Transcendence and immanence
I can explain Christian beliefs about God as transcendent and immanent, and how these beliefs help respond to the problem of evil.
Transcendence and immanence
I can explain Christian beliefs about God as transcendent and immanent, and how these beliefs help respond to the problem of evil.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.
These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Most Christians believe God is transcendent, meaning that God exists outside of and beyond the universe.
- For many Christians, the belief that God is transcendent also means that God is beyond human understanding.
- God's transcendence can help explain evil; suffering may be part of a greater plan that only God knows.
- Most Christians also believe God is immanent, meaning that God is close, involved, and present in people’s lives.
- God's immanence, demonstrated through Jesus and the Holy Spirit, provides comfort and guidance during suffering.
Keywords
Eternal - being without beginning or end; existing forever
Immanent - referring to something being present within, or close to something else; within Christianity this refers to the belief that God is close to creation and active in peoples' lives
Transcendent - beyond or above the range of normal or physical human experience; within Christianity this refers to the belief that God exists outside of the universe
Common misconception
God as transcendent means that God is not involved with or close to creation.
God is both transcendent (beyond the universe) and immanent (close to creation) at the same time. God's immanence is demonstrated through Jesus, the Holy Spirit, miracles and the revelation of the Bible.
To help you plan your year 8 religious education lesson on: Transcendence and immanence, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 8 religious education lesson on: Transcendence and immanence, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 religious education lessons from the Suffering: Can Christian theology overcome the problem of evil? unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
