Edexcel GCSE (9–1) Religious Studies B · Paper 1 · Area of study 3 · Living the Christian Life Harlington School · RE Course · Support Grade
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Unit 03

Living the Christian Life

Eight topics, one unit. The divergent Christian practices set side by side, the key ideas connected, and every source of wisdom and authority the examiner expects, all in one place.

The
big
question

How do Christians actually live their faith, in worship, sacrament, prayer and service, and why does that look so different from one church to the next?

01

The divergent views explorer

Every (d) in this unit turns on the divergent Christian practices: Catholic beside Protestant beside Quaker, set side by side exactly as the examiner wants. Pick a topic, then tap a position to see what it claims. The top-marks move and a 7-minute discussion question travel with each topic.

Tap a circle, or use Tab and Enter, to explore each position.

The thread that ties it together

Top marks are not more content: they are three habits applied to every topic. Spot them and every (d) in this unit opens the same way.

Divergent views, side by side

Never one practice at a time. Set Catholic beside Protestant beside Quaker: where they agree, and the exact point they part. That comparison IS the analysis the (d) is marked on.

The (d) regulation

Chain each point (claim → because → this means → therefore), steelman the other side, weigh BOTH arguments, a strength AND a limit, then justify the conclusion.

Source-first accuracy

A correctly named source beats a vague paraphrase, the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19), not 'Jesus told them to spread the word'. One learned line, placed precisely, is what turns a (c) from 3 marks into 5.

02

8 topics, one unit

Each panel is a topic's key idea: the connective explanation that links the key words into one argument, with the source of wisdom and authority the (c) question expects. Learn the chain, not the list.

Topic 1 · LC01

Worship

Why do Christians worship in such different ways?
WORSHIP = RESPONSEWorship is showing love and respect to God. A response to who God is, not a performance staged for the people watching.
LITURGICALLiturgical worship follows a set order from a service book, centred on the Eucharist, so the same words are used in every church every Sunday.
NON-LITURGICALNon-liturgical worship has no fixed order: Bible reading, preaching and spontaneous prayer, shaped by the congregation and the Spirit on the day.
ONE PURPOSEBoth aim at worship 'in spirit and truth' (John 4:24), so the argument is over which form best carries the same devotion.
Source of wisdom & authorityJohn 4:23–24 · Two styles, one purpose
Topic 2 · LC02

The role of the sacraments

Why do physical rituals matter to faith?
OUTWARD SIGNA sacrament is an outward, physical sign, water, bread, wine, oil, of an inward and invisible grace that God gives through it.
SEVENCatholics and Orthodox keep seven: baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, reconciliation, anointing of the sick, marriage and holy orders, grace at every stage of life.
TWOMost Protestants keep only baptism and the Eucharist, the two Jesus himself commanded, though Lutherans and Baptists then disagree sharply about what the bread is.
NONEQuakers and the Salvation Army practise no sacraments at all, holding that God's grace is inward and constant, so no ritual is needed to deliver it.
Source of wisdom & authorityActs 2:38–39 · Believers' baptism vs infant baptism
Topic 3 · LC03

The nature and purpose of prayer

What is prayer actually FOR?
COMMUNICATIONPrayer is communicating with God, listening as much as speaking, so it is a relationship being kept up, not a request form being filed.
ADORE, THEN CONFESSThe Lord's Prayer starts with praise ('hallowed be your name') and confession ('forgive us our sins'), putting God first and the self second.
THANK, THEN ASKOnly then comes supplication, 'give us today our daily bread', asking for one's own needs and interceding for the needs of others.
FORMAL OR INFORMALThat set form is the pattern Jesus taught; informal prayer is spontaneous and personal. Most Christians use both, in church and alone.
Source of wisdom & authorityMatthew 6:9–13 · The Lord's Prayer
Topic 4 · LC04

Pilgrimage

Why travel somewhere to grow your faith?
A JOURNEY, A PURPOSEPilgrimage is a religious journey to a holy place, made to deepen faith. The destination matters, but so does the effort of getting there.
LOURDESAt Lourdes, where Catholics believe Mary appeared to Bernadette in 1858, pilgrims bathe in the spring water and pray for healing of body or spirit.
IONAOn Iona, the Scottish island where Columba founded a monastery, an ecumenical community draws pilgrims for silence, worship and study rather than miracles.
THE EFFECTPilgrims come home changed: sins reflected on, prayer renewed, and a felt sense of belonging to a Church far bigger than their own congregation.
Source of wisdom & authorityLuke 2:41–42 · Why Lourdes matters
Topic 5 · LC05

