Christianity

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of a series on

Christianity

Jesus Christ

Virgin
birth · Crucifixion · Resurrection · Easter · Jesus in
Christianity

Foundations

Apostles · Church · Creeds · Gospel · Kingdom · New
Covenant

Bible

Old
Testament · New
Testament ·
Books · Canon · Apocrypha

Theology

Apologetics · Baptism · Christology · Father · Son · Holy Spirit ·
History
of theology · Salvation · Trinity

History and traditions

Timeline · Mary · Peter · Paul ·
Fathers · Early · Constantine the
Great ·
Ecumenical
councils · Missions ·
East–West
Schism · Crusades ·
Protestant
Reformation

Denominations and movements

Catholic

Roman
Catholic · Anglican · Independent
Catholic · Old
Catholic

Protestant

Lutheran · Calvinist · Anabaptist · Arminian · Baptist · Methodist · Adventist · Evangelical · Holiness · Pentecostal

Eastern

Eastern
Orthodox · Oriental
Orthodox (Miaphysite) · Assyrian

Nontrinitarian

Jehovah's
Witness · Latter
Day Saint · Unitarian · Christadelphian
· Oneness
Pentecostal · Iglesia ni
Cristo

General
topics

Art · Criticism · Ecumenism · Liturgical
year · Liturgy · Music · Other
religions · Prayer · Sermon · Symbolism
Christianity
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Christianity (from the Ancient Greek word Χριστός, Khristos, "Christ", literally "anointed
one") is a monotheistic
religion[1]
based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and
other New
Testament writings.[2]
Adherents of the Christian faith are known as Christians.[3]

Mainstream Christianity teaches that the Greatest
commandment is love or Agape. It also teaches that
Jesus is the Son of God, God having become
human and the savior of humanity. Because of
this, Christians commonly refer to Jesus as Christ or Messiah.[4]
The three largest groups in the world of Christianity are the Roman Catholic
Church, the Eastern Orthodox
churches, and the various churches of Protestantism. The Roman
Catholic and Eastern Orthodox patriarchates split from
one another in the East-West Schism of
1054 AD, and Protestantism came into existence during the Protestant
Reformation of the 16th century, splitting from the Roman Catholic
Church.[5]

The word Christianity is the label that has been widely accepted by the
secular and church-world to describe the practice of faith by the followers or
disciples of Jesus Christ.

Christianity
began as a Jewish sect in the mid-1st century.[6][7]
Originating in the eastern Mediterranean
coast of the Middle East (modern Israel and Palestine), it quickly spread
to Syria, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor and Egypt, it grew in size and
influence over a few decades, and by the 4th century had become the dominant
religion within the Roman Empire.[8]
During the Middle Ages, most of the
remainder of Europe was Christianized, with
Christians also being a sometimes large religious minority in the Middle
East, North Africa, Ethiopia[9]
and parts of India.[10]
Following the Age of Discovery,
through missionary work and
colonization, Christianity spread to the Americas, Australasia, sub Saharan Africa and the rest
of the world.

Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah prophesied in the Hebrew
Bible, referred to as the "Old Testament" in Christianity. The foundation of
Christian theology is expressed in the
early Christian ecumenical creeds,
which contain claims predominantly accepted by followers of the Christian
faith.[11]
These professions state
that Jesus suffered, died, was buried, and was resurrected from the dead
to open heaven to
those who believe in him and trust him for the remission of
their sins (salvation).[12]
They further maintain that Jesus bodily ascended into heaven
where he rules and reigns with God the Father. Most denominations
teach that Jesus will return to judge all humans, living
and dead, and grant eternal life to his
followers. He is considered the model of a virtuous life, and both the revealer and
physical incarnation
of God.[13]
Christians call the message of Jesus Christ the Gospel
("good news") and hence refer to the earliest written accounts of his ministry as gospels.

As of the early 21st century, Christianity has around 2.2 billion
adherents.[14][15][16]
Christianity represents about a quarter to a third of the world's population and
is the world's largest
religion.[17]
Christianity is the state religion of several
countries.[18]

Contents

1 Beliefs

1.1 Creeds

1.2 Jesus
Christ

1.3 Death and resurrection
of Jesus

1.4 Salvation

1.5 Trinity

1.5.1 Trinitarians

1.5.2 Nontrinitarians

1.6 Scriptures

1.6.1 Catholic and
Orthodox interpretations

1.6.2 Protestant
interpretation

1.7 Afterlife and
Eschaton

2 Worship

2.1 Sacraments

2.2 Liturgical
calendar

2.3 Symbols

2.4 Baptism

2.5 Prayer

3 History and
origins

3.1 Early Church and
Christological Councils

3.2 Early Middle
Ages

3.3 High and Late Middle
Ages

3.4 Protestant Reformation
and Counter-Reformation

3.5 Post-Enlightenment

4 Demographics

5 Major groupings within
Christianity

5.1 Catholic

5.2 Orthodox

5.3 Protestant

5.4 Non-trinitarian

5.5 Others

6 Ecumenism

7 See also

8 Endnotes

9 References

10 Further
reading

11 External
links

Beliefs

The Sermon On the Mount
by Carl Heinrich Bloch,
Danish painter, d. 1890.

Wikisource has original
text related to this article:

Apostles
Creed

Wikisource has original
text related to this article:

Nicene
Creed

Though there are many important differences of interpretation and opinion of
the Bible on which Christianity is based, Christians share a set of beliefs that
they hold as essential to their faith.[19]

Creeds

Main article: Creeds

Creeds (from Latin credo meaning "I believe") are concise doctrinal
statements or confessions, usually of religious beliefs. They began as baptismal
formulae and were later expanded during the Christological controversies
of the 4th and 5th centuries to become statements of faith.

The Apostles' Creed
(Symbolum Apostolorum) was developed between the 2nd and 9th centuries.
It is the most popular creed used in worship by Western Christians. Its central
doctrines are those of the Trinity and God the Creator. Each of the doctrines
found in this creed can be traced to statements current in the apostolic period. The
creed was apparently used as a summary of Christian doctrine for baptismal
candidates in the churches of Rome.[20]
Since the Apostles Creed is still unaffected by the later Christological
divisions, its statement of the articles of Christian faith remain largely
acceptable to most Christian denominations:

belief in God the Father, Jesus Christ as the Son of
God and the Holy Spirit

the death, descent into hell,
resurrection,
and ascension of
Christ

the holiness of the Church and the communion of
saints

Christ's second coming, the Day of Judgement and
salvation
of the faithful.

