiding excessive consumption and
valuing sustainable living practices that reduce one's ecological footprint.
6. Community and Advocacy: Christian communities are often involved in
advocating for environmental justice and supporting policies that protect the
environment. This can include participating in local and global efforts to address
climate change and environmental degradation.
7. Creation Care Ministries: Some Christian denominations and organizations
have specific ministries or programs focused on environmental care, promoting
sustainable practices and environmental education within the faith community.
8. Prayer and Reflection: Environmental care can also be incorporated into
spiritual practices, including prayer and reflection on one's role in creation. This
helps to align personal and communal actions with spiritual values.
Overall, Christian Religious Education encourages believers to view
environmental care as an integral part of their faith and moral responsibility,
emphasizing the interconnectedness of spiritual, ethical, and ecological
considerations.

3.0 THE BIBLE

The word ‘Bible’ comes from a Greek word biblia which means ‘books’. The word bible
is a collection of Christian books. The bible is accepted by all Christians in the world as a
written word of God.

3.1 Justify why the Bible is referred to as the word of God

 The bible is the word of God because it was inspired by God. “All scripture is
inspired by God’’ (2Timothy 3:16). The Bible was written by about 40 different
writers all under Gods inspiration.
 The scripture gives clear indication that the Bible is the word of God as it has
been transmitted historically through events and perfectly realized in Jesus Christs
( Hebrews 1:1-2) “in the past ,God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets
many times in various ways ,but in these last days He has spoken to us through

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 His son ,whom He appointed heir to all things and through whom he made the
universe “with this confirmation ,therefore ,the bible is seen as a revelation of the
history of salvation .
 The Bible is God’s word as He Himself took part in the writing. In Exodus 34:1
“The lord said to Moses “, ‘Cut two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will
write on them the words that were on first tablets …...’
 It is a source of guidance for Christians especially on good moral principles for
daily living (2 Timothy 3:16)
 The Bible is Gods message which should not be distorted. saint john warns those
who read the Holy scriptures not to distort the message lest Gods anger flares
against them. (Revelation 22:18-19)
 The Bible deals with Gods revelation to human beings and their responses to Him.
It contains the will of God for humankind.

Assignment

1) Examine ways through which the bible is used in lesson facilitation.

2) Generate learning experiences in a CRE lesson on Bible as the inspired word
of God
3) Value the teachings in Bible as the word of God.

3.2 WRITING OF THE BIBLE (PROJECT)

By the end of the sub-strand the teacher trainee should be able to;

Analyze the process of writing the Bible to enhance pedagogical content.

Discuss the significance of different writing styles in the bible.

Examine challenges faced by authors of the bible.

Formulate key inquiry questions on bible as the word of God from CRE grade 5 design.

Recognize the bible as inspired word of God containing principles of Christian living.

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The writing of the Bible.
The authors lived over a period of 12 centuries

The Bible is the oldest document in human history

Before the writing of the Bible the stories about God were transmitted by the word of

mouth from one generation to another.

The Hebrews collected and wrote down these stories about God.

Some stories were not good enough to be included in the Bible and were left.

The Bible today is a product of many years collection, sorting and editing

All the Bible authors were Jews except Luke who wrote the third Gospel was a gentile

Writing of the aid vearana een chring the exile of the Old Testament books.

The Old Testament books were written during the exile period

The Old Testament contains 39 books wh₩liewthollo Bible has 6 additional making
45books.

Reasons why Old Testament was written

It was meant to preserve the Jewish history because those who knew were growing old
and dying.

They wanted to have a permanent document to circulate among the Jews in dispersior

It was written to encourage the Jewish people who were suffering in exile

To be used during the worship in the synagogues

They wanted to ensure that no distortion of information was made

God influenced authors to write the Bible and this caused the urge to write the Bible

The availability of the writing materials encouraged the writing of the Bible

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The Old Testament was written by hand using a stylus pen on leather scrolls

Each book was written on a separate scroll as some were found near Dead Sea by 1947

They had been kept in sealed large clay pots and kept in caves.

The book of Isaiah is currently displayed in Israel museum in Jerusalem

The Old Testament contains 39 books whose process lasted for 1000 years

The writing of the New Testament books

The writing of the New Testament took 30 years after the dead of Jesus Christ

The disciples of Jesus passed the word, life and ministry of Jesus through the word of
mouth.

The New Testament contains 27 books.

Reasons why the New Testament was written.

The eye witnesses of Jesus started dying natural death and through persecution

They wanted to correct false doctrine about Jesus and his teachings

They wanted the document to be used in different parts of the world by the new converts.

To be used to encourage Christians who were undergoing persecution

It was meant to preserve the teachings of Jesus for future generation.

The writers were influenced by the Holy Spirit that gave them the urge to write the

It was written to address emerging issues in various churches during persecution period

The printing technology encouraged the writing of the New Testament.

The first New Testament books were the Epistles written by St Paul to churches in
AMinor and Europe.

This was followed by the Gospel of Mark then Mathew, Luke and John by ACE 7C

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The New Testament books were collected and written over a period of 100 years

Despite many writers they had common subject of God and were written in the Roman
Empire

It was at the time when the Holy Books and the Bible had been decreed to be destroyed
and buried during the renaissance period

The Roman Empire didn't succeed in destroying the Bible

3.3 Books of the Bible

Major division of the bible

The Bible is divided into two major sections, the old and new testaments.

Testament is a Latin word which means covenant or agreement. the old covenant was
made between God and the Israelites through Moses while the new covenant was made
between God and human kind through Jesus Christ. The old testament generally has 39
books. The catholic Bible has Six additional books commonly referred to as Deutero-
Canonical or books of the apocrypha which means ‘hidden’ or ‘secret ‘.

An example of the Catholic bible includes, The Jerusalem Bible, the common Bible and
the African bible which contains 45 books in the old testament and 27 in the new
testament.

The Old Testament Section

Books of the Law

These are the first five books of the old testament. Also referred to as Pentateuch or the
Torah. Torah is a Hebrew word which means law. They contain laws about the whole life
of the people of Israel. These laws are related to moral, criminal, health as well as
religious issues. These books are commonly referred to as the books of Moses because it

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Moses who gave the Israelites their first divine laws when he gave them the ten
commandments at Mount Sinai.

The books also contain the history of Israelites, from the creation of the universe to the
time they entered the promised land, Canaan.

They include;

 Genesis
 Exodus
 Leviticus
 Numbers
 Deuteronomy

Books of history

They give a record of Israel’s history from Moses’s death to the time the Israelites
crossed the river Jordan into Canaan until their return from exile in Babylon.

The events recorded stretch from about 1250BCE to 587BCE when the kingdom of Judah
fell to the Babylonians.

The books of Ezra and Nehemiah record the events that took place after the period of
exile had ended.

The two books are concerned with the resettlement of the Jews who had returned to their
homeland, Judah after exile.

They also deal with the re-organization of Jewish life and worship.

 Joshua
 Judges
 Ruth
 1and 2 Samuel
 1and2 Kings
 1and2 Chronicles

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  Ezra
 Nehemiah
 Esther

Books of poetry

They are referred to as the ‘Writings’ or Books of Wisdom. The books consist of wisdom
literature that served different purposes in the lives of the nation of Israel.

The books contain wise teachings.

The books are rich in poems and many of them were sung during worship while others in
feasts and funerals. Many of the psalms talk of the history, victory and defeat in wars of
Israel and about praise and thanksgiving to God. They include;

 Psalms
 Proverbs
 Ecclesiastes
 Songs of Solomon.

Books of prophecy

They are 17 in number and are sub-divided into major and minor prophets.

The term major does not mean that the Major prophets are more important than the
minor prophets.

They are called major because they are long and contain many chapters.

These books are of great value for they contain prophecies that were written by men from
different social and economic backgrounds. These people were chosen by God and spoke
His will

Major prophets

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  Isaiah
 Jeremiah
 Lamentations
 Ezekiel
 Daniel

Minor prophets

 Hosea
 Joel
 Amos
 Obadiah
 Jonah
 Micah
 Nahum
 Habakkuk
 Zephaniah
 Haggai
 Zachariah
 Malachi

The New Testament

Contains 27 books and are categorized in four groups;

The Gospels

The word Gospel is derived from the Greek word god spell which means good news or
tidings the gospels contains the Good News of the kingdom of God as proclaimed by
Jesus Christ. Matthew, Mark and Luke are called Synoptic Gospels because they have a
similar way of recording the life and teaching of Jesus.

Saint Mark was the first to be written in about 70ACE and formed the main source of
reference for other Gospel writers. They include;

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  Matthew
 Mark
 Luke
 John

Books of history

There is only one book of history in the new testament which was written by Saint Luke.

This is the Acts of the Apostles. It records the history of the early church from the day of
Pentecost.

It also records the preaching of the Good News by the apostles, especially Saint Paul.
These Apostles founded new churches in the places they preached and the main emphasis
of preaching was about the risen Christ whose mission was to save the whole world; Jews
and Gentiles.

Letters/Epistles

There are 21Epistles which are categorized in two groups: Pauline Epistles and General
Epistles.

Pauline Epistles

There are 13 in number and were written by saint Paul. They include:

 Romans
 1and 2 Corinthians
 Galatians
 Philippians
 Colossians
 1 and 2 Thessalonians
 Titus
 Philemon
 1 and 2 Timothy

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Saint Paul wrote letters to different Christians communities in response to specific
problems that were facing the individual churches. He exhorted them to remain strong in
their faith in Christ.

General Epistles

They are eight in number. They include:

 Hebrews
 James
 1 and 2 Peter
 1,2 and 3 John
 Jude

The authors of these letters are not generally known. Their content can apply to any
situation and any time. They are not limited to time and space therefor they are called
universal letters because they are not addressed to a specify church or individual.

The books of prophecy

The new testament contains one book of prophecy called Revelation which is the last
book in the New Testament. It was written by Saint John who also wrote the fourth
gospel.

Revelation is also referred to as apocalypse which is a Greek word called which means
revelation or disclosure. Its language is believed to be difficult to understand for many
symbols and metaphors are used which need interpretation.

RESEARCH ON:

a) Explore the factors that influenced writing of different books in the bible.
b) Analyze the competencies applied by writers of the books of the bible writing
old and new Testaments.

3.4 Versions of the Bible

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A version refers to the language used in the translation of the Bible. A version attempts
to make the Bible content better to understand by readers. Some version uses difficult
words while others use simple language. All the versions of the Bible are to be translated
from the original Hebrew text (old testament) and Greek text (New testament) in order to
maintain the original meaning of words. Some versions include:

 King James Version

 Revised Standard Version
 New International Bible
 Good News Bible
 New English Bible
 The Jerusalem Bible
 The Gideons International Bible
 The African Bible
 The Living Bible
 New King James Bible
 The Youth Bible

The effects of Bible translation

Improved communication among different people of the world

Made the Bible be read and understood easily
Created job opportunities for those involved in translation and printing
It has helped to deepen the faith of the Christians
It has led to the establishment of bookshops
It has facilitated the spread of the Gospel
It has led to the establishment of printing press
It has increased research in religious beliefs of the people
It has led to identification of tribes and languages
It has encouraged ecumenical cooperation and togetherness
It has led to the rise of independent Churches with African doctrines
It has led to expansion of the church in the world
Translation centers became schools and colleges
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 It has improved intercultural exchange and practices worldwide

RESEARCH ON

a) Rationale for having different versions of the Bible.

b) Examine the advantages of different versions of the Bible for posterity.

3.5 COVENANTS

A covenant is a serious and binding agreement between two people or two groups of
people. Other terms used for a covenant are pact or treaty.

A covenant can be made between a superior and an inferior one. For example, a king
may sign a treaty with his subjects. In religious circles it involves God, as a superior
party, making an agreement with an individual.

ELEMENTS OF COVENANTS

1) Promises.

Each party involved in the covenant has to make public vows to keep the terms of the
covenant.

2) Witnesses

There must be other people present to witness to the promises made by those
involved

3) Ceremony/ritual

In most cases there is always a ceremony held to seal the covenant. In this ceremony
there is great feasting and celebration, exchange of gifts and prayers.

4) Sign/symbol

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 Most covenants have a sign to signify that an agreement between the two parties has
taken place. the signs include:

 payment of bride-wealth (in marriage)

 Issuing of a certificate
 Issuing of a ring
 Employment letter in new job appointment.
5) Obligations /condition

In any covenant, there are specific obligations or conditions set for each party. For
example, what obligations are expected to be fulfilled:

 By husband and wife in marriage?

 By head of state and his/her subjects?
 By a priest /pastor to his /her congregation?
 By an employer and employee?
6) Consequences

These refers to the results of either keeping or breaking the covenant promises.
Generally, there is a reward for keeping the covenant and punishment for breaking it.

7) Two or more parties /individuals

A covenant can only be affected if there are two individuals, or two groups of people
who want to establish a relationship.

Types of covenants

1) Marriage, for example

 Customary marriage (common law marriage). The couple marries in
accordance to the customs of their respective communities.
 Civil marriage in which a couple makes their public declarations before a
government official. The marriage is then registered and the couple gets a
marriage certificate.

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  Church marriage in which the couple exchanges promises before an
ordained pastor or priest in the presence of Christian witnesses.
2) Baptism
This is a Christian agreement in which a new convert enters into covenant
relationship with God. She/he promises to keep Gods commandments and the
teachings of the church. The vows are made in church before God, the priests
/pastor and the whole congregation. In churches where infant baptism is allowed,
the parents take the vows on behalf of the child. The child will later be confirmed
and take personal vows. Baptism enables, the new convert to:
 Become a child of God
 Have his/her sins forgiven
 Become a full member of the church
3) Ordination of a church minister
This is a covenant in which a church minister such as a priest /pastor makes with
God in the presence of the congregation. She/he promises to serve God faithfully
by rendering humble services to the community. The congregation is the witness
to his promise.
4) Oath of loyalty
This oath is taken by those assigned to serve in a government. Examples of those
who take oaths include a head of state, ministers, and judges. They take vows to
serve the nation and its citizens without fear or favor by upholding the
constitutional rights of every citizens. There is an official ceremony witnessed by
members of the public
5) Employment contracts.
This is an agreement which the employer and the employee sign before
commencing work. The rights and duties of both sides are stipulated and the
consequences of breaking the duties outlined. Therefore, the contract binds the
two parties into a relationship of mutual respect, honesty and fairness in the
course of discharging their duties.
6) Land contracts

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 This is an agreement, which is entered between the buyer of the piece of land and
the seller. The process is certified before the Lands Board which exists at both
divisional and district levels. The title deed is surrender by the seller and then
issued to the buyer as a proof that the person is the legitimate owner of the land.

Importance of covenants

 They promote peaceful and harmonious living among people, for example,
peace treaties signed between warring parties.
 They promote accountability to and trustworthiness between the two parties.
 They help people to have confidence in their leaders especially when they
witness the swearing in ceremony.
 They foster commitment to one another and bring unity between individuals
or communities that were separated before
 They foster faithfulness in relationships among people through the vows
taken.
 They enlighten citizens on their rights especially, the employment contracts.
 They preserve the sanctity of life, for example, peace pacts made between
warring communities.
 They promote good governance especially those undertaken by leaders in
society.

COVENANTS IN THE BIBLE.

3.5.0ABRAHAMIC COVENANT

God's covenant with Abraham

(Genesis 12:1-9, 15:1-21, 17:1-16)

 Abraham was the son of Terah who lived with his family in Ur near river
Euphrates in Babylon.
 Abraham had two brother Haran and Nahor.
 Haran had a son called Lot and Abraham had a wife called Sarai and was
childless.
 They lived among the moon worshipers.
 Abraham migrated to Haran where his father died.

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  It was in Haran when God appeared to him through a vision and promised the
land of Canaan
 Abraham was 75 years old when he left Haran to the Promised Land. When they
arrived in Canaan God appeared to him once more and gave him his promises.
 Abraham build two alters in Shechem and in Bethel in honor of God. (Alter is
Hebrew word meaning slaughter)
 God chose Abraham as the father of nations. Abraham wanted assurance from
God on the fulfillment of promises and he was asked to prepare for a ceremony
 He was told to select
 a three-year-old heifer,
 a three-year-old she goat
 a three-year-old ram,
 a turtle dove and
 a young pigeon.
 He was to cut them into two halves and arrange on opposite side in two rows.
 Abraham did not cut the birds.
 The vultures came down for the carcasses and Abraham chased them away.
 The vultures signified slavery in Egypt and chasing them signified liberation.
 While in a sleep God spoke to him in a vision and told him that his descendants
will be strangers in foreign land for 400 years put will leave with great
possessions.
 He was also promised to live to a ripe age and die in piece.
 When it was dark God passed between the halves of the sacrificial animals in
form of a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch.
 This was making of covenant between God and Abraham where God was the sole
maker of this covenant.
 Abraham was prepared to lie like a sacrificial lamb if failed to keep the promises
 Abraham showed his obedience accepting to prepare a sacrifice.
 He was 99 years when God appeared to him to repeat the promises to him.
 Abraham changed their names from Abram to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah

Promises God made to Abraham

 He was Promised Land (Canaan)

 Many descendants Son (Isaac)
 A great nation
 Blessings to him and his descents
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  Protection
 Blessings to other nations
 A great name
 To curse those who curse him
 Promised many years to live
 To die at old age peacefully

3.5.1 MOSAIC COVENANT

God`s Covenant with Moses

Exodus 19:4-6, 20:1-17, 24:1-8)

 When the Israelites reached Mt Sinai, they set up camp at the foot of the
Mountain.
 Moses went alone up the Mt to meet God. He had a role of a mediator between
Israelites and God.
 God asked Moses to remind the Israelites of how he saved them from slavery and
guarded them through the wilderness
 God had again an initiative to enter into a covenant relationship with Israelites if
they were willing to obey him.
 God revealed his character to Israelites through his activity in the desert journey.
The Israel's election placed them in a special situation of a great moral
relationship responsibility
 God is the lord of all the earth and Israelites would learn the meaning of
monotheism away from moon worshipers. Israelites were willing to obey God's
commandments and Mosses was called and given the ten commandments
generally referred to as Decalogue Exodus 20:1-17). The 10 commandments are
absolute laws and express the unconditional demands of the covenant
relationship. The Ten Commandments are divided into two categories.
 The first four defines people's duty to God and the last six defines people's duty
towards others.

