[474], Criticism of Christianity continues to date, e.g. [476], Christians are one of the most persecuted religious group in the world, especially in the Middle-East, North Africa and South and East Asia. These groups may vary ecclesiologically in their views on a classification of Christian denominations. [80] Nontrinitarianism reappeared in the Gnosticism of the Cathars between the 11th and 13th centuries, among groups with Unitarian theology in the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century,[81] in the 18th-century Enlightenment, and in some groups arising during the Second Great Awakening of the 19th century. Christian beliefs center on the life of Jesus of Nazareth, a teacher and healer who lived in first century Palestine. [319] Europe's Christian population, though in decline, still constitutes the largest geographical component of the religion. According to Eastern Orthodox theology, based upon their understanding of the atonement as put forward by Irenaeus' recapitulation theory, Jesus' death is a ransom. [157] Protestants characteristically believe that ordinary believers may reach an adequate understanding of Scripture because Scripture itself is clear in its meaning (or "perspicuous"). [90], Some Christian groups, such as Seventh-day Adventists, hold to mortalism, the belief that the human soul is not naturally immortal, and is unconscious during the intermediate state between bodily death and resurrection. Believers are saved by grace; Salvation cannot be earned by human efforts or good works (Ephesians 2:8–9). [16] In Asia, it is the dominant religion in Georgia, Armenia, East Timor, and the Philippines. The following are the basic Christian beliefs central to almost all Christian faiths. [106], A penitent confessing his sins in a Ukrainian Catholic church, A Methodist minister celebrating the Eucharist, Confirmation being administered in an Anglican church, Ordination of a priest in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, Crowning during Holy Matrimony in the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, Service of the Sacrament of Holy Unction served on Great and Holy Wednesday. Packer, James. In some Early Christian sarcophagi the Logos is distinguished with a beard, "which allows him to appear ancient, even pre-existent. [citation needed], Christians differ in their views on the extent to which individuals' salvation is pre-ordained by God. The injunction that women "be silent and submissive" in 1 Timothy 2[143] is thought by many to be a forgery by a follower of Paul, a similar phrase in 1 Corinthians 14,[144] which is thought to be by Paul, appears in different places in different manuscripts and is thought to originally be a margin note by a copyist. (Tertullian, "Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission" (, "After the proclamation of faith, the baptismal water is prayed over and blessed as the sign of the goodness of God's creation. These variations are a reflection of the range of traditions, and of the councils that have convened on the subject. These books appear in the Septuagint, but are regarded by Protestants to be apocryphal. [475] New Testament scholar Robert M. Price has outlined the possibility that some Bible stories are based partly on myth in The Christ Myth Theory and its problems. The term is derived from the Latin word sacramentum, which was used to translate the Greek word for mystery. Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. The most basic part of Christianity is the belief in Jesus as the Son of God and Messiah (Christ). As fully God, he rose to life again. [462][463] One of the first comprehensive attacks on Christianity came from the Greek philosopher Celsus, who wrote The True Word, a polemic criticizing Christians as being unprofitable members of society. The two principal mendicant movements were the Franciscans[200] and the Dominicans,[201] founded by St. Francis and St. Dominic, respectively. The New Testament mentions several post-resurrection appearances of Jesus on different occasions to his twelve apostles and disciples, including "more than five hundred brethren at once",[1Cor 15:6] before Jesus' ascension to heaven. "[20][note 1] According to Acts 11:26, the term "Christian" (Greek: Χριστιανός) was first used in reference to Jesus's disciples in the city of Antioch, meaning "followers of Christ," by the non-Jewish inhabitants of Antioch. [351][352], As the world's oldest and largest continuously functioning international institution,[353] it has played a prominent role in the history and development of Western civilization. Christianity, Islam, and Judaism are three of the world’s largest religions. God the Holy Ghost is present as the strength and guidance within Christians as they strive towards accomplishing God’s will. [453], The Christian Flag is an ecumenical flag designed in the early 20th century to represent all of Christianity and Christendom. Yet, the total number