The Nicene Creed, largely a
response to Arianism, was formulated at the
Councils of Nicaea and Constantinople
in 325 and 381 respectively[21][22]
and ratified as the universal creed of Christendom by the First Council of
Ephesus in 431.[23]

The Chalcedonian Creed,
developed at the Council of
Chalcedon in 451,[24]
though rejected by the Oriental Orthodox
Churches,[25]
taught Christ "to be acknowledged in two natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably,
indivisibly, inseparably": one divine and one human, and that both natures are
perfect but are nevertheless perfectly united into one
person.[26]

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."[27]

Most Christians (Roman Catholics, Eastern
Orthodox, Eastern Rite and Protestants alike) accept
the use of creeds, and subscribe to at least one of the creeds mentioned
above.[28]

Many evangelical Protestants reject creeds as definitive statements of faith,
even while agreeing with some creeds' substance. The Baptists have been
non-creedal “in that they have not sought to establish binding authoritative
confessions of faith on one another.” [29]:p.111 Also rejecting creeds
are groups with roots in the Restoration
Movement, such as the Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ) and the Churches of
Christ.[30][31]:14-15[32]:123

Jesus Christ

Main articles: Christian views of
Jesus, Christology, and Jesus
Christ in comparative mythology

A depiction of Jesus as a child with his mother,
Mary, the Theotokos of
Vladimir. 12th century, Russia.

The central tenet of Christianity is the belief in Jesus as the Son of God and the Messiah (Christ).
The title "Messiah" comes from the Hebrew word מָשִׁיחַ
(māšiáħ) meaning anointed one. The Greek translation Χριστός (Christos) is the source of
the English word "Christ".[13]

Christians believe that Jesus, as the Messiah, was anointed by God as savior of
humanity, and hold that Jesus' coming was the fulfillment of messianic
prophecies of the Old Testament. The
Christian concept of the Messiah differs significantly from the
contemporary Jewish concept. 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.[33]

While there have been many theological disputes
over the nature of Jesus over the
earliest centuries of Christian history, Christians generally believe that Jesus
is God incarnate
and "true God and true man"
(or both fully divine and fully human). Jesus, having become fully human,
suffered the pains and temptations of a mortal man, but did not sin. As fully God, he rose to life
again. According to the Bible, "God raised him from the
dead,"[34]
he ascended to
heaven, is "seated at the right hand of the Father"[35]
and will ultimately return[Acts 1:9-11] to fulfill the rest of Messianic prophecy
such as the Resurrection of the
dead, the Last Judgment and final
establishment of the Kingdom of
God.

According to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, Jesus was conceived by
the Holy
Spirit and born from the Virgin Mary.
Little of Jesus' childhood is recorded in the canonical Gospels, however infancy Gospels were
popular in antiquity. In comparison, his adulthood, especially the week before
his death, are well documented in the Gospels contained within the New
Testament. The Biblical accounts of Jesus' ministry include: his baptism, miracles,
preaching, teaching, and
deeds.

Death and
resurrection of Jesus

Main articles: Crucifixion of
Jesus and Resurrection of
Jesus

Crucifixion,
representing the death of Jesus on the Cross, painting by D. Velázquez, 17th
c.

Resurrection of Christ by Noel
Coypel, 1700, using a hovering
depiction of Jesus.

Christians consider the resurrection of Jesus to be the cornerstone of their
faith (see 1 Corinthians 15) and
the most important event in human history.[36]
Among Christian beliefs, the death and resurrection of Jesus are two core events
on which much of Christian doctrine and theology is based.[37][38]
According to the New Testament Jesus was crucified, died a physical
death, was buried within a tomb, and rose from the dead three days later.[Jn. 19:30–31] [Mk. 16:1] [16:6] The New Testament mentions several resurrection
appearances of Jesus on different occasions to his twelve apostles and disciples,
including "more than five hundred brethren at once,"[1 Cor. 15:6] before Jesus' Ascension to
heaven. Jesus' death and resurrection are commemorated by Christians in all
worship services, with special emphasis during Holy Week which includes Good
Friday and Easter
Sunday.

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.[39]

Christian churches accept and teach the New Testament account of the
resurrection of Jesus with very few exceptions.[40]
Some modern scholars use the belief of Jesus' followers in the resurrection as a
point of departure for establishing the continuity of the historical Jesus and
the proclamation of the early church.[41]
Some liberal Christians
do not accept a literal bodily resurrection,[42][43]
seeing the story as richly symbolic and spiritually nourishing myth.
Arguments over death and resurrection claims occur at many religious debates and interfaith dialogues.[44]
Paul the Apostle, an
early Christian convert and missionary, wrote, "If Christ was not raised, then
all our preaching is useless, and your trust in God is useless."[1 Cor. 15:14] [45]

Salvation

Main article: Salvation

Paul of Tarsus, like Jews
and Roman pagans of his time, believed that sacrifice can bring about new
kinship ties, purity, and eternal life.[46]
For Paul the necessary sacrifice was the death of Jesus: Gentiles who are
"Christ's" are, like Israel, descendants of Abraham and "heirs according to the
promise".[Gal. 3:29] [47]
The God who raised Jesus from the dead would also give new life to the "mortal
bodies" of Gentile Christians, who had become with Israel the "children of God"
and were therefore no longer "in the flesh".[Rom. 8:9,11,16] [46]

Modern Christian churches tend to be much more concerned with how humanity
can be saved from a universal
condition of sin and death than the question of how both Jews and Gentiles can
be in God's family. According to both Catholic and Protestant doctrine,
salvation comes by Jesus' substitutionary
death and resurrection. The Catholic Church teaches that salvation does not
occur without faithfulness on the part of Christians; converts must live in
accordance with principles of love and ordinarily must be baptized.[48][49]
Martin Luther taught that baptism was necessary for salvation, but modern
Lutherans and other Protestants tend to teach that salvation is a gift that
comes to an individual by God's grace, sometimes
defined as "unmerited favor", even apart from baptism.

Christians differ in their views on the extent to which individuals'
salvation is pre-ordained by God. Reformed theology places distinctive emphasis
on grace by teaching that individuals are completely incapable of
self-redemption, but that sanctifying grace is
irresistible.[50]
In contrast Catholics, Orthodox Christians and Arminian Protestants believe
that the exercise of free will is necessary to have
faith in Jesus.[51]

Trinity

Main article: Trinity

Three angels hosted by Abraham by Ludovico Carracci: The
three angels represent the three persons of
God.