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 First four

1 Worship no other God but me

2, Do not make for yourself images

3, Do not use my name for evil purposes

4. Observe the Sabbath and keep it holy

Last six

5. Respect your father and your mother

6. Do not commit murder

7. Do not commit adultery

8. Do not steal

9. Do not accuse anyone falsely

10. Do not desire another man's property

 The covenant was sealed at Mt. Sinai with the following stages
 Moses built an alter at the foot of the Mountain
 Supported the alter with twelve pillars of stone to represent twelve tribes of Israel.
 Young men sacrificed oxen as fellowship sacrifice
 Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls
 Moses splashed the other half of the blood on the altar as a sign God's presence
 Moses read the book of the covenant the Ten Commandments
 The Israelites promised to obey God
 Moses took the blood in the bowls and sprinkled it on Israelites
 Moses said this is the blood that seals the covenant which the Lord made with you
when he gave all these commandments. (Exodus 24:8.)

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David as an ancestor of Jesus Christ

In 2 Samuel 7, we see David expressing a concern and desire to build a temple for God
because he felt that it was not fair for the Ark of covenant to continue dwelling in the tent
while he himself lived in a magnificent palace. As the God-fearing man he consulted
prophet Nathan to find whether it was in order to do so.

He consulted prophet Nathan who approved the plan. However, God appeared to the
prophet that night. Nathan was sent to tell David that his son was going to build a Temple
for him instead God wanted David to clearly understand His character, that He cannot be
confined in a building or a fixed place. He was a God different from other gods, He was
living everywhere (omnipresent). However, God through Prophet Nathan, then made a
covenant with David in which He made the following divine promises

1) God would make David’s name great.

2) God would give Israelites a place (land) to settle in.
3) God would protect David from his enemies. God would always rise an heir sit on
David’s throne.
4) God would protect Israel from any form of political oppression. Israel would live
in peace.
5) David would be buried with his ancestors.
6) God would establish an everlasting kingdom for David.
7) God would raise a messiah through David’s lineage.
8) David’s son would build a temple for God.
9) God would always support David.
10) God would always bless the David and his Descendants.
11) God would punish David’s son when they did wrong the way a father punishes a
son when he does wrong.

These promises were fulfilled during the reign of King Solomon, especially the building
of the Temple.

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The promise of an everlasting dynasty is interpreted to have been fulfilled in the life and
ministry of Jesus Christ.

David received the prophecy from Nathan, later the old Testament prophets like
Jeremiah, Isaiah and Ezekiel also received revelations from God to prophesy hope to the
people of Israelites about the coming of a righteous king from the lineage of David. Their
prophecies were made at a time when the Israelites were undergoing a very trying
moment in their history.

The kings who ruled after David did not quite uphold the standards he had set.

They disobeyed the covenant and led the people astray. Some years later God punished
the Israelites by sending them into exile in foreign countries -Assyria (in 722BC) and
Babylon (in 587 BC). The Israelites suffered and yearned for a period when they could
live in peace just like in the days of their ancestor David. They looked forward to a time
when God would appoint a king to restore David’s dynasty.

God kept His promises about the righteous king and fulfilled it through Jesus Christ

The following passages in the New Testament attest to the fact that Jesus was the
promised one who would establish an everlasting kingdom

 In Luke 1:26-33 records the angel Gabriel’s declaration (annunciation) of the

birth of Jesus to Mary who was engaged to Joseph a descendant of David. The
passage states further that God would give Jesus the throne of his father David;
and his kingdom would never end (Luke 1:33)
 In Luke 2:4-5 Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem to take the census that had
been ordered by the Roman government. Jesus was born there. Bethlehem was
there for the birth place of David and Jesus as well.
 Luke 2:10-11 mentions that an angel of the lord announced the birth of the savior
in the town of David (Bethlehem) to the shepherds.
 Matthew 1:1 presents the genealogy (ancestral line) of Jesus Christ the son of
David, the son of Abraham.

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  The blind man at Jericho addressed Jesus as “Son of David” and looked to him to
restore his sight. (Luke 18:38)
 During the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem in Matthew 21:9, the crowds
who met Him sang with joy and shouted ‘Hosanna to the son of David …...’ This
means that they recognized Jesus as the son of David.
 On the day of Pentecost as it is recorded in Acts 2, the apostle Peter addressed the
crowd that had come for this annual celebration. He referred to Jesus as a
descendant of David.
 Zachariah in Benedictus says that God has raised up a savior descendant from the
house of David (Luke 1:69)

Qualities of a leader as seen from King David’s Leadership

1) He had wisdom
David laid the foundation for organized civil administration when he chose wise
elders to assist him run the Kingdom (2 Sam 8:15-18). His wisdom is also shown
when he made Jerusalem the capital and religious city because of its neutral
position. This helped to unite the twelve tribes of Israel (2 Sam 5,6).
2) He had humility
He humbled himself before God and the people understand that he was not above
God. When he failed, he sought forgiveness. When leaders fail in their line of
duty, they should humbly seek forgiveness instead of making others their
scapegoats. A humble leader is one who is ready to confess his or her mistakes
even to those who are subordinate to him or her and ask for forgiveness.
3) He was faithful to God
He had faith in God and relied upon Him for guidance. He accepted Nathan and
God as Gods spokesmen and sought their wise counsel on many issues. By doing
the above, he promoted Yahwism (monotheism). Even today, when leaders
express their faith in God, they gain Gods favor in what they do (2 Sam 6,7)
4) He was brave

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 David showed his bravery and courage when he led his army and fought many
battles against the enemies of Israel during their occupation of Cannan. He fought
and subdued the Jebusites, Philistines and the Amalekites. (2 Sam 8-10)
5) He was thankful
David remembered to thank God for all that He had done for him and the
Israelites. To David, God came first and he had to show this gratitude through
prayer (2 Samuel 7 :18-29, 8:11).
6) He was compassionate
David showed compassion to those who offended him. He forgave them. David
spared the life of Saul even though he had plotted to kill him. David also forgave
Absalom for killing Ammon. He did not revenge but instead showed compassion.
David deeply mourned the death of Saul and Jonathan as another sign that had a
compassionate heart.
7) He was loyal
David was loyal to his work. He understood that his role was God-given and he
was therefore, loyal to his people who respected him. He made an agreement with
the northern and southern tribes who promised to be loyal to him.

8) He was respectful
He showed respect for power and authority. He understood that God appointed
him and therefor he respected God and His spokesmen. He respected Gods choice
of Saul even though Saul plotted to kill Him
Failures of King David
1) David coveted and committed adultery with Bathsheba, a wife of his soldier
called Uriah. This was against the Decalogue which forbade covetousness and
adultery.
2) When Bathsheba became pregnant, David conspired to have Uriah sleep with her
to conceal that he (David) was actually the one who impregnated her. This plan
did not work out. He further planned to have Uriah killed, he broke another
commandment, ‘Thou shall not kill’

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 3) Towards the end of his reign, David committed yet another sin, David ordered a
census to be taken against the wishes of God. A terrible plague befell his people
as a punishment from God. He repented and sacrificed to God and the plague was
removed

4.0 THE PERSON OF JESUS CHRIST

4.1 Infancy narratives (Matthew 2:1-15, Luke :1-5-80,2:1-52)

By the end of the sub-strand the teacher trainee should be able to:

a) Analyze the infancy narratives on the birth of Jesus from the books of the gospel
b) Draw lessons from the infancy narratives for self-efficacy.
c) Analyze values integrated in the primary CRE design
d) Appreciate the importance of infancy narratives for personal reflections.

The infancy narratives refer to the stories of:

 The annunciation of the birth of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ.
 The birth of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ
 The early life of Jesus Christ.

The annunciation of the birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:5-25)

Isaiah prophesied about the coming of the messiah. However, before the coming of the
messiah, God would send a messenger to prepare the way for His coming:

………. the Lord Almighty answers; I will send my messenger to prepare the way
for me…. (Malachi 3:1)

This prophecy was fulfilled in the birth and work of John the Baptist who prepared the
way for Jesus Christ.

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Angel Gabriel announced the birth of John during the reign of King Herod the Great who
ruled Judea. At that time there lived an old couple, Zachariah (means God has
remembered) and Elizabeth (God has sworn)

They were both righteous before God

They kept Gods commandments and fulfilled their obligations towards their neighbors

However, they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren

It was during Zachariah’s turn to administer in the temple to burn incense when Angel
Gabriel appeared to him. He stood at the right-hand side of the altar.

The rest of the people were outside praying. Zachariah was disturbed and overcome with
fear at the sight of the angel.

The angel said to Zachariah, “Don’t be afraid, Zachariah! God has heard your prayer, and
your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son. You are to name him John” (Luke 1:13)

The angel stated that John would play an important role as follows:

 He would be great in the sight of the Lord. This implies that he would be a
great prophet filled with the Holy spirit like prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:5)
 He would be a Nazarite. A Nazarite was a person who fully dedicated himself to
God by taking a vow to serve Him. He was bound by the vow not to cut his hair
or to drink any wine or strong drink until the period of consecration was over
(Numbers 6:1-12)
 He would have the qualities of prophet Elijah I.e. prayerfulness, courage,
loyalty.
 He would fulfill the prophecy of Malachi in which God promised to send His
messenger, Elijah before the Day of the Lord. His role would be to “…. bring
fathers and children together again ….” (Malachi 4:5-6). These words indicate
that Johns mission would be that of reconciliation between human beings and
God.
 He would prepare the way for the messiah.

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Zachariah could not believe the angels message because he was an old man and his wife
was barren. He was therefore asked for a sign.

When Zachariah refused to believe the angel, he was struck dumb until the day God
fulfilled His message to Him.

Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zachariah and wondered why he had taken so
long in the temple.

When he came out, he could not speak to them and they realized that he had received a
vision while in the temple.

When his time of service ended, he went home and after sometimes, his wife conceived.

Lessons learnt from the annunciation of the birth of John the Baptist.

1) Christians should not doubt Gods messages as Zachariah was made dumb since he
doubted Gods message.
2) God is powerful – God allowed Elizabeth to carry and bear a child at her old age
though she was barren.
3) God is a source of joy and blessing- He gave Zachariah the hope for a child though
he was old.
4) They should be patient- Zachariah did not lose focus on Gods blessings till its
fulfillment.
5) Christians should live righteous and blameless lives.
6) Christians should be prayerful

Annunciation of the birth of Jesus (Luke 1: 26-38)

During the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, Angel Gabriel was sent by God to a
town in Galilee called Nazareth.

He had a message for a young woman called Mary who had been engaged to a man
named Joseph, from the house of David.

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According to Jewish marriage customs, engagement took place a year before the actual
marriage.

It was fully valid and binding covenant. However, the couple did not live together until
after the engagement period was over.

When the angel appeared to Mary, he greeted her: “…Peace be with you! The lord is with
you and has greatly blessed you! (Luke 1:28).

The angel acknowledged that Mary was blessed among all women. Like Zachariah before
her, Mary was greatly troubled and wondered in her heart what kind of greetings this
was.

But the angel assured her not to be afraid because God had chosen her among all women
to become the mother of the messiah.

She was going to conceive and bear a son whom she was to name Jesus. Like many of the
Jewish names, which had symbolic meaning, the name Jesus means, “God (Yahweh)
saves”.

The angel made the following revelation about the child to be born:

 Jesus was going to be great.

 He was going to be the son of the Highest.
 He would be given the throne of His father, David, to rule forever.
 He was going to be an Everlasting King and His Kingdom would have no end.
 He was to save people from sin.
 His conception was to effected by the power of the Holy spirit.
 He would inherit the throne of King David
 He would be a holy child

The angel told her that her cousin, Elizabeth, who had been barren, was six months
pregnant. Mary finally accepted the angel’s message and submitted herself to Gods will.

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It is clear from this account that the conception of Jesus was going to be unique and the
work of God Himself. Isaiah had prophesied that the spirit would rest on the messiah
(Isaiah 11:2)

This is the spirit of God we read about in the creation.

Similarities between the annunciation of the birth of John the Baptist and Jesus

1) Both annunciations were made by the angel Gabriel.

2) In both the names of the children to be born are given
3) In both the children to be were to be males.
4) Both divine interventions were there in conception.
5) In both there is some element of doubt.
6) In both the announcement was made to Godfearing people.
7) In both the mission of children was given.
8) In both Zachariah and Mary were afraid.
9) In both the annunciation was given to first born children.
10) In both the birth were prophesied in the old testament.

Difference between the annunciation of the birth of John the Baptist and Jesus.

1) Annunciation of John was made to the father (Zachariah) while that of Jesus
was made to his mother (Mary).
2) The baptism of John was going to be by water while Jesus was to be baptized by
holy spirit.
3) Annunciation of John was done in the Temple while that of Jesus was done in
Mary’s house.
4) Zachariah doubted because he was old whereas Mary doubted because she was a
virgin.
5) Zachariah was a given a sign of being dumb until the baby was born while Mary
was given a sign by being told that Elizabeth was pregnant.
6) John the Baptist was conceived biologically whereas Jesus Christ was conceived
by the holy spirits intervention.

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 7) The mission of John was to prepare the way for the messiah while Jesus Christ
would be the lord who ruled forever.

Differences of work of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ

1) John the Baptist was to be a fore runner of Jesus Christ while Jesus was to be
messiah.
2) John preached in the wilderness while Jesus Christ preached in synagogue, cities
and towns.
3) John called for repentance while Jesus Christ forgave sins.
4) John was a Nazarite while Jesus Christ mixed freely with people.
5) John preached the coming of messiah while Jesus Christ preached by Gods
kingdom.
6) John gave direct messages while Jesus Christ spoke in parables.
7) Disciples of John fasted while those of Jesus ate and drunk.
8) John did not perform miracles while Jesus did.

Mary Visits Elizabeth (1:39-56)

After Angel Gabriel left her, Mary went to visit her cousin Elizabeth -Zachariah’s wife.
They lived in a small town of Judah commonly identified as Ain Karim, about five
kilometers west of Jerusalem.

As soon as Mary greeted her cousin, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leapt with joy.

Elizabeth was then filled with the Holy spirit who revealed to her that Mary was going to
be the mother of the Messiah and the most blessed among all women.

Mary response to Elizabeth’s remarks is in her hymn known as the Magnificat in Latin.

Its ideas and expressions were drawn from the Old Testament scriptures such as psalms
98:3,103:17 and 126:3.

The Magnificat bears a great resemblance to Hannah’s hymn in Samuel 2:1-10.

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It is a song of Mary’s expression of joy and gratitude to God, her savior for the mighty
favour towards her and through her to the whole world.

In this song Mary cited;

1) Her soul glorifies the lord.

2) Her spirit rejoiced in lord.
3) God was mindful of his humble servant.
4) All generations would call her blessed.
5) God had done great things to her.
6) Holy was the name of lord.
7) God was merciful to those who hear Him.
8) God had performed mighty things
9) God scatters the proud.
10) He fills the hungry.
11) He reminds Israelites his servants of His mercy.

Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months and returned to her home.

From the song Christian learn that:

 God is holy.
 God exalts the lowly.
 God humbles the proud.
 God is merciful, especially to the righteous.
 God is faithful and keeps His promises.
 He feeds the hungry.
 God deserves praises.
 God is almighty and powerful
 God is a source of blessings

Gods promises would be fulfilled through the birth of Jesus Christ, the savior of the
world.

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Lessons Christian learn from the incidence Mary’s visit to Elizabeth

1) Christians should learn to visit their relatives and friends

2) Christians should serve their brothers and sisters with joy and gratitude in their
hearts.
3) Christians should trust in God.
4) Christians should be humble for God, protects and raises the lowly as depicted in
the magnificent.
5) Christians should always thank God at the fulfillment of their promises.

The birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:57-80)

When John was born, his parents Elizabeth and Zachariah were filled with joy.

Relatives and friends came to celebrate since God had fulfilled His promise to the old
couple.

John was circumcised a week after he was born and named according to Jewish custom.

During the Naming ceremony those present thought he would be named Zachariah after
his father.

However, Elizabeth and Zachariah insisted that the baby be called John.

To confirm this, Zachariah wrote down on a writing tablet, the name John.

