Christian Beliefs and Doctrine

What the resources cover

This unit sits in the strand Christianity: Belief, Church and Practice, within Religion and theology. Most of what is listed is made up of mind maps, with flashcard decks, quizzes, notes and slide sets alongside them. The core ideas appear again and again: the nature of God, the Holy Trinity, the Incarnation, creation, sin and forgiveness, salvation, and what Christians believe happens after death.

Where to start

Begin with a broad overview. The mind map GCSE Revision: Christianity branches into the Bible, worship, festivals, rites of passage and the Gospels. Christianity Beliefs GCSE RS then narrows in on the qualities of God, creation, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection.

Next, choose a theme and go deeper:

• God and the Trinity: the maps on the Holy Trinity and Incarnation, plus the Trinity flashcards and slides.
• Creation: the map that walks through the days of Genesis 1.
• Afterlife: the map on Christian beliefs about the afterlife, where death is described as not the end and judgement follows.
• Festivals: a map running from Advent and Christmas to Easter, Ascension Day and Pentecost.

Using maps and quizzes together

Read a map first, then close it and try a quiz on the same idea. Quizzes such as Christian Festivals, Gifts of the Holy Spirit and Christianity - Key beliefs show quickly what has stuck. Wherever you slip up, go back to the matching map branch or flashcard deck and look again.

1. Skim a map to see the whole topic.
2. Test yourself with a quiz.
3. Review the gaps with flashcards.
4. Practise longer answers using the notes, such as the ones on 8 Markers and Christianity 12 markers.

Exams and teaching

The listed resources mention GCSE Religious Studies, GCSE Religious Education and A-level Religious Studies. Teachers can pick out maps and slide sets to use in lessons, or share quizzes for revision.

Open a map that matches your next topic, and see how far you get.