Trinity refers to the teaching that the one God comprises three
distinct, eternally co-existing persons; the Father, the
Son (incarnate in Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. Together,
these three persons are sometimes called the Godhead,[52][53][54]
although there is no single term in use in Scripture to denote the unified
Godhead.[55]
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".[56]
They are distinct from another: the Father has no source, the Son is begotten of
the Father, and the Spirit proceeds from the Father. Though distinct, the three
persons cannot be divided from one another in being or in operation.[57]

The Trinity
is an essential doctrine of mainstream Christianity. "Father, Son and Holy
Spirit" represents both the immanence and transcendence
of God. God is believed to be infinite and God's presence may be perceived
through the actions of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.[58]

According to this doctrine, God is not divided in the sense that each person
has a third of the whole; rather, each person is considered to be fully God (see
Perichoresis). The
distinction lies in their relations, the Father being unbegotten; the Son being
begotten of the Father; and the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and (in
Western theology) from the Son. Regardless of
this apparent difference, the three 'persons' are each eternal and omnipotent.

The word trias, from which trinity is derived, is first seen in
the works of Theophilus of
Antioch. He wrote of "the Trinity of God (the Father), His Word (the Son)
and His Wisdom (Holy Spirit)".[59]
The term may have been in use before this time. Afterwards it appears in Tertullian.[60][61]
In the following century the word was in general use. It is found in many
passages of Origen.[62]

Trinitarians

Main article: Trinitarianism

Trinitarianism denotes those Christians who believe in the concept of
the Trinity. Almost all
Christian denominations and Churches hold Trinitarian beliefs. Although the
words "Trinity" and "Triune" do not appear in the Bible, theologians beginning
in the 3rd century developed the term and concept to facilitate comprehension of
the New Testament teachings of God as Father, God as Jesus the Son, and God as
the Holy Spirit. Since that time, Christian theologians have been careful to
emphasize that Trinity does not imply three gods, nor that each member of the
Trinity is one-third of an infinite God; Trinity is defined as one God in three
Persons.[63]

Nontrinitarians

Main article: Nontrinitarianism

Nontrinitarianism
refers to beliefs systems that
reject the doctrine of the Trinity. They are a small
minority of Christians. Various nontrinitarian views, such as adoptionism or modalism, existed in early
Christianity, leading to the disputes about Christology.[64]
Nontrinitarianism later appeared again in the Gnosticism of the Cathars in the 11th through 13th
centuries, in the Age of
Enlightenment of the 18th century, and in some groups arising during the Second Great
Awakening of the 19th century.

Scriptures

Main articles: Bible and Development
of the Christian Biblical canon

Christianity regards the Bible, a collection of canonical books in two
parts (the Old Testament and the New
Testament), as the authoritative word of God. It is believed by Christians
to have been written by human authors under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
and therefore for many it is held to be the inerrant word of
God.[65][66][67]
Jews, Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants each define separate lists of Books of the Bible
that each considers canonical. These variations are a reflection of the range of
traditions and councils that have
convened on the subject. Every version of the complete Bible always includes
books of the Jewish scriptures, the Tanakh, and includes additional
books and reorganizes them into two parts: the books of the Old Testament
primarily sourced from the Tanakh (with some variations), and the 27 books of
the New Testament containing books originally written primarily in Greek.[68]
The Roman Catholic and Orthodox canons include other books from the Septuagint
which Roman Catholics call Deuterocanonical.[69]
Protestants consider these books to be apocryphal. Some
versions of the Christian Bible have a separate Apocrypha section for the books
not considered canonical by some Churches or by the groups publishing them.[70]

Catholic
and Orthodox interpretations

The inside of an Eastern Orthodox
church

Saint Peter's
Basilica, Vatican
City

Inside of Saint Peter's
Basilica

In antiquity, two schools of exegesis developed in Alexandria and Antioch. Alexandrine
interpretation, exemplified by Origen, tended to read Scripture
allegorically, while Antiochene
interpretation adhered to the literal sense, holding that other meanings (called
theoria)
could only be accepted if based on the literal meaning.[71]

Catholic theology
distinguishes two senses of scripture: the literal and the spiritual.[72]

The literal sense of understanding scripture is the meaning conveyed
by the words of Scripture. The spiritual sense is further subdivided
into:

the allegorical sense, which includes typology. An
example would be the parting of the Red
Sea being understood as a "type" (sign) of baptism.[1 Cor. 10:2]

the moral sense, which
understands the scripture to contain some ethical teaching.

the anagogical sense, which
applies to eschatology, eternity and
the consummation of the
world

Regarding exegesis, following the rules
of sound interpretation, Catholic theology holds:

the injunction that all other senses of sacred scripture are based on the
literal[73][74]

that the historicity of the Gospels must be absolutely and constantly
held[75]

that scripture must be read within the "living Tradition of the whole
Church"[76]
and

that "the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the bishops in
communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome".[77]

Protestant
interpretation

Clarity of Scripture

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. This concept is known as sola
scriptura.[78]
Protestants characteristically believe that ordinary believers may reach an
adequate understanding of Scripture because Scripture itself is clear (or
"perspicuous"), because of the help of the Holy Spirit, or both. Martin Luther
believed that without God's help Scripture would be "enveloped in
darkness."[79]
He advocated "one definite and simple understanding of Scripture."[79]
John
Calvin wrote, "all who...follow the Holy Spirit as their guide, find in
the Scripture a clear light."[80]
The Second Helvetic (Latin for "Swiss")[81]
Confession, composed by the pastor of the Reformed church in Zurich (successor
to Protestant reformer Zwingli) was adopted as a
declaration of doctrine by most European Reformed churches.[82]

Original intended meaning of Scripture

Protestants stress the meaning conveyed by the words of Scripture, the historical-grammatical
method.[83]
The historical-grammatical method or grammatico-historical method is an effort
in Biblical
hermeneutics to find the intended original meaning in the text.[84]
This original intended meaning of the text is drawn out through examination of
the passage in light of the grammatical and syntactical aspects, the
historical background, the literary genre as well as theological (canonical)
considerations.[85]
The historical-grammatical method distinguishes between the one original
meaning and the significance of the text. The significance of the text
includes the ensuing use of the text or application. The original passage is
seen as having only a single meaning or sense. As Milton S. Terry said: "A
fundamental principle in grammatico-historical exposition is that the words
and sentences can have but one significance in one and the same connection.
The moment we neglect this principle we drift out upon a sea of uncertainty
and conjecture."[86]
Technically speaking, the grammatical-historical method of interpretation is
distinct from the determination of the passage's significance in light of that
interpretation. Taken together, both define the term (Biblical)
hermeneutics.[87]

Some Protestant interpreters make use of typology.[88]

Afterlife and
Eschaton

Main article: Christian
eschatology

Most Christians believe that human beings experience divine judgment and are
rewarded either with eternal life or eternal damnation. This includes
the general judgement at the
Resurrection of the
dead (see below) as well as the belief (held by Roman Catholics,[89][90]
Orthodox[91][92]
and most Protestants) in a judgment particular to
the individual soul upon physical death.