Immediately his tongue became loose and he was able to speak again and praise God.

The people present were astonished and wondered in their hearts what this child would
turn out to be.

Zachariah was filled with the Holy spirit and like Mary, he sang a hymn, which is
referred to in Latin as the Benedictus. The hymn consists of several quotations from the
psalms and from the Jewish circumcision ritual.

The first part praises God for His great saving action in history:

 Praise be to God the God of Israel.

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  He is a redeemer because He has saved His people from sin.
 He has brought salvation from the house of his servant David.
 He who has shown mercy to our ancestors.
 He who remembers his holy covenant.
 He who enables us to serve him without fear in holiness and forgiveness.
 God fulfils the promises that He made to Abraham and through the prophets in the
Old Testament.

The second part of the song consists of Zachariah’s prophecy about the future
mission of John:

 He would be a prophet of God.

 He would prepare the way for the messiah.
 He would give people knowledge about salvation.
 He would call human beings to repentance of their sins.
 He would give light to the world.
 He would give human beings peace in their hearts.

And John grew strong in spirit and lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly.

Similarities between the Magnificant and Benedictus.

1) Both are poetic.

2) Both were recited by people who were revealed by angel Gabriel.
3) Both speaks of the fulfillment of old testament.
4) They both share the same theme and structures.
5) They use old testament phrases.

Lessons learnt from the lives of Zachariah and Elizabeth

1) God is merciful
2) God is all powerful
3) Christians should be loyal in their service to God.
4) Christians should not be proud but humble
5) Christians should not doubt God.

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 6) God fulfills promises
7) Gods is a source of blessings.

The birth of Jesus Christ (Matthew 2:1-15; Luke 2:1-20)

The birth of Jesus Christ took place in Bethlehem, in Judea, during the reign of the
Roman Emperor, Augustus Caesar.

A census had been ordered by the emperor to determine the payment of taxes and those
eligible for military recruitment.

Mary and Joseph travelled to Bethlehem, the birth place of Joseph. People were supposed
to be counted from their original home areas.

Bethlehem was also the hometown of King David Saint Luke mentions Bethlehem to
show that Jesus was to be born in the town of David.

Since He is the son of David and the promised Messiah, He must be born in a messianic
city to fulfill Micah’s prophecy (Micah 5:2-3)

While in Bethlehem the time came for Mary to have her child. there was no place
available to rest for all rooms were booked. Nevertheless, the baby was born in a stable
where Joseph and Mary had settled in for the night. Mary wrapped him in swaddling
clothes and laid him in a manger.

a) Shepherds receive the good news of the birth of Jesus

In the countryside close by, there were shepherds who lived in the fields. an angel of the
Lord appeared to them and they were afraid. The angel however assured them:

“…Don’t be afraid! I am here with good news for you, which will bring great joy to all
the people. This very day in David’s town your savior was born- Christ the lord!” (Luke
2:10-11)

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The angel went on to give them a sign of how they would find the baby wrapped in
swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.

Soon after this, a group of other angels appeared singing. “Glory to God in the highest
heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom he is pleased! (Luke 2:14)

The angels, hymn echoes the messianic prophecy of Isaiah. The prophet had foretold the
peaceful reign to be established by a child from the Davidic family. The hymn
emphasized that the child had been born and would be, “The prince of peace “(Isaiah
9:5).

The appearance of the angel to the shepherds is also symbolic. Just like a shepherd looks
after the flock, the child that had been born would have the duty of taking care of Gods
people.

After the angel’s message, the shepherds went to visit the baby. They found the baby
lying in a manger as they had been told. They repeated what the angel had told them
about the baby and all who heard it were surprised. The Shepherds then returned, praising
God for all they had heard and seen.

It is surprising that the long-awaited messiah foretold by the Old Testament prophecies
should be born under such unfavorable conditions. Shepherds were ordinary people
normally regarded as the least in the Jewish society. They were, however, the first people
to know about birth of the Messiah who is Jesus. Luke is pointing out that Gods peace
and salvation goes to the humble and lowly as they go about their daily activities

b) The visit of the wise men

The Gospel of Matthew records the visit of the wise men when Jesus was born in in
Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of king Herod. The wise men from the east arrived in
Jerusalem and enquired where the new born king of the Jews was. They had seen a
unique star and had come to worship him. These wise men studied stars and the unique
star, which they had seen, indicated that a king had been born. They visited king Herod to
enquire the whereabouts of the new king. They expected the king to be born in a palace.

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However, when king Herod heard about this, he was greatly troubled. Why was king
Herod troubled by the question of the wise men? Herod called together all the chief
priests and the teachers of the law to find out from them the Messiah was born. They told
him that the messiah was to be born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea to fulfill the Old
Testament prophecy:

“The Lord says, Bethlehem Ephrathah you are one of the smallest towns in Judah, but
out of you I will bring a ruler for Israel….,” (Micah 5:2)

The answer of the teachers of the Law showed that they understood Jesus to be the
fulfillment of Gods promise of sending a Messiah, King to Israel.

King Herod interpreted the prophecy politically. He thought that the child that was born
would be a rival to this throne. Jesus was born in the midst of political conflict when the
Jews were looking for independence from the Roman rule.

The king summoned the wise men secretly and asked them to bring him a report of where
the child had been born so that he would go to worship him. The wise men were led by a
bright star to the place where the child was. On seeing the child with his mother, they
were filled with joy and worshipped the child. They offered Jesus gifts of

 gold,
 frankincense and
 myrrh.

They were warned in a dream not to return to Herod. Therefore, they returned to their
country using another route. After this the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a
dream and told him to take the child and his wife and flee to Egypt and stay there until
King Herod died. This was because Herod was planning to kill the baby.

Joseph and Mary took their child and fled to Egypt where they stayed until the death of
Herod. The flight to Egypt is significant in the life of Jesus.

By becoming a human being, Jesus experienced in his own body the joys and sufferings,
fear and hopes, which are part and parcel of the life of human beings. His refuge to Egypt

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symbolized the New Exodus in which God would finally lead His people from slavery of
sin to the new promised land of Heaven.

How was the annunciation of the birth of Jesus extraordinary?

The Dedication of Jesus (Luke 2:21-40)

Jesus was circumcised when He was eight days old according to Jewish customs.

On this day, He was also given the name Jesus-the name the angel had given Him before
His conception. Do you recall the meaning of this name? This implies that just as
Yahweh saved the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt, Jesus was going to deliver humanity
from slavery of sin.

Mary and Joseph observed the Jewish customs regarding their religious and social lives.
According to the Jewish customs woman was considered unclean after the birth of a child
(Leviticus 12:2-6). If she gave birth to a baby boy, she was unclean for seven days.

On the eighth day, the child was circumcised. The mother was then confined for 33 days.

After this period, she was to undergo a purification ceremony, which took place in the
temple. She was required by law to “…bring to the priest at the entrance of the Tent of
Lords presence a one-year old lamb for a burnt-offering and a pigeon or a dove for a sin-
offering” (Leviticus 12:6)

If she could not afford a lamb, she was to bring two doves or two young pigeons (Verse
8)

There was another custom by which parents had an obligation to dedicate their first-born
sons God. This custom applied both to animals and human beings and stated: “Dedicate
all the first-born males to me, for every first -born males to me, for every first-born male
Israelite and every first-born male animal belongs to me” (Exodus 13:1).

Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the temple for both the

 purification ceremony and

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  dedication ceremonies as the law required.
 The fact that Mary offered a pair of doves was an indication that the family
was poor.

There was an upright and righteous man called Simeon who lived in Jerusalem.

He waited for the fulfillment of the prophecy concerning the Messiah with faith and
patience. The Holy spirit had revealed to him that he would not die before he had seen the
Messiah.

When Jesus was brought to the Temple, Simeon took Him and gave thanks to God and
praised God in a hymn.

In this hymn, Simeon stressed the universal peace and salvation, which Jesus would bring
to all people including the gentiles. He thanked God for giving him the opportunity to see
the savior. Now he would die in peace.

Simeon proclaimed a prophecy concerning Jesus to Mary:

“this child is chosen by God for the destruction and the salvation of many in Israel
…And sorrow, like a sharp sword, will break your own heart” (Luke 2: 34-35).

 This prophecy means that although Jesus was the promised Messiah,
 He would be rejected by His own people. However,
 He would bring salvation to the humble, but the proud would turn away from
Him.
 The rejection and opposition would bring great suffering both to the son and his
mother.
 This prophecy was fulfilled during the passion, death and resurrection Jesus.
 There was also an 84-year-old prophetess named Anna who had been widowed
after being married for only seven years.
 She also made a prophecy referring to Jesus as one who would deliver Gods
chosen people from oppression. It should be noted that Jerusalem is Gods city
center from where Jesus would spread His salvation to the rest of the world (Luke
9:31,51-55,17:11,18:31).

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Meanwhile His parents returned to their home village, Nazareth in Galilee. We are told
Jesus grew to maturity and was filled with wisdom and God’s favour was with Him.

The prophecies of Simeon and Anna made about baby Jesus as a person and his future
role may be summarized as follows:

 Jesus was the son of God

 He was the savior of the world.
 He would suffer for the sake of humankind; a light and revelation to the Gentiles.
 He would liberate the Israelites from oppression
 His birth would bring joy to many and glory to God.

Ways in which Christians express their joy in birth of Jesus

1) Attending Christmas worship

2) Exchange of gifts
3) Helping the poor and needy
4) Christmas tree
5) Christmas dinner, food.
6) Singing Christmas carols
7) Decorating their homes.

The Boy Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52)

Among the Jews, every boy became subject to the full obligations of the Mosaic Law
from the age of 13.

One of the obligations was to attend the yearly Jewish Passover Feast in Jerusalem.

The boy would also be expected to join the Rabbinical schools where he would be taught
Law of Moses and how to apply it in daily lives.

When Jesus was 12 years, He accompanied His parents to Jerusalem for the feast of the
Passover.

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He deliberately remained behind after the feast where He sat with the teachers of the
Mosaic Law listening to them keenly and asking them questions.

All those who heard Him were amazed at His wisdom and understanding of the Law. In
the meantime, His parents did not know where their son was.

They found Him after three days anxious searching. When they found Him, His mother
asked Him why He had mistreated them. In response, Jesus answered her; “Why did you
have to look for me? Didn’t you know that I had to be in my father’s house?” (Luke
2:49)

Jesus was aware, right from His early life of His divine sonship to God, the Father. Jesus
also wanted to show that He was fulfilling the prophecy of Malachi who had foretold
that; “…. the lord you are looking for will suddenly come to his Temple…” (Malachi
3:1). Jesus was obedient to His earthly parents and lived with them in Nazareth before He
started public ministry at the age of 30. He assisted his father, Joseph, with the work of
carpentry. He grew up in wisdom and righteousness.

Qualities occupied by Jesus as he accompanies his parents to the temple at the age of
12

 Obedience
 Respectful
 Cooperative
 Patience
 Honesty
 Courageous
 Knowledgeable
 Independent
 Social

what was the reasons why Mary took Jesus to the temple?

1) The mother needed to be purified.

2) To expose Him to his religious faith

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 3) To receive religious instructions
4) To observe Passover festivals
5) For circumcision of Jesus
6) To offer sacrifices as demanded by the law of Moses
7) To dedicate him to God

How do parents develop their children in spiritual life?

1) By being role model

2) By encouraging them to help the needy people e.g. the old
3) Taking children to church.
4) Praying to God for guidance
5) Condemning them of their evils
6) Offer guiding and counselling

Ways that shows that Jesus came from a poor background

1) Placed in a manger
2) Wrapped in swaddling clothes
3) His father was a carpenter
4) The first visitors to come to see Him were Shepherds.
5) They offered simple sacrifices during His dedication
6) He grew up in Nazareth a low status town
7) His mother was an ordinary village girl
8) He was revealed to Simeon and Anna who were simple.

RESEARCH

1. Ways in which Christians should show respect to places of worship.

2. Reasons why children should take part in church activities
3. Outline the concepts of the messiah in the old testament that were fulfilled by
Jesus in the new testament.
4. Jewish expectation of the messiah

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THE WORK OF JOHN THE BAPTIST (LUKE 3:3-20)

John the Baptist was commissioned by God while in the wilderness to start the work of
preaching.

He began preaching around River Jordan.

He came in the spirit of Elijah as the Jews believed that Elijah was to come before the
messiah appeared. John and Elijah were similar in that:

a) They lived in the wilderness

b) They wore Carmel’s skin
c) They were courageous and condemned all forms of social evils committed by
everybody including the kings.

Many people from Jerusalem and other parts of Judea came to listen to His preaching .in
this section, we shall outline the work of John the Baptist as a forerunner of the Messiah.

He preached about the following things:

1) Baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Baptism through immersion in

water while repentance means a change of heart or mind. Baptism was a symbol
of repentance. Baptism of water was a preparation of the Baptism of fire and holy
spirit by Jesus Christ “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is
coming …He will baptize you with the Holy spirit and fire “(Luke 3:16)
2) He announced the coming of the messiah as judge. Due to his fame as a preacher,
some people had begun to think that he was the promised Messiah. John made it
clear that he was not the Messiah but he was preparing the way for Him. The
messiah, like a farmer winnowing grain and burning the chaff in a fire, would
Bring Gods judgement upon those Jews who had ignored Gods Law.
3) He preached social justice, for example, he told the rich to share their wealth with
the poor.
4) He advised the tax collectors to be honest in their work and not to collect more
than was required.

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 5) He advised the soldiers not to abuse their powers by robbing anyone with
violence or bearing false witness against others. He also advised them to be
content with their wages.
6) He condemned the hypocrisy of the Jews, for example the pharisees and the
scribes.
7) He reprimanded King Herod’s incestuous behavior of marrying Herodias, his
brother’s wife.

Lessons Christians learn from the teachings of John the Baptist

1) To be honest in all their dealings especially businessmen and all those in position
of responsibility.
2) To seek forgiveness from God for the sins they commit.
3) Not to abuse their offices and mistreating those under them especially the soldiers
4) Political leaders to accept their mistakes and repent.
5) God will judge each one of us for the wrongs we do. God has made Jesus Lord
and judge
6) To share their wealth with needy in society.
7) Not to be afraid to condemn social evils. They should be ready to suffer
persecution for the sake of speaking the truth against those who oppress the weak.

4.2 THE BAPTISM AND TEMPTATION OF JESUS CHRIST.

 Jesus came from Galilee and went to River Jordan to be baptized by John.
 John was reluctant to baptize Jesus because he felt that it was he who should be
baptized by Jesus.
 John had been inspired by God to recognize the messiahship of Jesus.
 Jesus appreciated Johns recognition of his messiahship but told him nevertheless
to baptize Him so as to fulfill Gods requirement.
 After Jesus was baptized, He came out of the water.
 The heavens were opened and
 The Holy spirit of God descended on Him like a dove.

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A voice was heard from heaven saying: “This is my own dear son, with whom I am well
pleased”

The importance of baptism

The following were reasons why baptism of Jesus was important:

 To fulfil the old testament prophecies concerning the messiah.

 To identify Himself with the sins of humankind
 The baptism of Jesus gave an opportunity for those who were present at
River Jordan to acknowledge Jesus as the son of God
 It prepared those present to be receptive to the messianic work of Jesus.
 Jesus was now empowered to start His public ministry
 The baptism of Jesus prepared Him for the temptations in the wilderness
 To show his willingness to follow the will of God and His plan for the
salvation of humankind.
 To be introduced publicly as the son of God
 To be empowered by the Holy spirit in readiness for His public mission
 To teach people (those present) the virtue of humility
 To acknowledge the ministry of John the Baptist

What is the importance of baptism to Christians

(i) Christians should follow the examples of Jesus Christ

(ii) It’s a form of new covenant to be a member of a Christian worship fellowship
(iii) Through baptism Christians receive the holy spirit
(iv) Helps Christians to identify themselves with Christ
(v) Unites Christians with the body of Christ
(vi) It signifies forgiveness of sin

The temptation of Jesus (Matthew 4:1-11)

After Jesus was baptized, He was led by the holy spirit into the wilderness to be tempted
by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, after which He was hungry. The
devil came to him and tempted Him in three ways:

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 (i) To turn stones into bread if He was the son of God

The devil came and said to him, to turn stones into bread if He was the son of God. Jesus
replied that it was written “man does not live on bread alone to sustain him but
everything that the lord says”

As the son of God, it would not have been difficulty to use His divine power to work this
miracle so as to get food to eat. However, Jesus refused to use His divine power for
selfish materialistic purpose. He did not want to win people to the kingdom of God by
bribing them with material goods like food, He defended Himself by quoting the book of
Deuteronomy,

“He made you go hungry…to teach you that man must not depend on bread alone to
sustain him, but on everything that the Lord says,” (Deuteronomy 8:3)

(ii) To jump down from the top of the Temple.

The devil took Jesus to Jerusalem, the Holy City, and set Him on the highest point of the
Temple. The devil asked Jesus to jump down and God would protect Him from being
hurt. The devil quoted from the book of Psalms, which promises Gods protection to His
son against all forms of danger:

“God will put his angels in charge of you to protect you wherever you go. They will hold
you up with their hands to keep you from hurting your feet on the stones “(Psalms 91:11-
12)

(iii) To worship Satan

The devil then took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed Him all the Kingdoms of
the world in all their greatness. He promised to give Jesus these Kingdoms with all their
wealth, if only Jesus would bow down and worship Him.