of Protestant Christians is generally estimated between 800 million and 1 billion, corresponding to nearly 40% of world's Christians. [142] Other verses in 1 Corinthians, such as 1 Corinthians 11:2–16 where women are instructed to wear a covering over their hair "when they pray or prophesies",[145] contradict this verse. [64] In the words of the Athanasian Creed, an early statement of Christian belief, "the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and yet there are not three Gods but one God". [160], Protestants stress the meaning conveyed by the words of Scripture, the historical-grammatical method. – The Assyrian Church of the East", "The New Birth by John Wesley (Sermon 45)", "God's Preparing, Accepting, and Sustaining Grace", World Council of Churches: Evangelical churches, "Classification of Protestant Denominations", "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Statistics and Church Facts | Total Church Membership", "Judaism and Christianity Unite! 1. ", The Foundations of New Testament Christology, A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years, Three Pictures of God in Western Theology, Historical background of the New Testament, New Testament places associated with Jesus, Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, Coptic Catholic Patriarchate of Alexandria, Chaldean Catholic Patriarchate of Babylon, Political influence of Evangelicalism in Latin America, Architecture of cathedrals and great churches, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Christianity&oldid=1000874377, Articles lacking reliable references from August 2020, Articles containing Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected pages, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2020, Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from May 2020, Pages using Sister project links with hidden wikidata, Wikipedia articles with TDVİA identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, The injunction that all other senses of sacred scripture are based on the, That the historicity of the Gospels must be absolutely and constantly held, That scripture must be read within the "living Tradition of the whole Church", That "the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the. The end of things, whether the end of an individual life, the end of the age, or the end of the world, broadly speaking, is Christian eschatology; the study of the destiny of humans as it is revealed in the Bible. "A missiological postscript", in McLeod and Ustorf (eds), Todd M. Johnson, Gina A Zurlo, Albert W. Hickman, and Peter F. Grossing, "Christianity 2016: Latin America and Projecting Religions to 2050,", Ross Douthat, "Fear of a Black Continent,", David Stoll, "Is Latin America Turning Protestant?" Through God's grace, by faith and repentance, men and women are reconciled to God through forgiveness and by sanctification or theosis to return to their place with God in Heaven. There are a variety of congregational prayers, including thanksgiving, confession, and intercession, which occur throughout the service and take a variety of forms including recited, responsive, silent, or sung. In all European countries, different Christian denominations found themselves in competition to greater or lesser extents with each other and with the state. ", The Oxford Handbook of Modern German History Helmut Walser Smith, page 360, OUP Oxford, 29.09.2011, 31.4% of ≈7.4 billion world population (under the section 'People'). With only a few scriptures overlapping with the developing orthodox canon, most Gnostic texts and Gnostic gospels were eventually considered heretical and suppressed by mainstream Christians. The Oriental Orthodox Churches (also called "Old Oriental" churches) are those eastern churches that recognize the first three ecumenical councils—Nicaea, Constantinople, and Ephesus—but reject the dogmatic definitions of the Council of Chalcedon and instead espouse a Miaphysite christology. [282] A study conducted by St. Mary's University estimated about 10.2 million Muslim converts to Christianity in 2015. Rather, the Trinity is defined as one God in three persons.[79]. In order to become a Christian, a person must fully accept as part of his or her own personal worldview the following core beliefs: • Jesus is the Son of God and is equal with God (John 1:1, 49; Luke 22:70; Mark 3:11; Philippians 2:5–11) Services of worship typically follow a pattern or form known as liturgy. [2] Christians make up a majority of the population in 157 countries and territories.[3]. In 2006, the World Methodist Council, representing all Methodist denominations, adopted the declaration. [35], The Athanasian Creed, received in the Western Church as having the same status as the Nicene and Chalcedonian, says: "We worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; neither confounding the Persons nor dividing the Substance. In antiquity, two schools of exegesis developed in Alexandria and Antioch. Humans were created by God and in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). Christianity in general encompasses a wide range of denominations and faith groups. The Greek word referring to inspiration in 2 Timothy 3:16 is theopneustos, which literally means "God-breathed".