Christian religious celebrations

Why do Christians celebrate the same events every year?
THE YEAR TEACHESThe Church year retells the life of Christ annually, so beliefs are lived through time rather than only read about in a book.
ADVENT → CHRISTMASAdvent is the season of preparation, waiting and hope; Christmas then celebrates the incarnation. God becoming human in Jesus.
LENT → EASTERLent prepares for Easter with forty days of fasting and self-denial, echoing Jesus' forty days of temptation in the wilderness.
EASTER IS CENTRALEaster celebrates the resurrection, and because the resurrection turns the cross from defeat into victory, most Christians call it the greatest festival.
Source of wisdom & authorityLuke 2:10–11 · Christmas and Easter compared
Topic 6 · LC06

The future of the Church

Is the Christian Church growing or shrinking?
THE COMMANDThe Great Commission tells the Church to go and make disciples of all nations, so growth is not an option but the job Jesus left behind.
UK DECLINEYet British attendance keeps falling: secularism, science, scandal and everything else Sunday now offers have loosened the Church's hold on national life.
GLOBAL GROWTHGlobally the picture reverses. The Church is growing fastest in Africa, Asia and Latin America, often where Christians face real persecution.
SO WHAT NOWIts future therefore rests on evangelism and adaptation: church plants, online worship, and social action that makes the faith visible again.
Source of wisdom & authorityMatthew 28:19–20 · Why is UK church attendance falling?
Topic 7 · LC07

The importance of the local church

What does a local church actually DO for its community?
WORSHIP FIRSTThe local church exists first to worship: the weekly gathering is where a scattered set of individuals becomes one body before God.
THEN FELLOWSHIPIt then builds community, baptisms, weddings, funerals, youth groups, carrying its members through the whole shape of a life.
THEN OUTREACHLove of neighbour pushes that outwards: food banks, street pastors, night shelters, debt advice and warm spaces, open to believer and unbeliever alike.
CREDIBILITYThat makes belief visible. Agape shown in action is the argument for Christianity a community can actually see rather than be told.
Source of wisdom & authorityMark 12:31 · Loving your neighbour in action
Topic 8 · LC08

The worldwide Church

How can one faith look so different around the world?
ONE BODYPaul calls the Church one body with many parts, so difference is designed into it rather than being a failure to agree.
MISSION SPREADS ITThe Great Commission carried the faith across the world, and every culture received it in its own language, music, art and architecture.
SO IT DIVERGESA Nigerian Pentecostal service and a Russian Orthodox liturgy look nothing alike, yet both confess the same creed and the same risen Christ.
RECONCILIATIONEcumenism then works to turn diversity back into unity. The World Council of Churches, and reconciliation work like Corrymeela in Northern Ireland.
Source of wisdom & authority1 Corinthians 12:12–13 · One faith, many expressions
03

Your resources

Everything for the unit, in one place: each topic's lesson deck and workbook pages, plus the unit-wide documents. The file each button points to is named underneath it.

Teacher setup: links aren't set yet. Open this file in a text editor, find the LINKS list near the bottom, and paste each SharePoint or OneDrive share link once. Buttons with no link show as "Link not set".
04

How to revise this unit

Use the resources in this order: the same loop as the lessons, so revision feels like coming home.

Retrieve before you re-read

Five recall questions from memory, naming the denomination that holds each practice, self-scored /5 before opening any notes. Then the same five at +1 week and +1 month.

Re-walk the lesson deck

One deck per topic, LC_L01 to LC_L08. Cover the definitions, say them aloud, then reveal. The deck is the shortest route back into the topic.

Work the workbook pages

The Lesson Companion has the same task numbers as the board. Redo Task 3 (the key source) and Task 5 (the sacraments debate) from memory.

Write the (d) the Level 4 way

Chain · steelman · weigh both (a strength AND a limit) · justify. Check yourself against the Model Answer Bank before you look at any mark scheme.

The marks map · (a) (b) (c) · 12 marks · AO1
(a) 3 marks · outline three. Three crisp sentences; no development needed.
(b) 4 marks · explain two. Each point plus one development ("this means that…").
(c) 5 marks · explain two and use a source of wisdom and authority, one learned line, placed exactly.
The (d) · 12 marks (+3 SPaG on two of them) · AO2
What it is · a full evaluation: arguments for, arguments against, both developed, with religious teaching used on each side.
Level 3 (7–9) · logical reasoning across different viewpoints, accurate understanding, a partially justified conclusion.
Level 4 (10–12) · critical deconstruction, sustained and thorough accuracy, and a conclusion fully justified against the strongest counter-argument.
SPaG · 3 extra marks are awarded on two (d) questions per paper. Spell the key words correctly and use them accurately.
05

Watch: the whole unit in one go

A full review of Living the Christian Life: all eight topics as one argument. Best watched before you revise, then again to check recall.

Video not set

Teacher: paste the YouTube link in the VIDEO_URL line near the bottom of this file. The player then appears here automatically.

06

Flashcards · test yourself

Flip a card to check yourself. Switch between key terms (term → meaning) and divergent views (view → what it claims), and filter by topic.

Tap any card to flip ·