Jesus refused to give Satan the worship that belongs to God alone. He defended Himself
and quoting from the law of Moses that, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him
only shall you serve.” (Exodus 20:3)

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“Fear the lord your God, worship only him, and make your promises in his name
(Deuteronomy 6:13)

The devil left Jesus and angels came and helped Him. The temptations a test of Jesus’s
messiahship of a suffering servant, which was in line with Gods plan of saving
humankind.

Jesus had conquered the temptations and the fact that the angels came and ministered to
him show that God was happy with Him and was ready to give Him courage to start His
public ministry.

The Importance of Temptations

 They showed Jesus loyalty to God, as He did not yield to any of them. Jesus
continued to be loyal to God throughout His life and ministry.
 By overcoming the temptations, Jesus showed that He had power to overcome
Satan. During His ministry even, the demons recognized that He was the son of
God.
 By overcoming temptations, Jesus provides an example for Christians to emulate.
When tempted Christians should not yield to temptation. They should use the
word of God to overcome temptation.
 Jesus is able to understand us when we are faced with temptations. This is
because He underwent temptations also. Saint Paul encouraged Christians saying:
“And now he can help those who are tempted because He Himself was tempted
and suffered “(Hebrew 2:18)
 Jesus showed His humility by refusing to worship the devil in exchange for
power. Jesus continued to serve God in humility throughout His life and ministry.
 The temptations empowered Jesus to carry out His ministry
 Jesus relied on the Holy spirit to guide Him in overcoming the [Link] the
same way Christians should rely on the holy spirit to overcome temptations
 Fasting and prayers helped Jesus to overcome temptations. Christians should pray
and fast to gain strength to overcome temptations.

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  God provided help to Jesus to overcome [Link] the same way Christians
should rely on God’s help when tested. For example, Saint Paul encourages the
Christians who were facing persecution saying:
“but Gods keeps His promise, and He will not allow you to be tested beyond
your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test He will give you the
strength to endure it. And so, provide you with a way out” (1corinthians 10:13)

4.3 THE TEACHING OF JESUS CHRIST

The ministry of Jesus Christ was characterized by preaching the Good News of the
kingdom of God, healing the sick, casting out demons, raising the dead and teachings
related to the Kingdom of God and other day-to-day issues. His teaching is relevant to
Christians today.

a) The trinity (Matthew 6:9-10,11:2; Luke 3:21-22,15:11-32,24:49; John

1:34.14:16-17,25-26,17:1-2)

The Christian doctrine of trinity states that there are three persons in one God that is; God
the father, God the son and God the Holy spirit. The one God is made known as Father,
son and Holy spirit. Each is God, but each as a distinct ‘person’

The concept of trinity is expressed in the great commission of Jesus Christ, which states:

“Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples, baptize them in the
name of the Father, the son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19)

(i) God the father (Matthew 6:9-10, Luke 15:11-32)

In the Lord’s prayer, Jesus taught His disciples to address God as Father, and to honour
Him.

He also taught the disciples to surrender to the will of Gods will. Jesus refers to God as
His Father who has put everything under His control.

During baptism. God the father spoke from heaven affirming that Jesus is His son with
whom He is pleased.

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From the story of the prodigal son, Jesus taught that God is a loving patient and
forgiving father. This shows that God has a close relationship with the son.

From the teachings of Jesus Christ about God the father, Christians learn that:

 They should address God as their Father because as a father He will provide
for their needs.
 God is a loving Father and answers the prayers of His faithful.
 God is merciful
 God is forgiving
 God has sent His son, Jesus and given Him power and authority to do
everything we need in His name.
(ii) God, the son

During the baptism of Jesus, a voice was heard from heaven saying that Jesus was the
son of God with whom He was well pleased with.

From the Gospel of John Jesus teaches that God the Father has glorified Him in His
Life and ministry. It also teaches that Jesus and His father are united.

From these passages, Christians learn that:

 Jesus is the son of God

 They can reach God the Father through Jesus Christ, His son.
 Just as Jesus Christ did everything Christians should do everything to Gods
glory. Saint Paul reinforces this idea when he says:
“well. Whatever you do whether you eat or drink do it all for Gods glory”
(1corinthians 10:31)
 Just as Jesus the son is united to the father, Christians should be united to one
another because they are members of the body of Jesus, the son of God.
(iii) God the Holy spirit
 Jesus received the Holy spirit at baptism. He descended on Jesus in bodily
form like a dove. The dove symbolized the loving character of the heavenly

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 life. The Holy Spirit was sent by God to empower Him to start His public
ministry.
 John was able to recognize Jesus as the messiah when He saw the Holy spirit
descend on Jesus at baptism. The spirit was a sign God had given him for
identification.
 Jesus promised to ask the Father to send the Holy spirit to the disciples after
He left them.
The Holy spirit would play the following roles:
 He would stay with the disciples forever.
 He would teach them all truth concerning God
 He would remind them of everything that Jesus had taught them.

From these prescribed texts, Christians learn that:

 God sends the Holy spirit to Christians through His son, Jesus Christ
 The Holy spirit helps Christians to know God and the truth concerning God
 The Holy spirit teaches and helps Christians to retain the teachings of God.

The doctrine of the trinity is relevant to Christians because through it they are able to
relate how God the Father, the son and the Holy spirit make up one God who was there
from the beginning and participated in the creation of the world.

For instance, Genesis 1:1 tells us about the spirit of God that hovered over the waters.

The origin of the trinity is rooted from the use of plural words “we” and “us” before God
created human beings:

“then God said, and now we will make human beings; they will be like us and resembles
us” (Gen 1:26).

With the understanding of the trinity, Christians:

 Administer baptism to new converts in the name of “The Father, the son and the
Holy spirit”.

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  Include the name of God the Father, the son and the Holy spirit during daily
prayer.

b) Love (Matthew 5:43-46,22:26-40; Luke 10:2)

The Christian understanding of love is based on the fact that God is love. From the
prescribed texts Jesus taught about the following about love:

(i) To love our enemies. He taught that His followers should love their enemies
and do good to those who hate them. This is because God freely loves all
without discrimination. For example, He sends sunshine and rain to both the
good and the wicked. Jesus also taught that if we love our enemies we shall be
rewarded by becoming heirs in Gods kingdom.
(ii) To love God and our neighbor: Jesus summarized the whole law into double
commandment of love: “…Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with
all your soul and with all your mind …Love your neighbor as you love
yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39)

Love of God and love of neighbor is the center point, of the law. If we have the right
attitude towards God and our neighbor, then it will not be difficulty to apply the other
of the Ten commandments. To prove that we love God we must always be ready to
respond to the needs of our brothers and sisters who are God’s creation.

(iii) Being Gods co-workers, Jesus teaches that we should be ready to take a
practical step in showing love to others especially the needy.
From Jesus teachings on love, Christians learn that:
 They should love all people including their enemies irrespective of
race, religion, creed, gender and social status.
 God loves everybody without discrimination
 They should love God with total commitment by obeying His law
 They should love their neighbors as they love themselves
 They should offer humble service to God by serving the community.

In what ways can a Christian demonstrate the love of God and neighbor?

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 c) Forgiveness and Tolerance (Matthew 6:14-15; Luke 18:9-14; John 8:3-11)

Jesus taught the following about forgiveness and tolerance:

(i) God forgives those who forgive others.

(ii) God will not forgive anyone who is not ready to forgive others.
(iii) God exalts the humble and brings down those who boast their goodness.
(iv) God tolerates sinners and is ready to forgive them.
(v) Jesus did not come to condemn sinners but to save them.

Lessons Christians draw from the teaching of Jesus on forgiveness and tolerance.

(i) Christians should forgive others in the same way they seek forgiveness from
God
(ii) All people are sinners and no one has the right to judge others
(iii) We should humble ourselves before God when asking for forgiveness of sins
(iv) Christians should repent their sins and seek forgiveness from God
(v) Once forgiven, a Christian should make efforts not to go back into sin
(vi) A Christian should approach God in faith and pray that He will forgive her/his
sin
(vii) Christians should be tolerant of other people regardless of their faith and other
shortcomings.
d) Salvation (John 3:16-17; Luke 19:1-10)

Jesus taught the following about salvation:

(i) Gods plan of salvation was fulfilled when He sent His only son into the world
to die for the sins of Human kind.
(ii) Those who believe in Jesus, Gods son, will be saved and inherit eternal life.
(iii) Jesus came to seek and save the sinners and not to condemn them.
(iv) God condemns those who become stumbling blocks in His process of saving
sinners.

Lessons Christians draw from Jesus teachings on salvation

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  God did not send His son, Jesus into the world to condemn it but to save it
through Him.
 Salvation requires confession of sins so as to be forgiven by God. When
Zacchaeus repented of his sins of corruption, Jesus commended him and forgave
him. Jesus said to Zacchaeus. “Salvation has come to this house today…” (Luke
19:9)
 God offers salvation through Jesus. Therefore, Christians should confess their sins
to God through His son Jesus Christ.
 Salvation is for those who invite Jesus in their hearts.
 Salvation is for those who humble themselves before Jesus Christ. We should not
be self-righteous as the pharisees were
 Salvation is for those who are ready to share their material possessions with the
poor. Therefor we should have a social responsibility towards our neighbors.

e) Neighbors (Luke 10:25-37)

From the parable of the Good Samaritan Jesus taught that:

(i.) A neighbor is any person in need of help.

(ii.) People should help those in need regardless of who they are.
(iii.) Religious leaders sometimes fail to live according to the law.
(iv.) Everyone, regardless of social status needs guidance in order to inherit eternal
life.
(v.) To show good neighborliness, people should be ready to use personal
resources to support the needy.

From the teachings of Jesus on love for neighbors, Christians learn that:

 They should show empathy to those who are suffering.

 Be compassionate, kind and merciful to the needy.
 Not discriminate others on the basis of culture, race, ethnicity, gender or
status.
 To respect the dignity of human beings

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  Use their resources selflessly for the sake of others. They should share their
resources with the needy.
 They should seek guidance from God on how to enter eternal life. They can
do this through reading the Bible and prayer.
 Obey Gods law and the teachings of the church.

f) Discipleship

Discipleship is derived from the word “disciple” which means a “follower”. In the Old
Testament some prophets had disciples. For example: Moses had Joshua as his disciple
while Elijah had Elisha.

In the New Testament, John the Baptist and the Pharisees had disciples respectively. The
Pharisees called themselves the disciples of Moses.

The work of a disciple was to learn from his master all the necessary teachings and
doctrines. The disciple would then pass over the teachings to other people after the
master’s death.

During the public ministry of Jesus, He also had many disciples who came to listen to the
Good News that He preached. Among the many disciples, he chose 12 who He named
Apostles. The word apostle means “on who is sent”.

Jesus trained His disciples to take over from Him the work of preaching after His death.
The word discipleship refers to the conditions the disciples of Jesus were to fulfill. Jesus
taught about discipleship. During the ascension of Jesus, He commissioned the disciples
saying

“Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them in the
name of the Father, the son and the Holy spirit, and teach them to obey everything I have
commended you..”(Matthew 28:9-20)

This is what is referred to as the Great Commission. Through it the disciples were given
authority by Jesus to make disciples of all nations.

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Jesus’ claim to have authority to give to His disciples was in fulfillment of what Prophet
Daniel had prophesied about the coming of the “son of man “who was given authority by
God:

“he was given authority, honor and royal power, so that people of all nations, races and
languages would serve him…” (Daniel7:14)

Jesu had referred to Himself as the “Son of man” during his trial before the Sanhedrin
(Luke 22:69)

The Great Commission is relevant to Christians today. They learn that:

 They have been given authority by Jesus to go and preach the Gospel to all
nations.
 They have a duty to preach the gospel throughout the world. This means that
Christianity is a universal religion and should permeate all cultures without
discrimination.
 They should make new disciples and baptize them in the name of the father, the
son and the Holy Spirit.
 They should acknowledge Jesus as the one who has been given authority by His
Father to save the world. Jesus is our master and savior.
 They are assured of Gods continued presence through His son, Jesus Christ.

Christian therefore, should be obedient to Jesus’ command and evangelize the Gospel to
the whole world.

Towards the end of the Galilean Ministry, Jesus sent out His disciples on two missions.
In the first mission He sent the 12 disciples to preach the Good News of the kingdom.
These disciples represented the 12 tribes of Israel. The success of the 12 disciples on this
mission aggravated the opposition of Jesus by religious leaders and King Herod.

In the second mission He sent 72 disciples. This number is symbolic and indicates that
the mission of Jesus is for the whole world. In both missions, the disciples were sent to
prepare the way for Jesus Christ just john the Baptist had done for Him

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By the time Jesus was sending the disciples on these missions He was aware that He
would soon depart from them, due to the growing of opposition He was experiencing
from the Jewish religious leaders. He wanted His disciples to be fully trained so that by
the time He left them, they would be ready to continue His mission, He gave them
specific instructions which included:

 Not to carry anything for the journey. They were not to make any elaborate
preparations due to the urgency of the work.
 To stay in the homes where they were welcome and eat whatever food they would
be served with.
 They were to leave and shake off the dust from their feet in the homes that did not
welcome them. Shaking off the dust was a warning to the hostile families of Gods
judgement.

From the two missions Christians learn that:

 They have to share in the mission of Jesus by preaching the gospel to all
nations.
 They have a duty to care for the sick in society.
 They should provide for the upkeep of church leaders through material and
financial contributions.
 Church leader should make pastoral visits and provide pastoral care to
members of the church.
 They should offer hospitality to evangelists.
 They should lead humble lives.
The sermon on the plain.
A sermon is a religious teaching or preaching. The sermon on the plain contains
many teachings on issues like discipleship and how followers of Christ should
relate to each other and God. The blessed sayings of Jesus are referred to as the
beatitudes
Beatitudes
Jesus taught his disciples saying:
1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God

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 2. Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted
3. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the kingdom of God.
4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be
satisfied.
5. Blessed are the pure in the heart for they shall see God
6. Happy are those who work for peace, God will call them his children
7. Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God required
for the kingdom of God belong to them
8. Happy are you when people insult you and persecute you and tell all kinds
of evil lies against you because you are my followers
9. Be happy and glad for a great reward is kept for you in heaven.
4.4 MIRACLES OF JESUS

Jesus' ministry to mankind

Jesus as a universal savior. (John 3:16 Luke 7:1-10).

Jesus is portrayed as a universal savior in the following ways: -

 He was sent by God to save the whole world. John 3;16 shows that Jesus came to
save the whole world
 He healed both the Jews and the gentiles. The healing of Centurions servant
demonstrated how Jesus was a universal savior. This was a Gentile and Roman
Army officer. He recognized and acknowledged that Jesus had power to heal. The
officer felt unworthy to have Jesus in his house and asked him to say a word for
his son to be healed. Jesus came for all mankind.
 Jesus died on the cross for the sins of mankind He offered his body as the Pascal
lamb on the cross to liberate mankind from the bondage of sin
 Jesus performed miracles in favor of anyone who showed faith in him
 He restored health to all regardless of race and tribe in his ministry

Jesus concern for Humanity. (Mat 14:13-21, Mark 1:3-5, Luke

8:43-48, 17:11-15 and John 2:1-12)

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Jesus showed care and concern about human suffering in the following ways;

1. Feeding of the five thousand (Mat 14:13-21)

Jesus showed pity of over the crowed that followed him

He asked the disciples to give them something to eat bread

The disciples had five loaves of bread and two fish.

Jesus prayed and there was enough for the- five thousand people

Everyone ate enough until 12 baskets of leftover were collected

Jesus showed concern for the hungry.

2. The healing of paralytic (mark 2:3-5)

Paralysis is a terrible disease that affects the nervous system making part of the body to

stop functioning-

 A paralyzed man was brought using a bed by four men in Capernaum.

 They used a hole in the roof because of the crowd.
 Jesus saw the faith of the four men and healed the man.
 Jesus had power to forgive Sins.
 He showed concern and care to the paralyzed man and the four men.

3. The healing of the woman with the flowing blood (Luke

17:11-15)
While Jesus was on the way to the house of Jairus, he came in contact with a woman who
had incurable disease

She had bled for 12 years.

The woman had faith that Jesus would heal her.

She touched the cloth of Jesus and she was healed immediately.

Jesus made it public about the healing to restore her dignity and cleanliness to the

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public.

[Link] healing of the 10 lepers. (Luke 17:11-15)

Leprosy rendered one unclean and was regarded as outcasts and was to avoid contact
with other.

 Jesus met the ten lepers who stood at a distance and cried for help and Mercy.
 They told Jesus to have pity on them. Jesus asked them to go and show
themselves to the priest and he examined.
 They were all healed. Only one of the ten came back to Jesus praising God and to
thank him.
 Jesus pitied the lepers and restored their health
 The one who came back was a Samaritan and Jesus broke religious tradition by
healing a Samaritan.
 He came for all the Jews and Gentiles.