In Roman Catholicism, those who die in a state of grace, i.e., without any
mortal sin separating them from God, but are still imperfectly purified from the
effects of sin, undergo purification through the intermediate state of purgatory to
achieve the holiness necessary for entrance into God's presence.[93]
Those who have attained this goal are called saints (Latin
sanctus, "holy").[94]

Christians believe that the second coming of Christ will occur at the end of
time. All who have died will be resurrected bodily
from the dead for the Last Judgment. Jesus will
fully establish the Kingdom of God in
fulfillment of scriptural
prophecies.[95][96]
Jehovah's Witnesses deny the existence of hell. Instead, they hold that the
souls of the wicked will be annihilated.[97]

Worship

Main article: Christian
worship

Samples of Christian religious objects—The Holy Bible, a Crucifix, and a
Rosary.

Jesus as the good shepherd by Bernhard
Plockhorst

Justin Martyr described
2nd century Christian liturgy in his First Apology
(c. 150) to Emperor Antoninus Pius, and his
description remains relevant to the basic structure of Christian liturgical
worship:

And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country
gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings
of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has
ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of
these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said,
when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the
president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his
ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution
to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to
those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons. And they who are well
to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is
deposited with the president, who succours the orphans and widows and those
who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in
bonds and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all
who are in need.

– Justin Martyr[98]

Thus, as Justin described, Christians assemble for communal worship on
Sunday, the day of the resurrection, though other liturgical practices often
occur outside this setting. Scripture readings are drawn from the Old and New
Testaments, but especially the Gospels. Often these are arranged on an annual
cycle, using a book called a lectionary. Instruction is
given based on these readings, called a sermon, or homily. 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. The Lord's
Prayer, or Our Father, is regularly prayed. The Eucharist (called Holy Communion, or the
Lord's Supper) is the part of liturgical worship that consists of a consecrated
meal, usually bread and wine. Justin Martyr described the Eucharist:

And this food is called among us Eukaristia [the Eucharist], of
which no one is allowed to partake but the man who believes that the things
which we teach are true, and who has been washed with the washing that is for
the remission of sins, and unto regeneration, and who is so living as Christ
has enjoined. For not as common bread and common drink do we receive these;
but in like manner as Jesus Christ our Saviour, having been made flesh by the
Word of God, had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so likewise have we
been taught that the food which is blessed by the prayer of His word, and from
which our blood and flesh by transmutation are nourished, is the flesh and
blood of that Jesus who was made flesh.

– Justin Martyr[98]

Some Christian
denominations practice closed communion. They
offer communion to those who are already united in that denomination or
sometimes individual church. Catholics restrict participation to their members
who are not in a state of mortal sin. Most other
churches practice open communion since they
view communion as a means to unity, rather than an end, and invite all believing
Christians to participate.

Some groups depart from this traditional liturgical structure. A division is
often made between "High" church
services, characterized by greater solemnity and ritual, and "Low"
services, but even within these two categories there is great diversity in forms
of worship. Seventh-day
Adventists meet on Saturday, while others do not meet on a weekly basis. Charismatic or Pentecostal congregations
may spontaneously feel led by the Holy Spirit to action rather than follow a
formal order of service, including spontaneous prayer. Quakers sit quietly
until moved by the Holy Spirit to speak. Some Evangelical services
resemble concerts with rock and pop music,
dancing, and use of multimedia. For groups which do not recognize a priesthood
distinct from ordinary believers the services are generally lead by a minister, preacher, or pastor. Still others
may lack any formal leaders, either in principle or by local necessity. Some
churches use only a cappella music, either on
principle (e.g., many Churches of Christ
object to the use of instruments in worship) or by tradition (as in
Orthodoxy).

Worship can be varied for special events like baptisms or weddings in the
service or significant feast days. In the early church,
Christians and those yet to complete initiation would separate for the
Eucharistic part of the worship. In many churches today, adults and children
will separate for all or some of the service to receive age-appropriate
teaching. Such children's worship is often called Sunday school or Sabbath school (Sunday
schools are often held before rather than during services).

Sacraments

Main article: Sacrament

See also: Sacraments
of the Catholic Church, Anglican
sacraments, and Lutheran
sacraments

The Holy
Eucharist

In Christian belief and practice, a sacrament is a rite, instituted by Christ, that
mediates grace, constituting a sacred mystery. The
term is derived from the Latin word sacramentum,
which was used to translate the Greek word for mystery. Views concerning
both what rites are sacramental, and what it means for an act to be a sacrament
vary among Christian denominations and traditions.[99]

The most conventional functional definition of a sacrament is that it is an
outward sign, instituted by Christ, that conveys an inward, spiritual grace
through Christ. The two most widely accepted sacraments are Baptism and the Eucharist,
however, the majority of Christians recognize seven Sacraments or Divine
Mysteries: Baptism, Confirmation
(Chrismation in the Orthodox tradition), and
the Eucharist, Holy Orders, Reconciliation
of a Penitent (confession), Anointing of the
Sick, and Matrimony.[99]
Taken together, these are the Seven
Sacraments as recognised by churches in the High church
tradition—notably Roman
Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Independent
Catholic, Old Catholic most Anglicans, and some
Lutherans. Most other
denominations and traditions typically affirm only Baptism and Eucharist as
sacraments, while some Protestant groups, such as the Quakers, reject
sacramental theology.[99]
Most Protestant Christian
denominations who believe these rites do not communicate grace prefer to
call them ordinances.

Liturgical
calendar

Main article: Liturgical year

Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Eastern Christians, and traditional Protestant
communities frame worship around a liturgical calendar.
This includes holy days, such
as solemnities which commemorate
an event in the life of Jesus or the saints, periods of fasting such as Lent, and other pious
events such as memoria or lesser festivals
commemorating saints. 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.[100]

Symbols

Jesus on the Cross

Christian cemetery

Main article: Christian
symbolism

The cross, which is today
one of the most widely recognised symbols in the world, was used as a Christian
symbol from the earliest times.[101][102]
Tertullian, in his book De Corona, tells how it was already a tradition
for Christians to trace repeatedly on their foreheads the sign of the cross.[103]
Although the cross was known to the early Christians, the crucifix did not appear in use
until the 5th century.[104]

Among the symbols employed by the primitive Christians, that of the fish
seems to have ranked first in importance. From monumental sources such as tombs
it is known that the symbolic fish was familiar to Christians from the earliest
times. The fish was depicted as a Christian symbol in the first decades of the
2nd century.[105]
Its popularity among Christians was due principally, it would seem, to the
famous acrostic consisting of the initial letters of five Greek words forming
the word for fish (Ichthys), which words briefly but clearly described the
character of Christ and the claim to worship of believers: Iesous Christos
Theou Yios Soter, meaning, Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour.[105]

