Christianity

Beliefs and traditions

To find out more about the origins, history, beliefs and practices of Christianity, have a look at these sites.

Britannica School

Britannica School is part of EPIC, a collection of reliable databases covering lots of different topics. It is put together especially for New Zealand school students and helps to answer questions like this.

• Choose the Middle level.

• Next, enter your keyword 'Christianity' into the search bar.

• Select the article Christianity (religion).

• This page has information about the origins, and major beliefs and practises of Christianity.

• If you would like more information, you can change the Article Reading Level at the top of the page. Level 1 will take you to Primary, and 3 will take you to Secondary.

Tips: To get to the EPIC resources you will need a password from your school librarian first. Or you can chat with one of our AnyQuestions librarians between 1 and 6pm Monday to Friday and they will help you online. Some EPIC databases may also be available through your public library.

BBC Religions

This is a great resource for facts about different religions. Although this page has been archived and is no longer updated, the information is reliable and easy to follow.

• From the home page, select Christianity.

• Then you can choose a more specific topic, like beliefs, history, holy days (like Christmas), important roles (like Saints, priests, nuns or the Pope), places that are important to Christianity, and heaps more.

Tips: Some websites have .au, .nz, .uk or other codes in their url. This can tell you which country this website comes from eg .uk is from the United Kingdom or .nz is from New Zealand. You can check the About Us link on the website for more information. In this case BBC is a reliable British news agency so we can expect the information to be accurate.

Fact Monster

Fact Monster is an online encyclopedia and homework site. It has lots of basic facts and is a good starting point for all sorts of questions. If you scroll down to the bottom of the site, you will see it’s run by Pearson Education, a publisher of educational books.

• Use the search box at the top of the page to enter the keywords 'Christianity'.

• You will find a selection of links, including some about people whose name is 'Christian'. It's best to ignore these and look at the first link, Christianity, for information about different beliefs and traditions.

Tips: Websites that have .com or .co in the address can have good information, but you need to assess how reliable it is. Check the About us link on the website, if you can find one. That can tell you what the company’s mission and values are.

Christianity around the world

The EPIC databases include plenty of resources about Christianity around the world, and throughout history. Check out these databases, and remember to chat with your school librarian or one of our AnyQuestions librarians if you need a password.

World History (Gale In Context)

This EPIC database offers you information about world history, from ancient times right up to modern history.

• Type 'Christianity' into the search box and select the page Christianity.

• Then you can choose what kind of content you would like, for example, reference, images, news, videos or more.

Tips: Many web pages have links to further information or to other recommended sites. Following these links is a great way to find out more. This searching method is called “pearl growing” because you are picking up pieces of sand to make a beautiful pearl!

Global Issues (Gale In Context)

This EPIC database includes many current global issues concerning the environment, climate change, conflict, health, governments, law, and politics.

• Use the keyword 'Christianity' to look for information related to this topic.

• Then you can explore from a range of images, news, videos, audio, reference, websites or more.

Christianity in New Zealand

Some of the main Christian denominations in New Zealand are Anglican, Catholic, Presbyterian and Methodist, but there are heaps of other Christian denominations in New Zealand too. To find out more about them, have a look at these sites.

Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Te Ara is an excellent starting point for all questions about Aotearoa New Zealand. If we look down to the bottom of the page, we can see that the website belongs to the Ministry for Culture & Heritage, so the information is well-researched and reliable.

• First, select the section called Social Connections.

• Next, choose Religion to explore a denomination and its history in New Zealand.

• Also, explore the Rātana Church — Te Haahi Rātana started by Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana, and Pacific churches in New Zealand to understand the role of churches in the Pacific community.

Tips: We like sites like this because they’re reliable. You can tell because of their web address – they have either .govt or .ac, meaning they are from government or educational organisations. They’re also New Zealand sites, so relevant for us.

Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia

This is the official website for the Anglican Church.

• Choose the About section for general information about the church.

The Catholic Church in Aotearoa New Zealand

This is the official website for the Catholic Church.

• Choose About us and have a look through the different headings for topics such as Catholic Māori or Figures shaping out history

Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand

This is the official website for the Presbyterian Church.

• Select About Us for information about the faith, social issues, history and other things that are important to the church.

The Methodist Church of New Zealand

This is the official website for the Methodist Church.

• Have a look at the welcome on the home page and the link to the mission statement for information about how the church works in New Zealand.

Tips: Websites that have .org or .net in the address can have good information, but you need to assess how reliable it is. Check the About us link on the website, if you can find one. That can tell you what the organisation’s mission and values are.

Books

You will find books on Christianity in your public library or school library. Here are some titles to help you begin your search:

• Christianity in Aotearoa: a history of church and society in New Zealand by Allan K Davidson, New Zealand Education for Ministry Board

• Understanding Christianity by Valerie Bodden

• Eyewitness Christianity by Philip Wilkinson and Steve Teague

• Christianity by Aaron Bowen

• I am Christian by Cath Senker and Jenny Matthews.

SCIS no. 5379182