Christianity:
Christianity is a monotheistic
religion founded by the followers of Jesus of Nazareth.
Jesus, a Jew, was born in about 7 B.C. and assumed his public life probably after his 30th year, in Galilee. The New Testament Gospels
describe Jesus as a teacher and miracle worker. He proclaimed the kingdom of
God, a future reality that is at the same time already present. Jesus set the
requirements for participation in the kingdom of God as a change of heart and
repentance for sins, love of God and neighbor, and concern for justice. Circa
A.D. 30 he was executed on a cross in Jerusalem, a brutal form of punishment
for those considered a political threat to the Roman Empire. After his death
his followers came to believe in him as the Christ the Messiah. The Gospels
report his resurrection and how the risen Jesus was witnessed by many of his
followers. The apostle Paul helped spread the new faith in his missionary
travels. Historically, Christianity arose out of Judaism and claims that Jesus
fulfilled many of the promises of the Hebrew Scripture (often referred to as
the Old Testament).
The new religion spread
rapidly throughout the Roman Empire. In its first two centuries. Christianity
began to take shape as an organization, developing distinctive doctrine,
liturgy, and ministry. By the fourth century the Christian church had taken
root in countries stretching from Spain in the West to Persia and India in the
East, Christians had been subject to persecution by the Roman state, but gained
tolerance under Constantine the Great (AD, 313). The church became favored
under his successors, and in 380 the emperor Theodosius proclaimed Christianity
the state religion. Other religions were suppressed.
Because differences in
doctrine threatened to divide the church, a standard Christian creed was
formulated by bishops at successive ecumenical councils, the
first of which was
held in A.D.
325 (Nicaea),
Important doctrines were
defined concerning the Trinity-in other words, that there is one God in three
persons; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Constantinople, A.D. 381), and the
nature of Christ as both divine and human (Chalcedon, A.D. 541). Christians
came to accept both Hebrew Scripture and the New Testament as authoritative. The
New Testament comprises four Gospels (narratives of Jesus' life), 21 Epistles,
The Acts of the Apostles, and Revelation.
Because of differences between Christians of the East
and West the unity of the church was broken in 1054, the religious center for
the Eastern Orthodox Church was Constantinople, and the Roman Catholic
Church defined doctrine and practice for Christians In
the West. In 1517 the Reformation began, which ultimately caused a schism in
the Western Church. Reformers wished to correct certain practices within the
Roman church, but they also came to view the Christian faith in a distinctly
new way. The major Protestant denominations (Lutheran, Presbyterian, Reformed,
and Anglican, [Episcopalian]) thus came into being. Over the centuries, numerous
denominations have broken with these major traditions, resulting in a spectrum
of Christian expression. In the 21st century, many Christians hope
to regain a sense of unity through dialogue and cooperation among different
traditions. The ecumenical movement led to the formation of the World Council
of Churches in 1948 (Amsterdam), which has since been joined by many
denominations.
Through its missionary activity Christianity has spread
to most parts of the globe.
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