Christians from the very beginning adorned their tombs with paintings of
Christ, of the saints, of scenes from the Bible and allegorical groups. The
catacombs are the cradle of all Christian art. The first Christians had no
prejudice against images, pictures, or statues. The idea that they must have
feared the danger of idolatry among their new converts is disproved in the
simplest way by the pictures, even statues, that remain from the 1st
centuries.[106]
Other major Christian symbols include the chi-rho monogram, the dove
(symbolic of the Holy Spirit), the sacrificial lamb (symbolic of Christ's
sacrifice), the vine
(symbolising the necessary connectedness of the Christian with Christ) and many
others. These all derive from writings found in the New Testament.[104]

Baptism

Baptism is
the ritual act, with the use of water, by which a person is admitted to
membership of the Church.[107]

Francesco Albani's
The Baptism of Christ

Prayer

Main article: Prayer in
Christianity

Jesus' teaching on prayer in the Sermon on the Mount
displays a distinct lack of interest in the external aspects of prayer. A
concern with the techniques of prayer is condemned as 'pagan', and instead a
simple trust in God's fatherly goodness is encouraged.[Mat. 6:5-15] Elsewhere in the New Testament
this same freedom of access to God is also emphasized.[Phil. 4:6][Jam. 5:13-19] This confident position should
be understood in light of Christian belief in the unique relationship between
the believer and Christ through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.[108]

In subsequent Christian traditions, certain physical gestures are emphasised,
including medieval gestures such as genuflection or making the
sign of the cross. Kneeling, bowing
and prostrations (see also poklon) are often practiced in
more traditional branches of Christianity. Frequently in Western Christianity
the hands are placed palms together and forward as in the feudal commendation
ceremony. At other times the older orans posture may be used, with
palms up and elbows in.

Intercessory prayer is prayer offered for the benefit of other people.
There are many intercessory prayers recorded in the Bible, included prayers of
the Apostle Peter on behalf of
sick persons[Acts 9:40] and by prophets of the Old Testament in
favor of other people.[1Ki 17:19-22] In the New Testament book of James no
distinction is made between the intercessory prayer offered by ordinary
believers and the prominent Old Testament prophet Elijah.[Jam 5:16-18] The effectiveness of prayer in
Christianity derives from the power of God rather than the status of the one
praying[108]

The ancient church, in both Eastern
Christianity and Western
Christianity, developed a tradition of asking for the intercession of
(deceased) saints, and this remains the practice of most Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and some
Anglican churches. Churches of
the Protestant
Reformation however rejected prayer to the saints, largely on the basis of
the sole mediatorship of Christ.[109]
The reformer Huldrych Zwingli
admitted that he had offered prayers to the saints until his reading of the
Bible convinced him that this was idolatrous.[110]

According to the Catechism
of the Catholic Church: "Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to
God or the requesting of good things from God."[111]
The Book of Common
Prayer in the Anglican tradition is a guide which provides a set order for
church services, containing set prayers, scripture readings, and hymns or sung
Psalms.

History and
origins

Main articles: History of
Christianity and Origins of
Christianity

This section's representation of one or more
viewpoints about a controversial issue may be unbalanced or
inaccurate.
Please improve the article or discuss the issue on the talk
page.

Early
Church and Christological Councils

An early circular ichthys symbol, created by
combining the Greek letters ΙΧΘΥΣ
into a wheel. Ephesus, Asia
Minor.

11th century Icon of Jesus from
Greece.

Kadisha Valley, Lebanon, home to
some of earliest Christian monasteries in the world.

Main articles: Early Christianity
and First seven
Ecumenical Councils

Christianity began as a Jewish sect in the eastern Mediterranean
in the mid-1st century.[3][6][7]
Its earliest development took place under the leadership of the Twelve Apostles,
particularly Saint Peter and Paul the Apostle,
followed by the early bishops, whom Christians
considered the successors of the
Apostles.

From the beginning, Christians were subject to persecution by
some Jewish religious leaders, who disagreed with the apostles' teachings (See
Split
of early Christianity and Judaism). This involved punishments, including
death, for Christians such as Stephen[Acts 7:59] and James, son of
Zebedee.[Acts 12:2] Larger-scale persecutions followed
at the hands of the authorities of the Roman Empire, first in the year 64, when
Emperor Nero blamed them
for the Great Fire of Rome.
According to Church tradition, it was under Nero's persecution that early Church
leaders Peter and Paul of Tarsus were each
martyred in Rome. Further widespread persecutions
of the Church occurred under nine subsequent Roman emperors, most intensely
under Decius and
Diocletian. From the year
150, Christian teachers began to produce theological and apologetic works aimed
at defending the faith. These authors are known as the Church Fathers, and study
of them is called Patristics. Notable early
Fathers include Ignatius of Antioch,
Polycarp, Justin
Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Clement of
Alexandria, and Origen.

State persecution ceased in the 4th century, when Constantine I issued an edict
of toleration in 313. On 27 February 380, Emperor Theodosius I enacted a law
establishing Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire.[112]
From at least the 4th century, Christianity has played a prominent role in the
shaping of
Western civilization.[113]

Constantine was also instrumental in the convocation of the First Council of
Nicaea in 325, which sought to address the Arian heresy and formulated the
Nicene
Creed, which is still used by the Roman Catholic
Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, Anglican Communion,
and many Protestant churches.[28]
Nicaea was the first of a series of Ecumenical (worldwide)
Councils which formally defined critical elements of the theology of the
Church, notably concerning Christology.[114]
The Assyrian Church
of the East did not accept the third and following Ecumenical Councils, and
are still separate today. In 395, the most Christianized regions of the world
were Crete, Cyprus, Anatolia, Armenia,
the Nile delta, and Numidia (present-day Tunisia and
Algeria).[115]

The presence of Christianity in Africa began in the middle of the 1st century
in Egypt, and by
the end of the 2nd century in the region around Carthage. Important Africans
who influenced the early development of Christianity includes Tertullian,
Clement of
Alexandria, Origen of
Alexandria, Cyprian, Athanasius
and Augustine of Hippo.
The later rise of Islam in North Africa reduced the
size and numbers of Christian congregations, leaving only the Coptic Church in Egypt and
the Ethiopian
Orthodox Tewahedo Church in the Horn of Africa. The
History of Christianity in Africa began in the 1st century when Mark the Evangelist
started the Orthodox
Church of Alexandria in about 43 AD.[116][117][118]

Early Middle Ages

With the decline and fall of the Roman Empire in the west, the papacy became a political player,
first visible in Pope Leo's diplomatic
dealings with Huns and Vandals.[119]
The church also entered into a long period of missionary activity and expansion
among the various tribes. Whilst arianists instituted the death penalty for
practicing pagans (see Massacre of Verden as
example), Catholicism also spread
among the Germanic peoples,[119]
the Celtic and Slavic
peoples, the Hungarians, and the Baltic peoples.

