Christian Morality, the Church and Worship
How Christians Decide What Is Right
Christians draw on different approaches when making moral decisions. A divine command approach treats God’s commands as absolute. Whatever God commands is right; whatever God forbids is wrong — no exceptions. This is also called an absolutist approach: the rules stay fixed whatever the consequences. By contrast, a situational (or relativist) approach argues that the right action depends on the particular situation. The Christian theologian Joseph Fletcher argued in the 1960s that the only absolute rule is to act with love (agapé); in each specific case, believers must work out what the most loving action would be.
Most Christians draw on both approaches in practice. They follow absolute commands such as “do not murder” while also asking what love requires in complex situations that the Bible does not address directly.
Love as the Foundation of Christian Morality
Jesus placed love at the heart of ethical life. In Matthew 22:37–39 Jesus calls loving God with your whole heart the first and greatest commandment, and says the second is like it: love your neighbour as yourself. In Luke 10:25–28 an expert in the law gives Jesus those same two commands, and Jesus tells him he has answered correctly. To explain who counts as a neighbour, Jesus told the Parable of the Good Samaritan — a despised outsider who stopped to help a wounded man while religious leaders walked past. The lesson is that genuine neighbourly love crosses every boundary of race, religion and class.
Jesus also gave his disciples a new commandment: that they should love one another as he himself had loved them (John 13:34–35). He said this mutual love would be the defining mark that identifies people as his followers — not just rule-keeping but active, self-giving love towards others.
Luke 10:25–37 (the Good Samaritan) teaches that love extends to all people regardless of background. John 13:34–35 is Jesus’ new commandment to love others as he loved his disciples — this self-giving love is the hallmark of Christian community.
Forgiveness
Forgiveness is a core Christian moral value, grounded directly in Jesus’ teaching. When Peter asked how many times he should forgive someone — suggesting seven times might be generous — Jesus replied not seven times but seventy-seven times (Matthew 18:21–22). This is not a literal limit of 77 but a way of saying forgiveness should be without limit. Jesus himself prayed for forgiveness for those crucifying him, even as he died (Luke 23:34).
The Lord’s Prayer reinforces this: Jesus taught his followers to ask God, “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). Churches usually say this line as “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us”. Christians understand this to mean that receiving God’s forgiveness and extending forgiveness to others are inseparably linked.
Treasures in Heaven
Jesus warned his followers about placing too much value on material possessions. He contrasted earthly treasures — which can be destroyed by moth, rust, or theft — with heavenly treasures, which cannot be taken away (Matthew 6:19–21). He ended with the principle that a person’s heart will be where their treasure is. Christians use this teaching to argue that generosity, charity and concern for the poor should take priority over wealth accumulation.
Christianity is not a single uniform tradition. In Britain, three broad groupings are particularly significant. Roman Catholicism is the largest single Christian denomination in the world. In the UK, though, more people identify as Anglican than as Catholic. It is led by the Pope and emphasises the sacraments, the authority of the Magisterium (Church teaching), and liturgical worship through the Mass. Anglicanism (the Church of England and Church in Wales) sits between Catholic tradition and Reformed Protestantism. Its worship ranges from high Anglican (close to Catholic in style) to evangelical. Bishops lead the Church, but there is no Pope. Non-conformist churches — including Methodists, Baptists and Pentecostals — grew out of the Reformation and reject certain aspects of Anglican structure. They typically place greater emphasis on the Bible and personal faith, with more flexible worship styles.
Despite these differences, all three groupings affirm the central Christian beliefs about Jesus as Saviour, the importance of the Bible, and the need for love and forgiveness in Christian life.
The Role of the Local Church
The local church is far more than a building where Christians gather on Sundays. It is the focus of community life for believers — a place for communal worship, education, pastoral care, and social action. Jesus taught that wherever two or three gather in his name, he is present among them (Matthew 18:20), emphasising that the gathered community — not just the individual — is where God is experienced.
Churches serve the surrounding community in practical ways: food banks, debt advice, bereavement support, youth clubs and after-school activities. Christian charities such as the Salvation Army and Tearfund carry the church’s commitment to social justice beyond its walls into the wider community. The Salvation Army, for example, provides emergency shelter, addiction support and meals for vulnerable people across Britain.
The local church has both spiritual and social functions. Spiritually: communal and private prayer, Bible study, sacraments, teaching. Socially: food banks, debt advice, bereavement support and community events. Christian charities such as the Salvation Army extend this work nationally.
Jesus taught on prayer in the Sermon on the Mount. He warned against praying publicly to impress others and instead encouraged private prayer offered sincerely to God (Matthew 6:5–13). He then gave his disciples the Lord’s Prayer as a model covering praise, submission, daily needs, forgiveness and protection from evil.
At the same time, communal prayer — praying together as a gathered community — is also central to Christian life. Jesus said that where two or three gather in his name, he is present (Matthew 18:20). Communal prayer includes liturgical prayers during church services, intercessions for the world, and shared recitation of the Lord’s Prayer. Both private and communal prayer are considered essential — private prayer for personal relationship with God, communal prayer for mutual support and shared worship.
Social Justice and Interreligious Dialogue
Christian churches in Britain actively engage with issues of social justice. Groups such as the World Council of Churches work globally to promote justice, peace and reconciliation. The Christian-Muslim Forum and the Council of Christians and Jews advance inter-faith dialogue, building relationships between different religious communities. Christians see this work as flowing naturally from Jesus’ teaching that love must extend to all neighbours, without exception.