5. Jesus changed water into wine (john 2:1-11)

 Jesus attended a wedding at Cana in Galilee where He had been invited with his
disciples.
 The wine ran put before the end of the ceremony. Jesus was approached by his
mother for assistance
 Mary asked the servants to follow what they would be told to do by Jesus
 Jesus asked some of the servants to fill six jars with water and asked them to take
some to the master of the banquet to taste
 The master confirmed that it was bitter than the one they drunk
 There was enough wine for the ceremony
 Jesus saved the family from embarrassment and everyone had enough
 Jesus showed humility to the family and wedding guests
 He met the needs of the people at every situation

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4.5 PASSION DEATH AND RESURRECTION (Luke
21,22,23&24)

The two major events before celebration of the last supper

(i) The widow`s offering

 Jesus observed people as they gave their offerings
 The rich gave and spared a lot for themselves while the widow gave all that she
had.
 Jesus praised the widow. The story defends the dignity of the poor
 A true sacrifice is highly honored
Jesus teaching about eschatology
 Jesus dealt with the issues of the end of times and offered hope to the Listeners
 Eschatology is the study of the end times
 The signs of end times include; floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, wars, upheavals
chaos and terrorism
 Jesus used apocalyptic language in reference to catastrophes and cosmic
disturbances

Jesus teaching on end times is divided into four, namely;

1. Prophesies of the coming of false prophets (Luke 71:8 11). He said, there
would be false messiahs and his disciples should not listen to them
2. Persecution of Jesus disciples (Luke 21:12-29 and 36). He told them that
before the end of time, there would be persecution of disciples, arrests and
imprisonment. They would be rejected by parents, relatives, brothers and
friends. They would be hated by everyone for being the followers of Christ.
Jesus urged them to pray and keep watch of their faith even if they are killed
3. The destruction of Jerusalem (Luke 21:20-24). Jesus predicted the
destruction of the city of Jerusalem. He warned the people to run away and
avoid attacks from the enemies. e pitted pregnant mothers and those suckling

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 their young ones. This prophesy was fulfilled with the destruction of
Jerusalem by the Roman armies in 70 ACE.
4. Heavenly and earthly portents (Luke 21:25-38). He told them that there
would be strange things happening to the sun, moon and stars. The countries
of the world would be in despair because of fear of being destroyed by these
forces. After all these signs the son of man would appear and it will be felt by
the whole world
The last supper (Luke 22:1-30).
 The chief priest and teachers of the law were looking for an opportunity to kill
Jesus but were afraid of the reaction of the crowed.
 Judas Iscariot offered to betray Jesus and last supper was an opportunity
 They settled on thirty pieces of silver as payment for betrayal.
 It was during the last supper when Judas got an opportunity to betray Jesus for
arrest and killing.
Preparation for the last supper.
 Jesus knew that his time to be killed was near
 He sent his two disciples Simeon and John to go ahead to the city and prepare a
place for the last supper.
 They were to follow a man carrying a jar on his head and did as instructed. They
entered into the house and the owner showed them a large upper room. They
furnished and prepared a Passover meal. In the evening Jesus and his disciples
came to celebrate.

The celebration of the last supper.

 Jesus took his place at the table and said he had longed to eat the meal with them
before his suffering and death
 Jesus took a cup of wine, gave thanks and passed #t around to the disciples
 He took bread, blessed it and broke and gave to his disciples. Jesus took the
second cup after supper to seal the covenant and a sign of blood to be poured for
many.

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  Jesus informed his disciples that one of them would betray him but will be
punished by God.

What was the significance of the symbolic actions Jesus used during the
last supper?
 Giving of wine signified he sealing of the new covenant. It represented Jesus
blood on the cross.
 Giving of bread to the disciples showed that his body would be offered as a
sacrifice for all.
 Giving thanks demonstrated Jesus trust in God even in difficult times

The argument about greatness.

 The disciples argued among themselves, that who among them would be the
greatest
 Jesus told them that leadership is service to others
 The greatest should be ready to be like the youngest
Jesus predicted Peter`s denial.
 Jesus told Peter that he would deny him three times before the cock crowed that
night
 He told them to prepare for suffering, rejection and hostility on his account.

PRAYER ON THE MOUNTAIN (Luke 22:39-46).

 Jesus left for Mt. Olives to pray after The Lord's supper with his disciples
 He advised his disciples to pray so that they don't fall into temptations.
 God sent the Angel to strengthen Jesus
 He prayed until his sweat was like drops of blood
 When he went back he found his disciples asleep and rebuked them and
encouraged them to pray.
 Jesus was filled with fear when he asked God "father if possible take away the
cup of suffering’
 His sweat looked like a drop of blood.
 The red sweat symbolizes total suffering. His pain and suffering went beyond
physical pain and death

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 Christians should appreciate the need for prayer and always turn to God
Betrayal and Arrest (Luke 22:47-53)
 While Jesus was still peaking to his disciples after prayer, Judas Iscariot papered
in the Garden of Gethsemane accompanied by a large crowed including Chief
priest, elders and temple guards
 Judas moved and kissed Jesus to identify him to the chief priest
 The disciples resisted the arrest of Jesus and one of the chopped off ear of the one
of the soldiers
 Jesus stopped them from resisting and even healed the soldiers
 Jesus was arrested at night
 He asked the chief priest why they had to arrest him like a robber yet he had been
with them in the temple

Reasons Why Judas Betrayed Jesus

 He may have been disappointed with the spiritual messiah against his expectation
of an earthly king.
 He was motivated by greed for money. Thirty pieces of silver by the high priest
 He may have been working as a spy to Jews religious leaders
 He was overcome by the power of evil spirit
 He lacked moral courage to stand by Jesus at the time of tribulation
 It was the right time for Jesus to be betrayed. It was God’s plan
 He had very little faith in Jesus
 He was disappointed by the appointment of Peter as the leader of the 12 disciples
Why was Jesus arrested at night?
 The followers could have resisted during the day
 t was the time when Jesus was alone with his disciples.
 Judas Iscariot was busy during the day with other disciples.
 Evil deeds are always done by men during dark seasons,
 The Jewish leaders feared the citizens could have rioted during the day
 It was God's plan to be arrested at that hour and handed over to the hands of the
rulers

TRIAL AND CRUCIFICTION (Luke 22:54-71, 23: -49)

The denial of Jesus by Peter (Luke 22:54-65
 After Jesus was arrested, he was taken to the High priest's house
 Peter followed him at a distance
 He joined a group of people who were warming themselves around the fire in the
temple courtyard
 A maid and other two people identified him as one of those who were with Jesus
but Peter denied all the allegations
 Peter denied that he did not know Jesus three times before the rooster crowed.
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 After the cock or rooster crowed, Jesus turned and looked at Peter and Peter
remembered what Jesus had told him.
 Peter wept bitterly as a sign of guilt and remorsefulness.
 Jesus was nocked, beaten, blind folded and insulted by those who guarded him
that night.

Reasons why Peter denied Jesus.

 He was afraid of Jewish solders
 He feared being arrested and killed
 His faith had gone down
 To fulfil the words of Jesus at the last supper.
 He wanted to be left to continue with Christ ministry.

The trial of Jesus (Luke 22:66-23:1-25)

 Jesus was taken for trial before the Sanhedrin early on Friday morning
 Sanhedrin was the Jewish religious council of leaders with 71 members from all
the Jewish sects
 These Included the Pharisees, scribes and Sadducees
 They asked him if he was the messiah but Jesus refused to answer the question
 Jesus referred himself as the son of man coming in triumph.
 The council misinterpreted to mean he admitted and he was accused of
blasphemy.
 The Sanhedrin had no powers to sentence Jesus to death and they took him to
Pilate the Roman Governor who had those powers

Jesus` trial before Pilate (Luke 23:1-5)

 Jesus was taken before Pilate for trial.
 The chief priest framed political charges against. Jesus for Pilate not to dismiss
them
 They accused him of inciting the people to revolt against the Emperor, objecting
the payment of taxes and claiming to be the king and Messiah.
 Pilate asked Jesus questions and he found him innocent.
 Pilate learnt that Jesus came from Galilee and King Herod was a puppet ruler of
the Romans. Pilate sent Jesus to Herod

Jesus taken before Herod (Luke 23:6-12)

 Herod was very pleased because he had wanted to see Jesus perform some
miracles

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 Jesus knew Herod's intention and refused to respond to his questions
 Herod and his solders mocked and ridiculed Jesus, put him a fine robe and sent
him back to Pilate.

Pilate`s Judgment (Luke 23:13-25)

 Pilate assembled all the Chief priests, Pharisees, the scribes and the rest of the
people
 Pilate affirmed to them that Jesus was innocent
 He declared three times and promised to have Jesus flogged and released as a way
to please the Jews.
 The people who had been hired to cause chaos insisted that Jesus be crucified
 Pilate yielded to their demands and passed the death sentence on Jesus
 There was a criminal called Barabbas who had been imprisoned for sedition
against Rome and murder
 Pilate in an attempt to release Jesus asked them whether to release Barabbas or
Jesus
 The crowd went wild and demanded that Jesus be crucified and Barabbas to be
released
 Pilate washed his hands in public to show that Jesus was innocent but due to the
people pressure he sentenced him to death
Outline the actions taken by Pilate in an attempt to try and free Jesus
 He publicly told the chief priest that he found no reason to condemn Jesus
 He recommended that Jesus be fogged and released
 He brought a dangerous man Barabbas to be compared with Jesus
 He washed his hands publicly to show that Jesus was innocent
 He sent Jesus to Herod to try and passing judgment on him
 He told the crowd that he would crucify Jesus as per their wishes but he found
him innocent.

Accusations made against Jesus. (Reasons why Jesus was finally crucified)

 Misleading the nation with his mission

 Claiming to be the messiah
 Claiming to be the king of the Jews
 Spoke against the temple of Jerusalem
 Refused the people to pay taxes.
 Broke the Law of Moses in various occasions
 Claimed to be God /(Blasphemy).

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 The crucifixion of Jesus (Luke 23:26-43).
 Jesus was led by the soldiers to Golgotha (place of the Skull) where criminals
were crucified.
 He was made to carry his own cross. A man called Simon from Cyrene offered to
help Jesus carry the cross
 A large crowed followed him, women wept but Jesus consoled them
 Jesus was crucified with two criminals. One on the left and another on his right
 Jesus prayed God to forgive his enemies
 The solders divided Jesus' clothes to fulfill the scripture in Psalms 22:18
 The Jewish leaders asked Jesus to save himself if he was God's son
 The soldiers offered Jesus cheap wine as a sign of mockery.
 Above him, they placed a poster written wine 'The king of the Jews" to justify
treason.
 One of the criminals hurled insult at Jesus asking him to save himself if he was
God but the other rebuked him and asked him to fear God
 He told him that Jesus was innocent yet we are receiving the same judgment on
the
 cross. For us we deserve it for our deeds.
 He turned to Jesus and asked him to remember him in his kingdom

Death, Burial and Resurrection of Jesus (Luke23:44-24:1-53).

 It was at twelve o`clock when the sun stopped shinning and darkness covered the
whole country until three o’clock.
 The curtain in the temple tore into two and Jesus cried to his father. Father! In
your
 hands I commit my spirit"
 He said this prayer and died.
 The darkness showed the struggle between the power of God and evil.
 The light came back and showed the defeat of the-Satan. (evil)

Importance of the curtain being torn into two

 Showed that people can now talk to God directly
 Salvation was opened for all
 Showed the defeat of Satan
 Proved the mighty power of God
 Showed that Jesus was truly the Messiah
 Opened the universal love of Jesus to mankind
 Showed the end of physical life of Jesus on earth
 Symbolized the end of Judaism and the beginning of Christianity

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 The Burial of Jesus.

 Joseph of Arimathea was righteous, rich man and was a member of the Sanhedrin
 He went and requested Pilate to be allowed to go and burry the body of Jesus and
was allowed.
 He wrapped the body in a linen sheet and laid him in a tomb that had never been
used.
 This fulfilled the prophesy of Isaiah 53: 9 that Jesus would be given honorable
burial.
 The women who followed Joseph of Arimathea went back and prepared spices
and
 perfumes to treat Jesus body after the Sabbath

The resurrection of Jesus. Luke 24:1-49).

 The resurrection took place on the third day after his death
 The holy women, disciples of Emmaus and apostles witnessed the risen Christ
The holy women
 Very early on Sunday Mary, Magdalene, Joanna and Mary mother of Jesus
 They found the tomb empty in the morning and two angles appeared and
informed them that Jesus had risen
 They went back and informed the 11 disciples. Peter ran to the tomb and found it
empty.

Two disciples on the road to Emmaus.

 The two disciples were travelling from Jerusalem to Emmaus discussing what had
happened about Jesus
 Jesus appeared to them and joined in their discussion as they walked to Emmaus
 When they approached Emmaus, they invited Jesus to their house
 Jesus broke bread and gave them and was able to recognize Jesus that evening
 Jesus then vanished from their sight. They went to Jerusalem and reported their
experiences of the risen Christ.

Jesus appeared co his disciples in Jerusalem.

 As the 11 disciples received reports from the two disciples from Emmaus Jesus
appeared to them.
 He greeted them saying "peace be with you"
 They were filled with fear thinking it was a ghost
 Jesus showed them the scars on his hands and feet.
 He also asked to be given food to eat and was given cooked fish which Jesus ate

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 Jesus then commissioned his disciples to be his witnesses all over the world
 He asked the disciples to remain in Jerusalem and wait so that he could send the
gift of the Holy Spirit

The ascension of Jesus

 Jesus led his disciples to Bethany a city in Judea where he lifted his hands,
blessed them and ascended to Heaven
 The disciples returned to Jerusalem with joy and praises to God

How did Jesus prepare himself for his death?

 He spoke about his death severally during his preaching
 He took the last supper with his disciples as a farewell
 Appointed Peter to lead the other disciples
 He promised the disciples the Holy Spirit.
 He went to Mt. Olives to pray for strength.
 He revealed his betrayal and denial to his disciples as a sign of the departure
 He spoke of the temple destruction
 He prepared his disciples to be alone as they preached by sending out the seventy-
two.

Relevance or importance of resurrection to Christians.

 Christians are given hope of eternal life.
 Christians start a new life in Christ.
 The Holy Spirit was received through Christ resurrection.
 Christian's old self dies to sin and rise up with Jesus to new life.
 Gives Christians courage to suffer in the account of Christ.
 It unifies all Christians through Christ resurrection.
 It affirms the divinity of Jesus as the son of God.
 Jesus is alive today
 All sins are forgiven through Christ death on the cross
 Christ died on behalf of all mankind.
 It affirms that there is life after the physical death to those who belief in Jesus.

THE TEACHING OF IESUS CHRIST IN RELATION TO CHRISTIANS

TODAY.

(a)The trinity
 The doctrine of trinity states that there are three persons in one God.
 God the father, God the son and the Holy Spirit. Christians should address God as
the father all the time
 He is loving, merciful, forgiving and has sent his son for mankind.
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 Jesus is the son of God. Christian's belief that we reach to the father through Jesus
Christ.
 Jesus received the Holy Spirit during baptism in a form of a dove.
 The dove symbolizes love. The Holy Spirit was seat by God to Jesus.
 The Holy Spirit helps Christians to know God as they received through baptism
 (b) Love
 To Christians, Ged is love
 Christians should love enemies as God send sunshine and rain without
discrimination
 The love to the neighbor gives the summary to the 10 commandments.
 Christians should he co-workers of God and show love to the needy.

(c) Forgiveness and tolerance

 God forgive those who forgive others
 He exalts the humble and brings down the proud ones
 Christians should ask for forgiveness
 No one has right to judge other
 They should repent and live righteous lives

(d) Salvation
 Jesus taught God's salvation plan to mankind
 Those who believed in God were saved
 He sent his son to save mankind
 Salvation requires confession of sins
 God offers salvation through Jesus Christ.

(e) Neighbors
 The parable of Good Samaritan outlined the needy as our neighbors
 Christians should help the needy regardless of anything else
 They should show empathy to those who are suffering
 We should use resources selflessly for the sake of others

(g) Discipleship (Luke 22:69)

 Disciples are the followers of Christ.
 Moses had Joshua as a disciple and Elijah had Elisha
 Christians should be good disciples of Jesus
 They should accept to be sent everywhere to preach the Good News.
 Preaching is the great commission of Jesus given to all those who believe in him
 Christians have been given authority to go and preach the gospel and offer all the
hospitality to others.
 They should be ready and accept homelessness as they preach
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 5.1 THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is a central figure in many Christian beliefs, often considered the
third person of the Holy Trinity, alongside God the Father and God the Son (Jesus
Christ). Christians believe that the Holy Spirit acts as a guide, comforter, and
source of spiritual strength and inspiration. The Spirit is said to dwell within
believers, helping them live according to God’s will, and to empower them for
service and growth in their faith.

IMPORTANCE OF THE HOLYSPIRIT TO CHRISTIANS TODAY (Act

2:1-13)
 The Holy Spirit made the disciples speak in different languages in expressing the
mighty
works of God.
It gave them power and courage to preach and witness the risen Christ.
The Spirit’s roles include teaching, reminding, and bringing about spiritual
transformation

Gifts of the holy spirit (1 Cor 12:1-13)

 Saint Paul taught that the Holy Spirit gives different gifts to different people.
These are:
 Wisdom.
 Knowledge
 Faith.
 Healing.
 Performing miracles.
 Prophesy.
 Distinguishing spirits
 Speaking in tongues.
 Interpretation of tongues.
 It helps Christians to confess Jesus as Lord.