Around 500, St. Benedict set out his Monastic Rule,
establishing a system of regulations for the foundation and running of monasteries.[119]
Monasticism became a
powerful force throughout Europe,[119]
and gave rise to many early centers of learning, most famously in Ireland, Scotland and Gaul, contributing to
the Carolingian
Renaissance of the 9th century.

From the 7th century onwards, Islam conquered the Christian
lands of the Middle East, North
Africa and much of Spain,[120]
resulting in oppression of Christianity and numerous military struggles,
including the Crusades, the Spanish Reconquista and wars against
the Turks.

The Middle Ages brought about major changes within the church. Pope Gregory the
Great dramatically reformed ecclesiastical
structure and administration.[121]
In the early 8th century, iconoclasm became a divisive
issue, when it was sponsored by the Byzantine emperors. The Second Ecumenical
Council of Nicaea (787) finally pronounced in favor of icons.[122]
In the early 10th century, western monasticism was further rejuvenated through
the leadership of the great Benedictine monastery of Cluny.[123]

High and Late Middle
Ages

Pope Urban II at the Council of Clermont,
where he preached the First
Crusade.

In the west, from the 11th century onward, older cathedral schools developed
into universities (see University of
Oxford, University of Paris,
and University of
Bologna.) Originally teaching only theology, these steadily added
subjects including medicine, philosophy and law, becoming the direct ancestors
of modern western institutions of learning.[124]

Accompanying the rise of the "new towns" throughout Western Europe, mendicant orders were
founded, bringing the consecrated
religious life out of the monastery and into the new urban setting. The two
principal mendicant movements were the Franciscans[125]
and the Dominicans[126]
founded by St. Francis and St. Dominic respectively.
Both orders made significant contributions to the development of the great
universities of Europe. Another new order were the Cistercians, whose large
isolated monasteries spearheaded the settlement of former wilderness areas. In
this period church building and ecclesiastical architecture reached new heights,
culminating in the orders of Romanesque and
Gothic architecture
and the building of the great European cathedrals.[127]

From 1095 under the pontificate of Urban II, the Crusades were launched.[128]
These were a series of military campaigns in the Holy Land and elsewhere,
initiated in response to pleas from the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I
for aid against Turkish expansion. The
Crusades ultimately failed to stifle Islamic aggression and even contributed to
Christian enmity with the sacking of Constantinople during the
Fourth Crusade.[129]

Over a period stretching from the 7th to the 13th century, the Christian
Church underwent gradual alienation, resulting in a schism dividing it into
a so-called Latin or Western branch, the
Roman Catholic Church,[130]
and an Eastern, largely
Greek, branch, the Orthodox Church.
These two churches disagree on a number of administrative, liturgical, and
doctrinal issues, most notably papal primacy of
jurisdiction.[131][132]
The Second Council of
Lyon (1274) and the Council of Florence
(1439) attempted to reunite the churches, but in both cases the Eastern Orthodox
refused to implement the decisions and the two principal churches remain in
schism to the present day. However, the Roman Catholic Church has achieved union
with various smaller eastern
churches.

Beginning around 1184, following the crusade against the Cathar heresy,[133]
various institutions, broadly referred to as the Inquisition, were
established with the aim of suppressing heresy and securing religious and
doctrinal unity within Christianity through conversion and
prosecution.[134]

Protestant Reformation and Counter-Reformation

Opening of Luther's 95
Theses

Main articles: Protestant
Reformation and Counter-Reformation

The 15th-century Renaissance brought about a
renewed interest in ancient and classical learning. Another major schism, the Reformation,
resulted in the splintering of the Western Christendom into several Christian
denominations.[135]
Martin Luther in 1517 protested against the sale of
indulgences and soon moved
on to deny several key points of Roman Catholic doctrine. Others like Zwingli and Calvin
further criticized Roman Catholic teaching and worship. These challenges
developed into the movement called Protestantism, which
repudiated the primacy of the pope, the
role of tradition, the seven sacraments,
and other doctrines and practices.[136]
The Reformation in
England began in 1534, when King Henry VIII
had himself declared head of the Church of England.
Beginning in 1536, the monasteries throughout England, Wales and Ireland were dissolved.[137]

Two priests demand a heretic to repent as he is
tortured

Partly in response to the Protestant Reformation, the Roman Catholic Church
engaged in a substantial process of reform and renewal, known as the Counter-Reformation
or Catholic Reform.[138]
The Council of Trent
clarified and reasserted Roman Catholic doctrine. During the following
centuries, competition between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism became deeply
entangled with political struggles among European states.[139]

Meanwhile, the discovery of America by Christopher
Columbus in 1492 brought about a new wave of missionary activity. Partly
from missionary zeal, but under the impetus of colonial expansion by the
European powers, Christianity spread to the Americas, Oceania, East Asia,
and sub-Saharan
Africa.

Throughout Europe, the divides caused by the Reformation led to outbreaks of
religious violence
and the establishment of separate state churches in Western Europe: Lutheranism in parts of
Germany and in Scandinavia and Anglicanism in England in
1534. Ultimately, these differences led to the outbreak of conflicts in which
religion played a key factor. The Thirty Years' War,
the English Civil War, and
the French Wars of
Religion are prominent examples. These events intensified the Christian
debate on persecution and toleration.[140]

See also: European wars of
religion

Post-Enlightenment

360-degree view from the
dome over the Vatican and out into Rome

In the era known as the Great Divergence, when
in the West the Age of
Enlightenment and the Scientific
revolution brought about great societal changes, Christianity was confronted
with various forms of skepticism and with certain
modern political
ideologies such as versions of socialism and liberalism.[141]
Events ranged from mere anti-clericalism to
violent outbursts against Christianity such as the Dechristianisation
during the French Revolution,[142]
the Spanish Civil War, and
general hostility of Marxist movements, especially the Russian
Revolution.