[137]. The cross, today one of the most widely recognized symbols, was used by Christians from the earliest times. [349] The Catholic faith is detailed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. [18][19], Early Jewish Christians referred to themselves as 'The Way' (της οδου), probably coming from Isaiah 40:3, "prepare the way of the Lord. The source of many earthly conflicts are because of these three sects of beliefs. [370], The Ancient Church of the East distinguished itself from the Assyrian Church of the East in 1964. [250] According to a 2015 Pew Research Center study, within the next four decades, Christians will remain the world's largest religion; and by 2050, the Christian population is expected to exceed 3 billion. Jesus Christ is perfect and sinless (1 Peter 2:22; Hebrews 4:15). Their activity brought about the Radical Reformation, which gave birth to various Anabaptist denominations. Minucius Felix speaks of the cross of Jesus in its familiar form, likening it to objects with a crossbeam or to a man with arms outstretched in prayer (. [371], In 1521, the Edict of Worms condemned Martin Luther and officially banned citizens of the Holy Roman Empire from defending or propagating his ideas. After Baptism we are freed from the dominion of sin, even though after Baptism we retain an inclination and tendency toward evil. [27], While Christians worldwide share basic convictions, there are also differences of interpretations and opinions of the Bible and sacred traditions on which Christianity is based.[28]. Christians", "Table: Religious Composition by Country, in Percentages", "The LDS Restorationist movement, including Mormon denominations", "Jesus Is Lord Free Online Bible Study Course Lesson 8, II. [233] Events ranged from mere anti-clericalism to violent outbursts against Christianity, such as the dechristianization of France during the French Revolution,[234] the Spanish Civil War, and certain Marxist movements, especially the Russian Revolution and the persecution of Christians in the Soviet Union under state atheism. Christianity shares a number of beliefs and practices with other religions, particularly Judaism and Islam. Some denominations have additional canonical holy scriptures beyond the Bible, including the standard works of the Latter Day Saints movement and Divine Principle in the Unification Church. [180] During his reign, state-sanctioned persecution of Christians was ended with the Edict of Toleration in 311 and the Edict of Milan in 313. Jewish and Muslim theologians criticize the doctrine of the Trinity held by most Christians, stating that this doctrine in effect assumes that there are three gods, running against the basic tenet of monotheism. The core Christian belief is that through belief in and acceptance of the death and resurrection of Jesus, sinful humans can be reconciled to God, and thereby are offered salvation and the promise of eternal life.[42]. Examples of early executions under Jewish authority reported in the New Testament include the deaths of Saint Stephen[Acts 7:59] and James, son of Zebedee. published Berkeley: University of California Press. Barrett, David; Kurian, Tom and others. [283] The results also state that significant numbers of Muslims converts to Christianity in Afghanistan,[284] Albania,[283] Azerbaijan,[285][286] Algeria,[287][288] Belgium,[289] France,[288] Germany,[290] Iran,[291] India,[288] Indonesia,[292] Malaysia,[293] Morocco,[288][294] Russia,[288] the Netherlands,[295] Saudi Arabia,[296] Tunisia,[283] Turkey,[288][297][298][299] Kazakhstan,[300] Kyrgyzstan,[283] Kosovo,[301] the United States,[302] and Central Asia. God exists as one being that incorporates three parts known as the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. [407][409] Christian disciplines of the respective arts have subsequently developed into Christian philosophy, Christian art, Christian music, Christian literature, etc. Christianity remains culturally diverse in its Western and Eastern branches, as well as in its doctrines concerning justification and the nature of salvation, ecclesiology, ordination, and Christology. [320] According to data from the 2012 European Social Survey, around a third of European Christians say they attend services once a month or more,[321] Conversely about more than two-thirds of Latin American Christians; according to the World Values Survey, about 90% of African Christians (in Ghana, Nigeria, Rwand], South Africa and Zimbabwe) said they attended church regularly. Holy Trinity: Christians believe in the Holy Trinity; God as Father, His Son, and Holy Spirit. Weber, Jeremy. 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