Importance of the Holy Spirit

 It gives wisdom and knowledge
 Helps Christians to understand faith and the word of God
 The Holy Spirit helps Christians in decision making and guides them step by step
 Help Christians during prayer and directs them on what to say.
 Christians are healed through the power of the Holy Spirit
 The Holy Spirit helps them to respond to the needs of the less fortunate
 Strengthen Christians through temptations and challenges,

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  The Holy Spirit unites Christians all over the world.
 It helps Christians to distinguish different spirits.

The fruit of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 13: 1-13) Gal 5:22-23)
 Paul taught the Christians that those who live by the spirit will manifest the fruit
of the
Holy Spirit.
The fruit of the Holy Spirit are:
 Love.
 Peace.
 Patience.
 Joy.
 Humility.
 Self-control.
 Kindness.
 Faithfulness.
 Goodness.
 Paul explained that the three gifts of faith, hope and love are permanent and the
rest are temporary. He advised that the greatest gift of the Holy Spirit is love.

Reasons why Love is the greatest gift.

 Love is patient and kind
 It is not jealous or boastful
 It is not arrogant or rude
 It is not ill-mannered of selfish
 It is not quick tempered
 t doesn't keep the record of wrongs
 t doesn't rejoice in wrong doing but rejoices in the truth
 It bears all things, believes all things and endures all things
 It is eternal.

5.2 THE EARLY CHURCH

The early Church, as described in the Bible, refers to the formative period of Christianity
following the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ, extending through the Apostolic
Age. This period is primarily documented in the New Testament, particularly in the Acts
of the Apostles and the Epistles. Here’s an overview of the early Church’s key aspects
according to the Bible:

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1. Formation and Growth

 Pentecost: The Church’s birth is marked by the events of Pentecost (Acts 2),
where the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles, enabling them to speak in
various tongues. This event led to the conversion of about 3,000 people and is
often considered the official start of the Christian Church.

 Apostolic Ministry: The apostles, led by Peter and later Paul, played a crucial
role in spreading the teachings of Jesus. They preached, performed miracles, and
established new Christian communities across the Roman Empire.

2. Community Life

 Shared Beliefs and Practices: Early Christians gathered regularly for teaching,
fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer (Acts 2:42). This communal life was
characterized by mutual support and sharing of resources.

 Breaking of Bread: The practice of communal meals, including the Lord’s

Supper (Eucharist), was central to early Christian worship, symbolizing the unity
of believers and commemorating Jesus' sacrifice (Acts 2:46, 1 Corinthians
11:23-26).

3. Mission and Evangelism

 Great Commission: Jesus’ final instructions to his disciples included the

command to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to
obey everything He commanded (Matthew 28:19-20). This mandate drove the
early Church’s mission and expansion.

 Paul’s Journeys: The Apostle Paul undertook several missionary journeys

throughout the Roman Empire, establishing churches and writing letters to guide
and encourage early Christian communities (Acts 13-21, Pauline Epistles).

4. Challenges and Persecution

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  Internal Conflicts: The early Church faced internal disputes, such as the conflict
over the need for Gentile converts to follow Jewish laws (Acts 15). The Council
of Jerusalem addressed these issues and affirmed that salvation comes through
grace rather than adherence to the Law.

 Persecution: Christians faced persecution from both Jewish authorities and the
Roman Empire. Notable instances include the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7) and the
imprisonments and sufferings of Paul and other apostles (Acts 16, 2 Corinthians
11:23-27).

5. Leadership and Organization

 Apostles and Elders: The early Church’s leadership included the apostles, who
were foundational in teaching and establishing doctrine, and elders or overseers
who helped shepherd local congregations (Acts 14:23, Titus 1:5).

 Deacons: To address practical needs within the community, such as distributing

food to widows, the apostles appointed deacons (Acts 6:1-6). This role became
crucial in maintaining the Church’s service-oriented mission.

6. Doctrine and Teaching

 Early Creeds: The early Church developed creeds and confessions to summarize
and affirm core Christian beliefs. The basic tenets of faith were articulated
through oral teachings and later written documents.

 Letters and Epistles: Apostles, especially Paul, wrote letters to various churches
to address doctrinal issues, offer encouragement, and provide guidance. These
epistles are now part of the New Testament and continue to influence Christian
teaching.

7. Worship and Sacraments

 Prayer and Worship: Early Christians engaged in communal worship, prayer,

and singing of hymns. They gathered in homes and synagogues before church
buildings became common (Acts 2:46, 16:25).

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  Baptism and Eucharist: Baptism was a key sacrament, symbolizing entry into
the Christian faith, and the Eucharist was celebrated to remember Jesus’ death and
resurrection (Acts 2:41, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

8. Ethical Teachings and Conduct

 Moral Guidance: The early Church emphasized living a life that reflected
Christian values, including love, humility, and purity. Epistles often include
ethical instructions for personal behavior and community relations (e.g.,
Galatians 5:22-23, Ephesians 4:1-3).

 Community Support: Early Christians practiced mutual aid, caring for the poor
and widows, and supporting one another in times of need (Acts 2:44-45, 4:32-
37).

9. Formation of Canon and Doctrine

 Scriptural Formation: The writings of the apostles and early Church leaders
began to be collected and recognized as authoritative scriptures. The New
Testament canon was not fully established until later centuries, but early
Christians valued and circulated these writings (2 Peter 3:16).

 Orthodox Beliefs: Early Christian communities worked to define and defend

orthodoxy against various heresies and misconceptions. This process involved
theological debates and the formation of creeds to clarify and preserve core
doctrines.

10. Spread of Christianity

 Missionary Expansion: The early Church’s growth was driven by missionaries

who traveled extensively to spread the Gospel, leading to the establishment of
Christian communities throughout the Roman Empire and beyond (Acts 1:8,
9:31).

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  Cultural Adaptation: The early Church navigated cultural and religious contexts,
adapting its message while maintaining core teachings. This helped Christianity to
be understood and accepted in diverse settings.

The early Church, as described in the Bible, laid the foundation for Christian doctrine,
practice, and community life. Its experiences, challenges, and teachings continue to
influence Christian faith and practice today.

5.3 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP AND PRACTICES

Christian worship and practices encompass a rich variety of traditions and rituals that
express faith and devotion. These practices can differ among denominations, but many
share common elements rooted in the teachings of Jesus Christ and the broader Christian
tradition. Here’s an overview of key aspects of Christian worship and practices:

1. Forms of Worship

 Liturgical Worship: This is characterized by a structured format, often including

readings from the Bible, prayers, hymns, and sacraments. It’s common in
traditions like Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and many Anglican and
Lutheran churches.

 Non-liturgical Worship: This tends to be more flexible and less structured,

focusing on spontaneous prayer, contemporary music, and sermons. It’s often
seen in evangelical, Pentecostal, and some Protestant denominations.

2. Key Components of Worship

 Prayer: Central to Christian worship, prayer can be both communal and personal.
It includes adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. The Lord’s
Prayer, given by Jesus, is a central prayer used across Christian traditions.

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  Scripture Reading: Reading and preaching from the Bible are foundational to
Christian worship. Different traditions may use a lectionary (a schedule of
scripture readings) or focus on passages selected by the preacher.

 Music and Hymns: Singing is a significant aspect of worship, with hymns,

psalms, and contemporary worship songs expressing praise, gratitude, and
reflection.

 Preaching and Teaching: Sermons are delivered to interpret scripture, provide

guidance on living out Christian values, and inspire the congregation.

3. Sacraments and Ordinances

 Baptism: Seen as a rite of initiation into the Christian faith, baptism is practiced
by most Christian denominations. It symbolizes purification and entry into the
Church.

 The Eucharist (Communion): This sacrament involves consuming bread and

wine (or grape juice), symbolizing the body and blood of Christ. It commemorates
the Last Supper and is a central act of Christian worship.

 Confession and Reconciliation: In some traditions, confession of sins and

seeking forgiveness from God is an important sacrament or practice, often
facilitated by a priest or minister.

 Confirmation: This sacrament or rite involves affirming one's faith and

commitment to the Christian community, often following a period of instruction.

4. Rituals and Traditions

 Liturgical Seasons: The Christian calendar includes seasons such as Advent,

Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost, each with its own focus and liturgical
practices.

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  Feasts and Festivals: Celebrations of key events in Jesus’ life and the lives of
saints, such as Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost, are observed with special
services and traditions.

 Daily Devotions: Many Christians engage in daily practices such as reading the
Bible, praying, and reflecting on spiritual matters, which can be structured or
spontaneous.

5. Community and Service

 Fellowship: Gathering as a community for worship fosters a sense of belonging

and mutual support. This includes attending church services, participating in small
groups, and engaging in church events.

 Charitable Work: Christian worship is often accompanied by a call to serve

others, reflecting Jesus’ teachings on love and compassion. This includes acts of
charity, social justice efforts, and community service.

6. Personal Spiritual Practices

 Meditation and Contemplation: Some Christians engage in silent prayer or

meditation to deepen their relationship with God and reflect on their spiritual
journey.

 Pilgrimages: Visiting holy sites or participating in pilgrimages can be a form of

devotion and spiritual growth for some Christians.

7. Sacred Space

 Church Buildings: Worship often takes place in dedicated church buildings,

which are designed to reflect the sacred nature of the worship experience. The
architecture and decoration can vary widely among denominations and cultures.

 Home Worship: In addition to communal worship, personal and family worship

practices at home, such as prayer and Bible study, are also important aspects of
Christian life.

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Christian worship and practices are diverse and can vary widely across denominations
and cultures, but they all aim to express and deepen faith, foster community, and live out
the teachings of Jesus Christ.

6.0 CHRISTIAN VALUES IN CONTEMPORARY TIMES

Human sexuality- Sexuality is a state of being either male or female. It refers to the
totality of things that distinguish a person as either male or female. It refers to how
people experience and express themselves as sexual beings.

Sexual identity

It involves the following areas:

i. Gender identity- this is knowing whether one is male or female.

ii. Gender role- it involves knowing what it means to be male or female and the roles
and expectations of the society concerning that role.
iii. Sexual orientation- it concerns one’s attraction to another. There are three main
forms of sexual attraction:
a. Homosexual- being attracted to people of the same sex or gender.
b. Heterosexual- being attracted to people of the opposite sex.
c. Bisexual- being attracted to both sexes while maintaining one’s gender,
but behaving or imitating the other sex.

Traditional African View on human sexuality.

 Africans regarded sexuality as a gift from God and sacred.
 Children and young people were taught the meaning and importance of
sexuality in the process of growing up.
 The parents and grandparents taught the youth both formally and
informally as they relate and interact with one another.
 In the past, it was a taboo for parents to discuss matters of sex with their
children.
 Children at their early ages tried to imitate the roles of their parents.

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  Boys imitated their fathers and girls their mothers and started performing
special roles.
 It was at adolescence stage and during initiations when sex education was
provided to both boys and girls.
 There were taboos that discouraged irresponsible sexual behaviors like
incest, rape, homosexual and fornication.
 Bestiality was unheard and never allowed in all communities.
 Those who misused sex were punished and everyone was expected to
respect sexuality.
 It was quite universal that a girl remains virgin until marriage.
 Sex outside marriage was prohibited unless in cases stated otherwise.

6.1 CHRISTIAN VALUES

Christian values are principles and ethical standards derived from the teachings of Jesus
Christ and the broader Christian tradition. These values guide how Christians live, interact with
others, and make decisions. Here’s an overview of key Christian values and their significance:

1. Love

 Unconditional Love (Agape): Christians are called to love others

unconditionally, reflecting the love God has for humanity. This includes loving
one’s neighbor, showing kindness, and acting with compassion.

 The Great Commandment: Jesus emphasized the importance of love in the

commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31), which
underscores the centrality of love in Christian ethics.

2. Forgiveness

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  Forgiveness of Sins: Christianity teaches the importance of forgiving others as
God forgives sins. This is exemplified in Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness
(Matthew 6:14-15) and his example of forgiving those who wronged him.

 Reconciliation: Forgiveness is not just a personal practice but also a means of

reconciling relationships and promoting peace within communities.

3. Justice

 Social Justice: Christians are called to seek justice and advocate for the
marginalized and oppressed. This includes working to address systemic
inequalities and ensure fair treatment for all individuals.

 Biblical Justice: Scriptures such as Micah 6:8 highlight the call to “act justly,
love mercy, and walk humbly with your God,” emphasizing a commitment to
ethical living and social equity.

4. Compassion

 Caring for the Needy: Compassion involves actively caring for those in need,
including the poor, sick, and vulnerable. Jesus’ teachings, such as the Parable of
the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), illustrate the importance of showing mercy
and kindness.

 Acts of Service: Christians are encouraged to serve others selflessly, reflecting

the compassionate nature of Christ’s ministry.

5. Humility

 Servant Leadership: Humility is demonstrated through serving others rather than

seeking power or recognition. Jesus exemplified this through his life and
teachings, including washing the disciples’ feet (John 13:12-17).

 Modesty and Meekness: Humility also involves recognizing one’s limitations

and relying on God rather than self-sufficiency.

6. Honesty and Integrity

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  Truthfulness: Christians are called to speak the truth and act with integrity in all
aspects of life. Honesty in communication and actions is essential to maintaining
trust and reflecting Christian values.

 Ethical Conduct: Integrity involves making ethical decisions and being

consistent with Christian principles in personal and professional life.

7. Faithfulness

 Faith in God: Faithfulness includes trusting in God’s promises and remaining

committed to Him. This trust guides Christians through challenges and reinforces
their relationship with God.

 Loyalty and Commitment: Faithfulness also extends to being loyal in

relationships and commitments, including marriage and community
responsibilities.

8. Peace

 Peace-Making: Christians are encouraged to be peacemakers, working to resolve

conflicts and foster harmony. Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they
will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9).

 Inner Peace: Faith in God brings a sense of inner peace and tranquility, which
can help Christians navigate life’s challenges with a calm and centered approach.

9. Generosity

 Giving and Sharing: Generosity involves sharing resources, time, and talents
with others. Christians are encouraged to give to those in need and support
charitable causes.

 Selfless Acts: Generosity reflects a spirit of selflessness and commitment to the

well-being of others.

10. Respect for Life

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  Sanctity of Life: Christian values emphasize the inherent worth of all human life,
from conception to natural death. This respect influences perspectives on issues
such as abortion, euthanasia, and human rights.

 Environmental Stewardship: Respect for life also extends to caring for the
environment, recognizing the interconnectedness of all creation and the
responsibility to protect and preserve it.

11. Hope

 Eternal Hope: Christians believe in the promise of eternal life through Jesus
Christ, which provides hope and perspective in the face of life's difficulties.

 Optimism and Encouragement: Hope encourages Christians to remain positive

and supportive, fostering a sense of purpose and confidence in God’s plan.

12. Self-Control

 Discipline and Moderation: Self-control involves managing desires and

impulses in accordance with Christian teachings. This includes practicing
moderation in various aspects of life and avoiding behaviors that are harmful or
sinful.

 Personal Growth: Self-control is essential for spiritual growth and maintaining a

lifestyle that aligns with Christian values.

These values guide Christians in their personal lives, interactions with others, and
contributions to society. They are rooted in the teachings of Jesus and the broader biblical
tradition, shaping how believers live out their faith in a contemporary world.

6.2 CHRISTIAN TEACHICHINGS ON HUMAN SEXUALITY, MARRIAGE AND

FAMILY

Meaning of Human sexuality.

Human sexuality refers to all aspects that make on a female or male

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  Sex is the most fascinating and complicated aspect of human being
 It's characterized by the biological and psychological differences that are
associated
 with the state of being a man or woman
 Sex is viewed by society as a vital aspect in determining human survival

Sexuality is God given and sacred. There three types of human sexuality

(a) Reproductive sexuality. This deals with human anatomy and all that concerns it

(b) Erotic sexuality. This concerns the feelings, emotions and attraction between men
and

women. It involves interpersonal relationship like kissing and sexual stimulation

(c) Gender sexuality. This concerns the social roles and duties of men and women it
involves mannerism and dressing styles expected of each sex

Traditional African view on human sexuality.

 Africans regarded sexuality as a gift from God and scared

 children and young people were taught the meaning and importance of sexuality
in the process of growing up
 The parents and grandparents taught the youth both formally and informally as
they relate and interact with one another
 In the past, it was a taboo for parents to discuss matters of sex with their children
 Children at their early ages tried to imitate the roles of their parents
 Boys imitated their fathers and girls their mothers and started performing special
roles
 It was at adolescence stage and during initiations when sex education was
provided to
 both boys and girls.
 There were taboos that discouraged irresponsible sexual behaviors like incest,
rape homosexual and fornication
 Bestiality was unheard and never allowed in all communities

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  Those who misused sex were punished and everyone was expected to respect
sexuality
 It was quite universal that Q girl remains a virgin until marriage.
 sex outsides marriage was prohibited unless in cases stated otherwise
 The exposure of sexual organs or private parts between man and woman was a
taboo and even an insane person could not do it
 Matters concerning sex were only discussed between age mates and using
figurative language or signs
 Christian teaching on human sexuality (genesis 1:26-27, psalms 39:13-15)
 Human sexuality is a gift from God and therefore sacred
 God created male and female and in his own image
 All what God created was good and should be used responsibly
 Whatever he created is fearful, wonderful and should be respected
 Sex is for procreation as the book of Genesis puts it. God blessed them (man and
woman) and commanded them to procreate and subdue the earth
 Sex is restricted to marriage relationship and should not be misused
 Bible forbids fornication and young men and women are encouraged to abstain
from sex till marriage.
 Chastity and virginity are still emphasized in the church
 Human sexuality is divine and Christians should honor their bodies as God's
temples
 The act of sexual intercourse is part of God established order
 Sex is good and should be enjoyed by the opposite sex
 Sex in marriage is form of security and expression of love between the married
couples.