Especially pressing in Europe was the formation of nation
states after the Napoleonic era. In all
European countries, different Christian denominations found themselves in
competition, to greater or lesser extents, with each other and with the state.
Variables are the relative sizes of the denominations and the religious,
political, and ideological orientation of the state. Urs Altermatt of the University of
Fribourg, looking specifically at Catholicisms in Europe, identifies four
models for the European nations. In traditionally Catholic countries such as Belgium, Spain, and to some
extent Austria,
religious and national communities are more or less identical. Cultural
symbiosis and separation are found in Poland, Ireland, and Switzerland, all countries
with competing denominations. Competition is found in Germany, the Netherlands, and again
Switzerland, all countries with minority Catholic populations who to a greater
or lesser extent did identify with the nation. Finally, separation between
religion (again, specifically Catholicism) and the state is found to a great
degree in France and Italy, countries where the state
actively opposed itself to the authority of the Catholic Church.[143]
The combined factors of the formation of nation states and ultramontanism,
especially in Germany and the Netherlands but also in England (to a much lesser
extent[144]),
often forced Catholic churches, organizations, and believers to choose between
the national demands of the state and the authority of the Church, specifically
the papacy. This conflict came to a head in the First Vatican
Council, and in Germany would lead directly to the Kulturkampf, where liberals
and Protestants under the leadership of Bismarck managed to severely
restrict Catholic expression and organization.

Christian commitment in Europe dropped as modernity and secularism came into
their own[clarification
needed] in Western Europe, while religious commitments in America
have been generally high in comparison to Western Europe. The late 20th century
has shown the shift of Christian adherence to the Third World and southern
hemisphere in general, with western civilization no longer the chief standard
bearer of Christianity.

Some Europeans (including diaspora), Indigenous
peoples of the Americas, and natives of other continents have revived their
respective peoples' historical folk religions. (see Neo-paganism, Native
Americans in the United States#Religion) Approximately 7.1 to 10% of Arabs are Christians[145]
most prevalent in Egypt, Syria and Lebanon.

Demographics

Further information: Christianity by
country

Further information: Christian
population growth

Countries with 50% and more Christians are colored purple
while countries with 10% to 50% Christians are colored
pink.

Nations with Christianity as their state
religion:

Orthodox
Christianity

Protestantism and Anglicanism

Roman
Catholicism

With an estimated number of adherents that ranges approximately around
2.2 billion,[14][15][16]
split into 3 main branches of Catholic, Protestant
and Orthodox,
Christianity is the world's largest
religion.[146]
The Christian share of the world's population has stood at around 33 per cent
for the last hundred years, which says that one in three persons on earth are Christians.
This masks a major shift in the demographics of Christianity; large increases in
the developing world (around 23,000 per day) have been accompanied by
substantial declines in the developed world, mainly in Europe and North America
(around 7,600 per day).[147]
It is still the predominant religion in Europe, the Americas, the Philippines, and Southern
Africa.[148]
However it is declining in many areas including the Northern and Western United
States,[149]
Oceania (Australia and New Zealand), northern Europe (including Great
Britain,[150]
Scandinavia and other
places), France, Germany, the Canadian provinces of Ontario, British Columbia, and
Quebec, and parts
of Asia (especially the Middle East,[151][152][153]
South
Korea,[154]
Taiwan[155]
and Macau[156]).
The Christian population is not
decreasing in the United States[157]
and Canada,[158]
but the percentage is decreasing. In countries such as Australia[159]
and New
Zealand,[160]
the Christian population are
declining in both numbers and percentage.

However, there are many charismatic
movements that have become well established over large parts of the world,
especially Africa, Latin America and Asia.[161][162][163][164][165]
A leading Saudi Arabian Muslim leader Sheikh
Ahmad al Qatanni reported on Aljazeera that every day
16,000 African Muslims convert to
Christianity. He claimed that Islam was losing 6 million African Muslims a year to
becoming Christians,[166][167][168][169][170]
including Muslims
in Algeria,[171]
France,[171]
India,[171]
Morocco,[171]
Russia,[171]
and Turkey.[171][172]
It is also reported that Christianity is popular among people of different
backgrounds in India (mostly Hindus),[173]
Malaysia,[174]
Mongolia,[175]
Nigeria,[176]
North
Korea, and Vietnam.[177]
Christianity also lose some adherents to Islam. In the United
States, for instance, 20,000 people convert to Islam each year, but not all of
them are Christians. Other religions,
such as Buddhism, New Age, Zoroastrianism and the Bahá'í Faith
also have a lot of converts from Christianity.

In most countries in the developed world, church attendance among people who
continue to identify themselves as Christians has been falling over the last few
decades.[178]
Some sources view this simply as part of a drift away from traditional
membership institutions,[179]
while others link it to signs of a decline in belief in the importance of
religion in general.[180]

Christianity, in one form or another, is the sole state religion of the
following nations: Costa Rica (Roman
Catholic),[181]
Denmark
(Evangelical Lutheran),[182]
El
Salvador (Roman Catholic),[183]
England
(Anglican),[184]
Finland
(Evangelical Lutheran & Orthodox),[185][186]
Georgia (Georgian
Orthodox),[187]
Greece (Greek
Orthodox),[183]
Iceland
(Evangelical Lutheran),[188]
Liechtenstein (Roman
Catholic),[189]
Malta (Roman
Catholic),[190]
Monaco (Roman
Catholic),[191]
Norway
(Evangelical Lutheran),[192]
Switzerland (Roman Catholic,
Old Catholic, or Protestant—denomination varies per canton)[193]
and Vatican City (Roman
Catholic).[194]

There are numerous other countries, such as Cyprus, which although do not
have an established church,
still give official recognition to a specific Christian
denomination.[195]

Major
groupings within Christianity

See also: List of
Christian denominations and List
of Christian denominations by number of members

The three primary divisions of Christianity are Roman Catholicism,
the Orthodox church, and Protestantism.[32]:14[196]
There are other Christian groups that do not fit neatly into one of these
primary categories.[197]
The Nicene Creed is "accepted as authoritative by the Roman Catholic, Eastern
Orthodox, Anglican, and major Protestant churches."[198]
There is a diversity of doctrines and practices among
groups calling themselves Christian. These groups are sometimes classified under
denominations,
though for theological reasons many groups reject this classification
system.[199]
Another distinction that is sometimes drawn is between Eastern
Christianity and Western
Christianity. File:ChristianityBranches.svg

Catholic

Main article: Catholic Church

Christian
Denominations
in English-speaking
countries

Australia

Australian
Christian
bodies v ·
d
· e

Australian
Interchurch

Australian Evangelical Alliance  • site
National
Council of
Churches

Catholic
& Anglican

Anglican
Church of Australia
Roman
Catholic
Church

Holiness
& Pietist

Christian
and Missionary Alliance
Christian
Outreach Centre
Church
of the Nazarene
Salvation
Army
Seventh-day
Adventist
Church

Historical
Protestantism

Australian Friends
Baptist
Union of Australia
Open
Brethren
Christian
Reformed Churches of Australia
Churches
of Christ
Fellowship
of Congregational Churches
Lutheran
Church of Australia
Presbyterian
Church of Australia
Uniting
Church in Australia
Wesleyan
Methodist Church of
Australia

Orthodox

Antiochian
Orthodox of Australia & New Z.
Greek
Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia
Serbian
Orthodox of Australia & New Z.

