Christianity

Christianity is a monotheistic religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in the New Testament. Adherents of Christianity, known as Christians, believe that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God and the Messiah (Christ) prophesied in the Hebrew Bible (the part of scripture common to Christianity and Judaism). Christian theology claims that Jesus Christ is a teacher, the model of a virtuous life, the revealer of God, as well as an incarnation of God, and most importantly the savior of humanity who suffered, died, and was resurrected to bring about salvation from sin. Christians maintain that Jesus ascended into heaven, and most denominations teach that Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead, granting everlasting life to his followers. Christians call the message of Jesus Christ the Gospel ("good news") and hence label the earliest written accounts of his ministry as gospels.

Christianity is classified as an Abrahamic religion. Christianity began as a Jewish sect in the eastern Mediterranean, quickly grew in size and influence over a few decades, and by the 4th century had become the dominant religion within the Roman Empire. Began about 30 A.D. Largest religion in the world. About 2.1 billion followers

The Nicene Creed, largely a response to Arianism, was formulated at the Councils of Nicaea and Constantinople in 325 and 381 respectively and ratified as the universal creed of Christendom by the Council of Ephesus in 431.

Main Beliefs The central tenet of Christianity is the belief in Jesus as the Son of God and the Messiah (Christ). The core Christian belief is that, through the death and resurrection of Jesus, sinful humans can be reconciled to God and thereby are offered salvation and the promise of eternal life.

Jesus, having become fully human, suffered the pains and temptations of a mortal man, yet he did not sin. As fully God, he defeated death and rose to life again. According to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born from the Virgin Mary.

Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christians consider the resurrection of Jesus to be the cornerstone of their faith and the most important event in human history. Among Christian beliefs, the death and resurrection of Jesus are two core events on which much of Christian doctrine and theology is based.

The death and resurrection of Jesus are usually considered the most important events in Christian Theology, partly because they demonstrate that Jesus has power over life and death and therefore has the authority and power to give people eternal life.

The crucifixion The crucifixion of Jesus is explained as an atoning sacrifice, which, in the words of the Gospel of John, "takes away the sins of the world." One’s reception of salvation is related to justification. The operation and effects of grace are understood differently by different traditions.

Trinity God – The father The Son –Jesus Holy Ghost – Spirit Separate but the same simultaniously Main Trinitarians Catholics Protestants Orthodox

Trinitarians Trinitarianism denotes those Christians who believe in the concept of the Trinity. Trinity is defined as one God in three Persons.

Non-trinitarians Nontrinitarianism refers to beliefs systems that reject the doctrine of the Trinity. Nontrinitarian groups Mormon Jehovah’s witness Gnostic

Scriptures Christianity regards the Bible, a collection of canonical books in two parts (the Old Testament and the New Testament), as authoritative. The Bible is a word that means “books” The bible is actually a collection of almost 30 books. There are hundreds of other books about Christianity and Christian philosophy from ancient times that did not make it into the bible.

Main Interpretations of the Bible Catholic Protestant Gnostic

Roman Catholic Interpretation Roman Catholic theology distinguishes two senses of scripture: the literal and the spiritual.

Protestant Interpretation Protestant Christians believe that the Bible is a self- sufficient revelation, the final authority on all Christian doctrine, and revealed all truth necessary for salvation.

Gnostic Interpretation The Gnostics believe in the search for truth. The work “Gnosis” means Knowledge. They believe the bible and other books that did not make it into the bible provide secret knowledge of how to find God within yourself. The Gnostics rejected the Nicene creed and instead saw Jesus as a very enlightened or wise man who find the divine connection to god within himself.

Worship

Christians assemble for communal worship on Sunday Scripture readings are drawn from the Old and New Testaments, but especially the Gospels.

Sacraments In Christian belief and practice, a sacrament is a rite/ritual Baptism Eucharist.

Holidays and the Liturgical Calendar Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Eastern Christians, and traditional Protestant communities frame worship around a liturgical calendar. Christian groups that do not follow a liturgical tradition often retain certain celebrations, such as Christmas, Easter and Pentecost. A few churches make no use of a liturgical calendar.

Some Christians who come out of the Protestant tradition identify themselves simply as "Christian", or "born-again Christian"; they typically distance themselves from the confessionalism and/or creedalism of other Christian communities by calling themselves "non-denominational" — often founded by individual pastors, they have little affiliation with historic denominations.