IRRESSPONSIBLE SEXUAL BEHAVIOR

Irresponsible sexual behavior refers to perversion, misuse and abuse of sex, e.g incest

rape, fornication, adultery and prostitution

Homosexuality.

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  It is sexual relationship between people of the same sex
 A shameful act of godlessness and wickedness (lesbianism is for female)

Causes of homosexual

 Confinement or long stay of people of the same sex in one compound

 Psychological problems due to poor parenting
 Genetic or harmonic due to biological disposition towards homosexuality
 Foreign cultures that promote homosexuality e.g gay marriage
 Decline of Christian and African virtues
 Permissiveness in the society and abuse of human rights
 Evil desires from people's heart
 Negative attitude towards the opposite sex due past experience like raps
 Influence from pornographic materials
 Human fear to face the opposite sex
 Foreigners or tourists may influence others with the use of money.
 Adolescence stage where youths wants to experiment everything seen

Incest

 incest is sexual relationship between blood relatives

 Incest is common in contemporary society (Love 18:6-18, 20:11-21, 1 Cor 5:1-3)

Factors that contributes to Incest

 Permissiveness in the society.

 Pornographic materials which are widespread through electronic media.
 Poor parenting of children.
 Urbanization leading to overcrowding hence relatives lives under one roof
 Alcoholism and drug abuse influence-Close relationship between relatives of the
opposite sex.
 Natural attraction of relatives
 Family breakdown where the mother leaves her daughters with the father
 Presence of contraceptives with safe sex has encouraged incest

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  Breakdown of traditional norms and values

Rape

 Rape is forced sexual intercourse with or having sex without a person's consent
 Men are the main perpetrators but few women are known to be rapists
 Rape is condemned in the Bible and it is denial of human rights

Causes of rape

 Uncontrolled sexual desires and lose morals.

 Poor upbringing of children and lack of counseling
 Male chauvinism, men wants to show their superiority over women.
 False beliefs that HIV/Aids can be healed with use of young girls.
 Influence from mass media that glorifies sex.
 Influence from pornographic materials.
 Form or indicant dressing that may provoke men to rape.
 Use of drugs or alcohol.
 Lack of self-control and respect
 Mental disorders may lead to rape

Fornication.

 This is sexual intercourse between a boy and a girl before marriage.

 Fornicators were stoned to death in the Old Testament. Deut 22:23

Reasons why young people fornicate.

 Lack of self-control, morally weak

 Sexual curiosity to discover what is in sex.
 Proving manhood by engaging in sex.
 Fear of being jilted by a boyfriend
 Breakdown of African values and controls.
 Alcohol and drug influence

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  Availability of contraceptives to the young people.
 Ignorance where young people lack information on effects of sex
 Sympathy given to a lover by a partner
 Peer influence to enable one fit in a group or company
 Need to search for security and identify.
 Testimonies of joy from those who have had it.

Adultery.

 It is a sexual relationship between married people

 It can be sex between a married man and unmarried woman or vice versa
 It is also referred to as extra-marital sex and condemned by both Christians and
traditional Africans.

Factors that contributes to adultery

 Lack of self-control by husbands and wives.

 Unfulfilled sexual desires between spouses.
 Marital conflicts and constant quarrels.
 Long period of separation of the spouses due to jobs.
 Unfaithfulness of one partner may encourage the other to revenge.
 Poverty and unemployment may encourage others.
 Poor health of one partner may lead the other to go for adultery.
 Influence of alcohol and drugs.
 use of contraceptives with safe sex has encouraged many
 Wealth obsession may lead one to fail in sexual obligation

Prostitution

 It is offering sexual intercourse for the purpose of money or material gains or

favors.
 Both men and women can be prostitutes or se: workers

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  it’s condemned both in African communities and in the bible. Lev 19:29, 21:7,
Deut 23.1S and proverbs 7:1-27

Causes of prostitution.

 Rural urban migration that has led many to prostitution.

 Drugs and alcohol influence.
 Uncontrolled sexual desires
 Peer influence to keep the company.
 Children's background where copy the culture from parents
 Poverty and unemployment
 Greed for money to live like others in the society
 Rejection at home by parents may lead to prostitution.
 Adventure by young people to explore other cultures
 Availability of contraceptives has encouraged many to prostitution
 Early pregnancy where some girls wants to meet their basic needs
 Acceptance of prostitution in the society as a form of business
 Unfulfilled sexual! desires at home.
 Long separation of spouses due to careers
 The desire to spread the disease HIV/Aid

Outline the effects of irresponsible sexual behavior.

 Spread of sexual transmitted diseases

 Rape may lead to imprisonment
 May lead to depression and suicide on the affected victims
 Unwanted pregnancies
 Emergence of single parenthood
 Loss of jobs due to lack of discipline
 May cause shame to the rapist.
 May cause fear to the rest of the society in case of rape
 Mistrust between the opposite sex and permanent hatred

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  May also lead to sexual satisfaction on the persons concerned
 It may lead to early marriages
 May lead to divorce in case of adultery.
 Uncontrolled population growth that may strain the available resources
 Unwanted pregnancies may lead to increase in abortion

SEXUAL TRANSMITTED DISEASES

HIV/AIDS, Gonorrhea, syphilis

HIV/AIDS

 HIV stands for Human immune Deficiency Syndrome

 AIDS is acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
 HIV is a virus that leads to AIDs, a condition that weakens the Immune system of
a person.

It is transmitted through: -

 Sexual intercourse with infected person

 Infected mother to unborn child.
 Use of the same instruments with infected person e.g. razor blades and knives
 Blood transfusion from infected person

Common symptoms of AIDS

 Swelling of glands in the neck, armpits and groin

 Tiredness for weeks without a cause
 Loss of weight at a faster rate
 Fever lasting several weeks.
 Skin rashes and diseases.
 Growth of fungi in the mouth.
 Prolonged cough
 Shortness of breath.

Effects of HIV/AIDS

 It leads to death.
 Leads to stigmatization as infected are rejected
 Financial burden on individual and the family
 Loss of jobs due to low productivity
 the infected tend to feel guilty and angry about the condition
 Orphans have increased due to the death of parents

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  Many infected persons have committed suicide
 Suffering and pain to the infected

GONORRHEA

Gonorrhea is caused by gonococcus bacteria called Neisseria

Symptoms

 Pain when passing urine

 Smelly yellowish discharge from the vigina or penis.
 Feeling of discomfort inside the penis
 Severe pain in the lower abdomen for women.
 Fever and headaches.
 Frequent urination
 General weakness without a cause.

Effects of Gonorrhea

 Sterility in both men and women

 Blindness of the newborn babies.
 Arthritis or infection of bones
 Ectopic pregnancies
 A lot of pain to the infected person
 Shame to the infected if known.
 Misuse of family resources.
 Unnecessary disruption of daily routine of work

SYPHILIS.

 It is caused by a spiral shaped bacterium germ called Treponema pallidum which

survive only in a moist condition e.g. virginal, urethra, sores, mouth and anus
 It’s transmitted sexually or through mouth kiss.

Symptoms.

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  Swelling of glands in the groin
 Feeling generally unwell
 Painless sores on the penis or vulva on the six weeks of intercourse
 Skin rushes on the body.
 General weakness.

Effects of Syphilis

 May lead to madness at the late stage.

 May destroy the testicles.
 May paralyze one due to the infection of the spinal cord Liver infectious
 May lead to miscarriage or still birth and premature births.
 Pain to the infected person
 It can cause death if not treated
 Misuses of family resources and money
 May cause shame If known
 . Unnecessary discomfort to the infected

EARLY PREGNANCIES

These are pregnancies which are common in young girls.

Effects of early pregnancies to young girls

 Brings frustrations and stress

 May be rejected by parents and relatives.
 May lead drop out of school and disrupt studies
 Lead to increase of abortion
 May lead to early marriages or forced marriages
 May lead to shame and pity.
 A lot of suffering to young girls.
 Loss of sanctity of the girls.

EARLY MARRIAGES

 Early marriages occur when a girl finds herself pregnant as a result of

irresponsible sexual behavior.

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  A girl may get married with the hope of getting love and acceptance such
marriage may not last

Effects of early marriages

 Feelings of frustration, anxiety and stress.

 One feels guilty of the mistake.
 Bitterness and hatred due to forced marriage
 Poverty due to poor skills of livelihood
 A girl feels a social misfit in the company of other women
 Early marriages lead to many children

School drop outs

 Early pregnancies have made many girls drop out of school

 sexually active boy or girl may concentrate more in fulfilling the bodily sexual
desires at the expense of studies.
 A girl may drop out of school in case of rape to avoid shame and humiliation.
 Others dropout in search for money.
 Effects are similar to those of early pregnant and forced marriage.

Guilt and stress

Guilt is a feeling when one does wrong knowingly

Stress is the response of the body and mind to any situation that exerts pressure or makes
demands on a person.

 Acute stress interferes with the functional of the body

 Irresponsible sexual behavior leads to stress and guilt
 people always feel guilt for failing to live up to Christian principles on sexual
behavior

Outline the responsibility of Christians to those who are affected by effects

of Sex.

 Christians should call sinners to repentance and forgiveness

 Should condemn all forms of evil and sexual immorality
 Should preach against irresponsible sexual behavior
 Provide education to all the Targeted groups
 should provide guidance and counseling services to those affected
 Pray for those affected by irresponsible sexual behavior
 Christians to devise to devise ways of creating employment to those affected
 To educate parents on their parenting duties
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  Should set a bursary fund to help the needy
 Should build a rehabilitation Centre or homes for the orphans
 Visiting those affected and helping them

Give reasons why young people engage in sex or fornication

 Lack of self-control.
 Sexual curiosity.
 To proof their manhood and womanhood
 Fear of being jilted by their boyfriends
 Breakdown of African norms.
 Alcoholism and drug abuse.
 Availability of contraceptives
 ignorance of adverse effects of the future.

Sympathy given to a friend in some cases.

Peer influence to fit in a particular group.

Search for identity.

THE TRADITICNAL VIEW ON MARRIAGE AND FAMILY.

Marriage:

Marriage is a binding agreement between man and woman to have a lasting relationship

as wife and husband.

marriage is a rite of passing in ATS that every normal man and woman must undergo

 It was viewed as God institution and ordained therefore sacred

 Marriage was compulsory for all and it brought several families together
 It was taken as a social affaire where everyone participated
 the chief purpose of marriage was procreation and children were viewed as a
blessing
 A man was allowed to marry a second wife if a woman was barren
 Polygamy was practiced in all African communities
 Divorce is not allowed in ATS and any conflict was resolved by elders
 A wife belonged to the whole family not individual at,
 Marriage between relatives was discouraged and prohibited

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  The wife continued to be subordinate to her husband but has her own established
rights and responsibilities

FAMILY

Family is the smallest basic unit of any community

 It is defined ss a group of people related by blood, marriage or adoption

 Family involves both nuclear and extended family in A.T.S
 The family also incorporated the dead and those yet to be born and hence has both
horizontal and vertical dimensions.
 Horizontal refers to the living and vertical refers to the dead and those yet to be
born
 The living remembers the departed one trough naming, pouring libation and
offering food as a sign of hospitality respect and fellowship
 Children prolong and perpetuate the chain of life for the family
 Families are important because it is the only channel of child bearing
 It is also in the family that all religious and social values occur such as initiations
and land issues.
 family promotes a sense of belonging to privileged and underprivileged
 Disputes and conflicts are resolved by members of the family and promote a sense
of
 collective responsibility and personal fulfillment to all members

CHRISTIAN TEACHING ON MARRIAGE AND FAMILY

 Marriage is a binding covenant between man and woman with an intention to live
together permanently
 Christian marriage is conducted between a Christian man and woman who
promise to be faithful to each other in presence of other Christian witness
 It is a divine institution and sacred
 God ordained marriage from the time of Adam and Eve
 Both leave their families and joint together till death Separates them

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  It is a permanent union and divorce is never allowed in any marriage unless
otherwise
 Christian marriage is based on love.
 The husband remains the head of the family for God gave him authority in the
family to do head.
 Christian friends are always involved in the affairs of the families.
 Some Christians choose to remain single and celebrate for the purpose of serving
God.

A Christian marriage must fulfill the following:

 It provides fellowship and support for the husband and wife.

 Create a conducive environment for the birth and upbringing of children towards
the fear of God
 It is for procreation
 Promotes welfare of human beings and society
 Allows a man and woman to express their mutual love fully.

The Christian family

 It is a basic unit of as society.

 It was instituted by God.
 It consists of father, mother and children.
 Christian family is monogamous and meant for procreation.
 It's headed by the husband who is expected to love the wife as Christ loves the
church.
 Husband and wife play complementary roles as partners in giving direction to the
children.
 Husband and wife should live together with respect and love
 A quality of a Christian family includes love, kindness, forgiveness, humility, and
gentleness.
 Both should be God fearing people.

Responsible parenthood

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  Responsible parenthood is a process in which parents bring up children according
to the norms or standards setup by the community.
 It refers to the process of bringing o children who should be able to relate well
with God.
 Responsible parents should ensure that children are properly natured in every
stage of their lives.

Responsibilities of parents towards children.

 To bring up children in the training and instruction of the Lord.

 To provide for the basic needs of their children
 To instill good morals for right living
 To provide protection and security to the children
 To discipline their children in love
 To provide holistic education
 To teach their children social and civil responsibilities in society
 To provide continuous guidance and counseling
 To have the number of children they are able to co c for
 To be role models to the children
 To show tolerance, forgiveness and understanding to their children

The problems affecting families today.

 Poverty making it difficult to provide the basic needs

 Unemployment without regular source of money
 Job securities in private sectors which threatens source of income
 Mismanagement of income and resources on [Link]
 Separation due to employments leading to unfaithfulness
 Divorce and unwillingness to forgive each other
 Domestic violence caused by drugs and alcoholism
 Childlessness is a common problem to some families
 Diseases and sickness which has always affected family members emotionally
 Generation gap which brings conflicts between parents and children

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  Culture and religious differences due to intermarriages
 Single parenthood which may leave the children without the love of both parents
 Communication breakdown due to mistrust and conflicts
 Unfaithfulness which threatens the stability of the family

Role of the Christians in helping those affected by the above problems

 Give guidance and counseling to the concerned

 Praying for the families
 Preaching love, forgiveness and tolerance
 Organize seminars and workshops on family life.
 Advocating the rights of the parents and children
 Give relevant scriptures to the families

While teaching the topic of "marriage and family" In class 7, a boy who wants to marry
after KCPE ask you for the qualities of a good wife. What advice would you give?

 God fearing.
 Honest.
 Tolerance.
 Faithfull.
 Obedient.
 Responsible.
 Age level.
 Education.
 Respectful.
 Morally upright.
 Woman with integrity.
 Hardworking-
 Hospitable.
 Generous

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 6.3 WORK AND LEISURE

Meaning and importance of work

Work is defined as the use of energy work which may be physical or mental for the
purpose of improving human life

Types of work.

 Salaried employment: this is where individual ls employed to do different types of

jobs
 for salary or wage as per the terms of service e.g. teachers, doctors, pilots etc.
 Self-employment: this Is where Individuals Invest their money and employs
themselves
 fully in the business e.g. farmers, carpenters, tailors and juakali artisans.
 Casual work: this is the type of work on temporary for a period of time ranging
from one
 to several mouths.

Importance of work

 To meet their basic needs.

 A To have meaning and direction of life.
 To get self-satisfaction and fulfillment.
 For personal development towards talents.
 To acquire wealth and status in society.
 To provide services to the community.
 To be self-reliant and stop depending on others.
 To promote as sense of self-worth and dignity
 To fulfill Gods commands to mankind
 For identification e.g. teacher, police etc
 To socialize with others in society.

THE TRADITIONAL AFRICAN UNDERSTANDING OF WORK

 Work is willed by God and greatly valued
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 Everyone should be proud of the work he/she does
 Work is divided according to age, gender and social status.
 Training for work is done progressively by parents, grandparents, relatives and
kinsman.
 Work was compulsory to all regardless of age sex or status
 The role of everyone was clearly defined
 Some work was related to leisure
 Young children learn what their parents do through observation and imitated e.g.
collecting firewood and cooking.
 Girls were taught by their mothers the roles of women and boys by fathers
 Elderly provide leadership direction and leadership roles.

