A BRIEF OVERVIEW

TO CHRISTIANITY

Note:

It is not a simple task to write about Christianity. There are on the order of 1,500 different Christian faith groups in North America which promote many different and conflicting beliefs. Further, many groups believe that they alone are the "true" Christian church and that all of the others are in error. As a result, one cannot write an introduction or a history of Christianity that is acceptable to all faith groups. The following is supported by historical evidence and is probably agreeable to most.

About Yeshua (Jesus):

Christians follow the teachings of, and about, Yeshua of Nazareth, commonly referred to as Jesus Christ. (Jesus is the Greek form of Yeshua which is normally translated as Joshua; Christ is Greek for "the Messiah" or the "anointed one.") Yeshua was a Jewish itinerant preacher who was born probably between 7 and 4 BCE. He was executed by the Roman occupying authorities in Palestine, perhaps on a Friday, in the spring of the year 30 CE (e.g. 0030-APR-7). Estimates range over about a five year interal from the late 20s to the early 30s. Most Christians regard him as the son of God. They further believe that he is God, the second person in the Trinity. (The Trinity consists of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; three separate persons, all eternal, all omnipresent, all omnipotent, all omnibeneficient, who form a single, unified deity.) Most Christians believe that Jesus co-existed with God before the creation of the world, was born of a virgin, was bodily resurrected about a day and a half after his death, and later ascended to Heaven. Most conservative Christians believe that Hell awaits anyone who has not repented of their sins and trusted Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Church history:

After Yeshua's death, his followers formed the Jewish Christian movement, centered in Jerusalem. One of Yeshua's followers, Simon Peter, may have headed the group. James, who was either Yeshua's brother, cousin, or friend, took over leadership later. They regarded themselves as a reform movement within Judaism; they continued to sacrifice at the temple, circumcise their male children, follow Jewish kosher food laws, etc.

Saul of Tarsus, originally a persecutor of the Jewish Christians, reported having a vision of the risen Christ, circa 34 CE while on the road to Damascus. Adopting the new name of Paul, he became the greatest theologian of the early Christian movement. His writings, along with those of the author(s) of the Gospel of John, provided much of the theological foundation for what has been called Pauline Christianity, a movement that he spread throughout the northern and eastern Mediterranean basin. Paul's ministry was directed mainly to Gentiles -- non-Jews. Another belief system was Gnostic Christianity. They taught that Jesus was a spirit being sent by God to impart knowledge to humans so that they could escape the miseries of life on earth. They regarded the Yahweh of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) to be an inferior, short tempered, vicious creator deity who performed many genocides, and other evil acts. In addition to Gnostic, Jewish, and and Pauline Christianity, there were many other versions of Christianity being taught. Often, there would be a number of conflicting Christianities being propagated within a single city. After the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman Army in 70 CE, the Jewish Christian movement was largely dissipated. Gnostic leaving Pauline and Gnostic Christianity as the dominant groups. Gentiles within the movement took over control of the former movement.

The Roman Empire recognized Pauline Christianity as a valid religion in 313 CE. Later in that century, it became the official religion of the Empire. Church authority became concentrated among the five bishops or patriarchs located in Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople, Jerusalem and Rome. Gnostic Christianity was severely persecuted, both by the Roman Empire and the Pauline Christian churches. It was almost exterminated, but is experiencing rapid growth today. With the expansion of Islam throughout the Middle East during the seventh century CE, power became concentrated in Constantinople and Rome. These two Christian centers gradually grew apart in belief, and practice. In 1054 CE, a split was formalized between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches; their leaders excommunicated each others. The split remains in effect today. Efforts are being made to heal the division. However, they are making little progress.

The Protestant Reformation in the 16th century led to a split within the western church. The Protestant movement further fragmented into what is now thousands of individual denominations and groups of denominations.

A prime belief: life after death:

Christian beliefs about one's destination after death vary greatly:

	Many conservative Protestant Christians believe that people are born and remain sinful. They will end up after death being eternally tortured in Hell unless they were "saved" during their life on earth. Salvation is a gift of God and is attained by repenting of sin and trusting Jesus as Lord and Savior.
	Roman Catholics also believe that salvation comes from God. But they believe that it is channeled through church sacraments to sinful but repentant persons. Most people, at death, enter Purgatory, which is a type of temporary Hell; a few go directly to Heaven; others go permanently to Hell. Their destination depends on the good and evil deeds that they have performed during life, and their exact status with regard to the sacraments at the time of their death.
	Religious liberals generally interpret hell symbolically, not as an actual place. They reject the concept of a loving God creating a place of eternal torment for the vast majority of humans.

Current status of Christianity:

About 33% of the world's population regard themselves as Christian. This percentage has been stable for decades. (The second most popular religion is Islam at about 20%. It is growing. If its present growth rate continues, it will to become the dominant religion of the world during in a few decades.) About 75% of American adults and a similar number of Canadians identify themselves as Christian. This number has recently been dropping almost one percentage point per year. This is mainly due to:

	The rapid increase in non-theists, such as Agnostics, Atheists, Humanists, etc. They are growing about one percentage point per year.
	An increase in the numbers of followers of minority religions, largely caused by immigration from regions of the world which are predominantly Buddhist, Hindu, and Muslim.
	The emergence of new spiritual/religious movements like New Age, Wicca and other Neopagan religions. Wicca, for example, is doubling in size about every 30 months.

Christianity in North America is a severely divided faith, consisting of over 1,500 denominations, which are often categorized into conservative, mainline and liberal wings:

	Many Fundamentalist and other Evangelical Christians regard "saved" individuals as the only true Christians. They maintain separate religious denominations, radio stations, publishing houses, book stores, local ministerial associations, etc -- even exercise videos. They tend to look upon Christianity as a living relationship with their Savior. Many regard other religions as lacking truth; they believe that truth is found exclusively in Christianity.
	Mainline Christians tend to be much more inclusive. They accept as Christian almost anyone who follows the teachings of and about Jesus Christ. Most value the contribution of non-Christian religions.
	Liberal Christians agree with mainline Christians, and are even more inclusive. Some liberal theologians, particularly those who are members of the Jesus Seminar, have abandoned or completely reinterpreted most traditional Christian beliefs. Some take a pluralistic approach to other religions, accepting all of them as true, as interpreted within their own culture.