Overview
Christianity is the world's largest religion, with approximately 2.4 billion adherents worldwide. It is based on the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, who Christians believe is the Son of God and the Messiah (Christ) prophesied in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament).
Core Beliefs
While Christian theology varies significantly across denominations, most Christians share these foundational beliefs:
- The Trinity: God exists as three persons — Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit — in one divine being.
- Salvation through Christ: Humans are saved from sin and death through faith in Jesus Christ, whose death and resurrection provide atonement.
- The Bible: The Christian scriptures, consisting of the Old Testament and New Testament, are considered divinely inspired, though views on interpretation vary widely.
- The Resurrection: Jesus was crucified, died, and rose from the dead on the third day, conquering sin and death.
- The Second Coming: Jesus will return to earth to judge the living and the dead.
Major Denominations
Christianity encompasses thousands of denominations, broadly grouped into:
- Roman Catholicism: The largest single Christian denomination (~1.3 billion members), led by the Pope in Rome. Emphasizes sacred tradition alongside scripture, the sacraments, and apostolic succession.
- Eastern Orthodoxy: A family of self-governing churches with approximately 220 million members, sharing a common theology rooted in the first seven ecumenical councils.
- Protestantism: Originating from the 16th-century Reformation, Protestantism includes thousands of denominations including Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Pentecostals, and many more.
- Anglicanism: The Church of England and its global communion, blending Catholic and Protestant traditions.
History
Christianity began as a Jewish sect in the 1st century CE in the Roman province of Judea. After the death and reported resurrection of Jesus, his followers spread his teachings throughout the Roman Empire. Key historical milestones include:
- The conversion of Emperor Constantine (312 CE) and the legalization of Christianity
- The Great Schism (1054 CE) splitting Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches
- The Protestant Reformation (1517) initiated by Martin Luther
- The global spread of Christianity through colonialism and missionary work
- The modern ecumenical movement seeking unity among Christian traditions
Scholarly and Critical Perspectives
Modern scholarship has produced significant work examining Christian origins:
- Historical-critical method: Academic study of biblical texts in their historical context, examining authorship, dating, and literary forms.
- Jesus Seminar: A group of scholars who evaluated the historicity of the deeds and sayings attributed to Jesus.
- Textual criticism: The study of biblical manuscripts to reconstruct the original texts, revealing variations and additions over time.
Resources
- Bible Gateway — Read the Bible in 200+ translations
- Christianity Today — Evangelical news and commentary
- Got Questions — Bible-based Q&A