THE CHRISTIAN TEACHNG ON WORK

 Nork is portrayed as Gods plan for the human race
 God is portrayed as a worker during the creation process.
 God rested on the seventh day when work was done well
 Human beings are co-workers and co-creators with God. They were commanded
to conquer and subdue the earth
 Hard work is commanded while laziness is is condemned in the Bible
 Jesus was brought up as a carpenter and work is encouraged in the New
Testament
 St. Paul is also an example of a diligent worker in the New Testament. He earned
his living as a tent maker while in a Corinth.
 Christians should work hard to avoid being a burden to others
 sod gave people various talents and abilities directed towards work
 Christians should appreciate work as a service to God.
 There is notability and beauty in the humblest of work
 God rewards the service we give to him.
 We should serve God with full sincerity of the heart

ISSUES RELATED TO WORK

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 Forms and effects of child labor
 Child labor is the employment of children wt. are below 18 years.
 This child abuse and exploitation

Reasons why child labor is practiced

 Poverty has made parents push children as servants to others
 Deaths of parents as children are forced to look for employment to meet their
basic needs.
 School dropout end up in looking for employments
 children desire to acquire personal items like mobile phones etc
 Homeless children due to displacement are ready to do work for food and other
basic needs.
 Cheap labors as employers prefer employing children rather than adults

Types of work done by children

 Domestic work is households and farms
 Commercial workers in urban centers
 Child brides in early marriages
 Street beggars and hawkers in urban centers
 Child soldiers in conflict countries
 Use of children in plays and drama e.g. Machachari in Citizen TV

Effects of child labor

 t derives children a chance to enjoy their childhood
 Derives children right to education protection and health
 Exposes children to dangers and hazards like machines and chemicals
 It exposes them to exploitation through underpayment.
 It’s child abuse
 Leads to sexual abuse by the employment hence HIV infections
 Leads to confinement, torture and battering

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 Unemployment
 t refers to situations where jobs to those qualified are lacking in both formal and
informal.

Causes of unemployment
 Bribery, corruption and nepotism
 Misconception that white-collar jobs are more honorable, less tiring and belter
paying
 Lack of enough job opportunities to absorb the great number of school leavers
 lack of the necessary qualifications and skills
 Lack of capital to start self-employment.
 Retrenchment of workers in various sectors
 Increased crime and insecurity in the country discourages investments
 Introduction of computers and machines has displaced human labor
 Drug addiction and laziness has led to unemployment
 Lack of land for those who may want to be farmers
 Lack of land for those who may want to be farmers
 Poor governance of the country with poor policies
 High population rate due to uncontrolled procreation

Employer and employee relationship

 Employer should honor his duties towards the employee and employee to the
employer.
 Employer can be individual or organization

Duties of employer to employee

 Provide conducive working conditions.
 Pay a just wage
 Allow workers to have training and improve skills
 Give work opportunities for promotions

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  Treat employees with respect and dignity
 Give workers time to rest and attend personal issues
 Avoid exploiting workers for profits
 Motivate the employees to encourage effectiveness
 Provide healthy and safe working conditions

Duties of employees to employers

 Perform duties diligently
 Respect and protect the property of the employer
 seek solutions to conflicts and problems
 Respect employer and other employees
 It gives people time to visit friends and relatives
 It helps people Improve skills and education through reading novels
 Helps one to develop talents and hopples
 Helps one engage in income generating activities like shop keeping etc
 Give time to Christians for worship
 Leisure enhances family relationship as they visit places together
 Helps people participate in charitable activities
 It enhances cultural heritage as we make visits for cultural programs exchange
 it brings full relaxation to people
 Helps one discover new places

TRADITIONAL UNDERSTANDING ON LEISURE

 Leisure plays on-important role in the lives of Africans

 Active leisure featured in A.T.S
 Leisure activities were divided according to age, gender and social status
 Work and leisure run concurrently as work was done while singing
 Leisure for the youths were closely supervised by the elders to ensure the norms
were observed.
 Leisure activities included initiation ceremonies and marriages

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  The leisure activities of the youths were to be known in advance for approval and
be monitored

Leisure activities in A.T.S

 Singing and dancing

 Riddles and proverbs
 Story telling
 Discussion sessions of elders on matters affecting the community
 Visiting friends and relatives
 Feasting and celebrating
 Hunting for young man and boys
 Wrestling
 Bull fighting
 Camel riding
 Cock fighting
 Spear throwing
 Tongue twisters
 Recitation of poetry

Importance of leisure in A.T.S

 Relaxation from hard work

 All forms of leisure of have moral value and Education
 For acquisition of values e.g. cooperation sharing and love
 For worship of God and sacrifices
 For training and acquisition of skills
 For enjoyment
 For the development of the talents

CHRISTIAN TEACHING ON LEISURE

 Leisure is divinely and ordained

 God created everything within six days and resisted on the seventh day

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  The Israelites were commanded by God to observe the day for rest during the
making of the covenant of Mt. Sinai
 The book of Ecclesiastes outlines that there Is time for everything time to work
and time to rest
 David provide king Saul with musical songs during leisure time
 Jesus went to the synagogue to worship sod during his leisure time
 He visited his friends Martha and Mary
 Attended social functions such as wedding at Cana
 He went to lonely places to pray with his disciples
 He used it in meeting the needs of the people e.g. healing and preaching

How Christians can use their Leisure

 Worshipping God
 Visiting the sick and friends
 Caring for the needy and less fortunate
 Rest after work
 For retreat and praying for others
 Being with their families
 Reading Christian literature
 Listening Christian music
 Watching Christian films and videos cleaning the church
 Singing in the church choir
 Participating in youth and women’s fellowships
 Playing games like football
 Taking care of environment
 Participating in church seminars
 Joining an intercessory prayer
 Attending Christian camps
 Participation in drama and music groups
 For preaching the Good news

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 MISUSE OF LEISURE

Leisure is misused when it is confused with idleness or when a person over indulges in
sore activities that take a lot of their recourses and time

Misuses of leisure is observed when one loiters or hung around in shopping

centres. gambling. idle talk and gossips, discos, night dancing, abuse of drugs and alcohol
and sexual immoralities

(a) Drugs and substance abuse

A drug is chemical substance which when taken or gets into blood stream changes the
function of the body. Drugs affect both the body and mind. It's either inhaled or ingested.
Drugs which are commonly misused include

i) Medicinal drugs

These are drugs prescribed by the doctors to cure various illness and diseases

They are called curative drugs

These drugs may be used carelessly and may lead to addiction and death

Examples of medicinal drugs abused include,

Palliative drugs-these are used to cure cancer, diabetes, asthma, and high blood pressure

Sedative-these are used to alleviate pain or put a patient to sleep and mainly used for
mental patients

Tranquilizers-used to relieve tension and induce sleep such as valium

(i) Soft drugs

These include stimulants and volatile drugs. Stimulants are used to increased

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physiological activity as they work on the central nervous system. Examples of
stimulants include;

Cigarettes and snuff from tobacco. These contain nicotine, carbon-monoxide and tar
which is harmful to human body. it causes throat cancer, lung and heart diseases

Miraa or khat is a shrub whose leaves and stalk are chewed to induce

excitement

Alcohol is also commonly used and abused. It is used in ceremonies and social

occasions e.g. kumi kumi and changaa. Effects of alcohol include; Liver

cirrhosis, malfunctioning of kidney, loss of eye sight, depression, and death

Volatile drugs produce fumes when inhaled or sniffed a person becomes dizzy

or intoxicated e.g. paint thinners, dry cleaning fluids and petroleum products.

Glue are also commonly used by the street boys.

(i) Hard drugs

 These are narcotic drugs or hallucinogens

 It causes drowsiness, sleep or stupor

These includes;

 Cocaine from coca leaves: A white powder inhaled, smoked or injected into the
blood system. It causes mental effects, poor health, vomiting. circulatory
collapse, palpitation, violent behavior and death.
 Bhang or cannabis sativa from a plant called Indian hemp. Its leaves are dried,
crushed and rolled into pipes. Mainly smoked for excitement and energized.
Also called hashish and marijuana. Negative effects include aggression, illusion,
distorts reality and drowsiness.
 Morphine from cocaine used to suppress pain but can cause addiction.

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  Heroine from the sap of a plant called poppy. It is a crystallized powder and
derived from morphine. It's injected into the veins using a syringe and highly
addictive. Causes respiratory problems, loss of appetite, loss of weight, heart and
liver problems and withdrawal symptoms.

Reasons why people abuse drugs

 Idleness leading ta drugs.

 Frustrations at home, school, and work place
 Poor role models from parents
 Peer influence
 Availability of drugs.
 Too much money given to children.
 Parental neglect to children.
 Lack of education of drug effects.
 Poverty in the society
 Lack of variety of leisure activities Christian should condemn all sorts of drug
abuse.

b) Sexual immoralities

This is one way of misuse of leisure. It is irresponsible sexual behavior. This includes

prostitution, fornication, incest, adultery, and homosexuality. All forms of sexual

immoralities are condemned in the Bible. It is defiling God’s temple. Our bodies are the
temples of God.

c) Pornography

This is explicit description of sexual activity in literature, films and videos with intentions
of to stimulate erotic feelings.

Today people easily access electronic media through internet, magazines, novels radio,
films, videos, and televisions.

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Pornography glorifies sex and may change the attitude of people. Christians have an
obligation to condemn all forms of pornographic materials.

6.4 CHILD SAFETY AND PROTECTION

Christian values are principles and ethical standards derived from the teachings of Jesus
Christ and the broader Christian tradition. These values guide how Christians live,
interact with others, and make decisions. Here’s an overview of key Christian values and
their significance:

1. Love

Unconditional Love (Agape): Christians are called to love others unconditionally,

reflecting the love God has for humanity. This includes loving one’s neighbor, showing
kindness, and acting with compassion.

 The Great Commandment: Jesus emphasized the importance of love in the

commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31), which
underscores the centrality of love in Christian ethics.

2. Forgiveness

 Forgiveness of Sins: Christianity teaches the importance of forgiving others as

God forgives sins. This is exemplified in Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness
(Matthew 6:14-15) and his example of forgiving those who wronged him.

 Reconciliation: Forgiveness is not just a personal practice but also a means of

reconciling relationships and promoting peace within communities.

3. Justice

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  Social Justice: Christians are called to seek justice and advocate for the
marginalized and oppressed. This includes working to address systemic
inequalities and ensure fair treatment for all individuals.

 Biblical Justice: Scriptures such as Micah 6:8 highlight the call to “act justly,
love mercy, and walk humbly with your God,” emphasizing a commitment to
ethical living and social equity.

4. Compassion

 Caring for the Needy: Compassion involves actively caring for those in need,
including the poor, sick, and vulnerable. Jesus’ teachings, such as the Parable of
the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), illustrate the importance of showing mercy
and kindness.

 Acts of Service: Christians are encouraged to serve others selflessly, reflecting

the compassionate nature of Christ’s ministry.

5. Humility

 Servant Leadership: Humility is demonstrated through serving others rather than

seeking power or recognition. Jesus exemplified this through his life and
teachings, including washing the disciples’ feet (John 13:12-17).

 Modesty and Meekness: Humility also involves recognizing one’s limitations

and relying on God rather than self-sufficiency.

6. Honesty and Integrity

 Truthfulness: Christians are called to speak the truth and act with integrity in all
aspects of life. Honesty in communication and actions is essential to maintaining
trust and reflecting Christian values.

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  Ethical Conduct: Integrity involves making ethical decisions and being
consistent with Christian principles in personal and professional life.

7. Faithfulness

 Faith in God: Faithfulness includes trusting in God’s promises and remaining

committed to Him. This trust guides Christians through challenges and reinforces
their relationship with God.

 Loyalty and Commitment: Faithfulness also extends to being loyal in

relationships and commitments, including marriage and community
responsibilities.

8. Peace

 Peace-Making: Christians are encouraged to be peacemakers, working to resolve

conflicts and foster harmony. Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they
will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9).

 Inner Peace: Faith in God brings a sense of inner peace and tranquility, which
can help Christians navigate life’s challenges with a calm and centered approach.

9. Generosity

 Giving and Sharing: Generosity involves sharing resources, time, and talents
with others. Christians are encouraged to give to those in need and support
charitable causes.

 Selfless Acts: Generosity reflects a spirit of selflessness and commitment to the

well-being of others.

10. Respect for Life

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  Sanctity of Life: Christian values emphasize the inherent worth of all human life,
from conception to natural death. This respect influences perspectives on issues
such as abortion, euthanasia, and human rights.

 Environmental Stewardship: Respect for life also extends to caring for the
environment, recognizing the interconnectedness of all creation and the
responsibility to protect and preserve it.

11. Hope

 Eternal Hope: Christians believe in the promise of eternal life through Jesus
Christ, which provides hope and perspective in the face of life's difficulties.

 Optimism and Encouragement: Hope encourages Christians to remain positive

and supportive, fostering a sense of purpose and confidence in God’s plan.

12. Self-Control

 Discipline and Moderation: Self-control involves managing desires and

impulses in accordance with Christian teachings. This includes practicing
moderation in various aspects of life and avoiding behaviors that are harmful or
sinful.

 Personal Growth: Self-control is essential for spiritual growth and maintaining a

lifestyle that aligns with Christian values.

These values guide Christians in their personal lives, interactions with others, and
contributions to society. They are rooted in the teachings of Jesus and the broader biblical
tradition, shaping how believers live out their faith in a contemporary world.

CHILD SAFETY AND PROTECTION

Child safety and protection are paramount concerns for individuals, families,
communities, and organizations. Ensuring that children grow up in environments that are

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secure and nurturing is essential for their development and well-being. Here’s a
comprehensive overview of child safety and protection:

1. Physical Safety

 Safe Environments: Ensure that homes, schools, and other environments where
children spend time are free from hazards. This includes child-proofing spaces,
maintaining safe playgrounds, and ensuring proper supervision.

 Emergency Preparedness: Teach children about safety measures for

emergencies, such as fire drills, natural disasters, and first aid. Ensure they know
how to seek help and respond to potential dangers.

2. Emotional and Psychological Safety

 Supportive Relationships: Foster positive and supportive relationships with

children. Ensure they feel valued, heard, and understood. Encourage open
communication and provide emotional support.

 Mental Health: Address mental health issues proactively. Recognize signs of

distress or trauma and seek professional help if needed. Create a safe space where
children can express their feelings and concerns.

3. Protection from Abuse and Neglect

 Abuse Awareness: Educate children about different types of abuse (physical,

emotional, sexual) and teach them how to recognize and report inappropriate
behavior. Emphasize that they should always feel safe to speak out.

 Reporting Mechanisms: Establish clear and accessible reporting mechanisms for

suspected abuse or neglect. Ensure that all adults involved with children know
how to report concerns and understand the procedures for doing so.

 Background Checks: For organizations working with children (schools, sports

teams, etc.), implement thorough background checks and vetting processes for all
staff and volunteers to ensure they are fit to work with children.

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4. Online Safety

 Digital Literacy: Teach children about online safety, including the risks of
sharing personal information, interacting with strangers, and understanding
privacy settings on social media platforms.

 Supervision and Monitoring: Monitor children’s online activities and set

appropriate boundaries for internet use. Use parental controls and educate
children on the importance of maintaining privacy and recognizing online threats.

 Cyberbullying Awareness: Address the issue of cyberbullying by educating

children about respectful online behavior, encouraging them to report bullying,
and providing support to those affected.

5. Health and Well-being

 Regular Check-ups: Ensure children receive regular medical check-ups,

vaccinations, and dental care to monitor and maintain their physical health.

 Nutrition and Exercise: Promote a balanced diet and regular physical activity as
part of a healthy lifestyle. Educate children about making healthy choices and the
importance of physical well-being.

6. Education and Awareness

 Life Skills: Teach children essential life skills such as decision-making,

assertiveness, and conflict resolution. Equip them with the tools they need to
navigate challenges and make safe choices.

 Educational Programs: Support and participate in educational programs that

promote child safety and protection. Schools and community organizations often
provide resources and training on these topics.

7. Legal and Policy Framework

 Child Protection Policies: Organizations and institutions should have clear child
protection policies and procedures. These policies should be regularly reviewed

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 and updated to ensure they meet current standards and effectively safeguard
children.

 Legal Safeguards: Be aware of and comply with local, national, and international
laws and regulations related to child protection. This includes understanding and
implementing mandatory reporting laws and child welfare standards.

8. Community Involvement

 Parental Involvement: Encourage parents and guardians to be actively involved

in their children’s lives and education. Support parent education programs that
focus on child safety and protection.

 Community Programs: Participate in or support community programs that

promote child safety and well-being. This can include local initiatives, support
groups, and advocacy efforts.

9. Empowerment

 Children’s Rights: Educate children about their rights and empower them to
speak up and advocate for themselves. Ensure they understand that their feelings
and experiences are valid and important.

 Resilience Building: Help children build resilience by teaching them coping

strategies and problem-solving skills. Encourage them to develop a strong sense
of self-worth and confidence.

10. Crisis Response

 Emergency Response: Have protocols in place for responding to emergencies

involving children, such as accidents or sudden health issues. Ensure that staff and
caregivers are trained in first aid and emergency procedures.

 Support Systems: Provide access to counseling and support services for children
who have experienced trauma or crisis situations. Ensure that support is available
to help them recover and rebuild.

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Ensuring child safety and protection requires a comprehensive approach involving

 education,
 prevention, and
 intervention.
 By fostering safe environments,
 promoting open communication, and
 being vigilant, we can help protect children and support their healthy
development.

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