Non-Chalcedonic

Coptic
Orthodox Church in
Australia

Pentecostal
& Related

Australian
Christian Churches (AOG)
Christian
City Church Intl.
CRC
Churches International
Revival
Centres International
Vineyard
Churches Australia
Worldwide
Church of
God

Canada

Canadian
Christian
bodies v ·
d
· e

Canadian
Interchurch

Canadian
Council of Churches
S.
Conference of Orthodox Bishops in America
North
Am. Presbyterian & Reformed
Council

Anabaptist
& Friends

Canadian
Mennonite Brethren Churches
Canadian
Yearly Meeting (Quakers)
Mennonite
Church Canada

Baptist &
Stone-Campbell

Baptist

Association
of Regular Baptist Churches
Baptist
General Conference of Canada
Canadian
Baptist Ministries
Canadian
Convention of Southern Baptists
Fellowship
of Evgcl. Baptist Churches, Canada
North
American Baptist Conference

Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement

Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ)
Evangelical
Christian Church in
Canada

Catholic
& Anglican

Anglican
Church of Canada
Anglican
Church in North America
Polish
National Catholic Church
Roman
Catholic Church

Holiness
& Pietist

Christian
and Missionary Alliance, Canada
Church
of the Nazarene
Evangelical
Free Church of Canada
Salvation
Army
Seventh-day
Adventists, North America
Wesleyan
Church

Lutheran

Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Canada
Lutheran
Church–Canada
Wisconsin
Evangelical Lutheran
Synod

Methodist

British
Methodist Episcopal Church
Free
Methodist Church in Canada
United
Church of Canada

Orthodox

Antiochian
Orthodox Archdiocese, N.Am.
Greek
Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Orthodox
Church in America
Russian
Orthodox Church Outside Russia
Ukrainian
Orthodox Church of Canada

Non-Chalcedonic

Armenian
Apostolic Diocese of Am.
Coptic
Orthodox Church in
Canada

Pentecostal

Canadian
Assemblies of God
Church
of God of Prophecy
Intl.
Foursquare Gospel, Canada
Intl.
Pentecostal Holiness Church
Pentecostal
Assemblies of Canada
Pentecostal
Church of God

Oneness Pentecostal

United
Pentecostal Church
Intl.

Presbyterian
& Reformed

Canadian
and American Reformed Churches
Christian
Reformed Church in North America
L'Église
réformée du Québec
Presbyterian
Church in Canada
Presbyterian
Church in America
Reformed
Church in America
United
Church of Canada

Other

Messianic
Jewish Alliance of America
Plymouth
Brethren
Vineyard
Canada

United
Kingdom

Christian
denominations in
the UK v ·
d
· e

UK
Interchurch

Affinity
(formerly British Evangelical
Council)
Churches
Together in Britain & Ireland
Evangelical
Alliance, UK
Fellowship
of Independent Evangelical Churches
Churches
Together in England
Action
of Churches Together, Scotland (ACTS)
Associating
Evangelical Churches of Wales  • site
Churches
Together in Wales
Evangelical
Movement of
Wales

Anglican

Church
of England
Free
Church of England
Church
of Ireland
Scottish
Episcopal Church
Church
in Wales

Baptist

Association
of Baptist Churches in Ireland
Baptist
Union of Great Britain
Baptist
Union of Scotland
Baptist
Union of Wales
Grace
Baptist Assembly
Old
Baptist
Union

Catholic

Roman
Catholicism

England
& Wales
Ireland
Scotland

Old
Catholicism

British Old Catholic Church  • site
Old
Catholic Church in Europe
Old
Catholic Mariavite Church
Old Catholic Church of
Great Britain

Holiness
& Pietist

Christian
Outreach Centre
Church
of the Nazarene
British
Moravian Church
Salvation
Army
Seventh-day
Adventist Church
Wesleyan
Holiness
Church

Lutheran

Evangelical
Lutheran Church of England
Lutheran
Church in Great
Britain

Methodist
& Wesleyan

Free
Methodist of the UK
Methodist
Church in Ireland
Methodist
Church of Great Britain
Wesleyan
Reform Union

New
Church Movement

Vineyard
Churches UK
Ichthus
Christian Fellowship
Newfrontiers
Pioneer
Church  • site

Orthodox

Eastern
Orthodox Church

Greek
Orthodox Archdiocese of G.B.
Russian
Orthodox Diocese, G.B. & Ire.
Russian
Tradition Vicariate, G.B. & Ire.

Oriental
Orthodox Church

British
Orthodox Church
Celtic
Orthodox
Church

Pentecostal

Assemblies
of God
Church
of God in Christ
Elim
Pentecostal Church
Foursquare
Gospel Church
Worldwide
Church of
God

Presbyterian
& Reformed

Asso.
Presbyterian Churches, Scotland
Church
of Scotland
Congregational
Federation
Evangelical
Presbyterian Church
Free
Church of Scotland
Free
Church of Scotland (Continuing)
Free
Presbyterian Church of Scotland
Free
Presbyterian Church of Ulster
Non-subscribing
Presbyterian, Ireland
Presbyterian
Church in Ireland
Presbyterian
Church of Wales
Reformed
Presbyterian Church
United
Free Church of Scotland
United
Reformed
Church

Other

Brethren
in Christ
Churches
of Christ
Fellowship
of Ind. Evangelical Churches
Latter-day
Saints
Quakers/
Britain
Yearly Meeting
Quakers/
Ireland
Yearly
Meeting

United
States

United
States Christian
bodies v ·
d
· e

United
States Interchurch

National
Association of Evangelicals
National
Council of Churches
Churches
Uniting in Christ
S.
Conference of Orthodox Bishops in America
North
Am. Presbyterian & Reformed
Council

Anabaptist
& Friends

Brethren
Church
Church
of the Brethren
Evangelical
Friends International
Fellowship
of Grace Brethren Churches
Friends
General Conference
Friends
United Meeting
Mennonite
Brethren Churches
Mennonite
Church USA
Old
Order Amish Mennonite
Church

Baptist &
Stone-Campbell

Baptist

Alliance
of Baptists
American
Baptist Association
American
Baptist Churches
Baptist
Bible Fellowship International
Baptist
General Conference
Baptist
Missionary Association of America
Conservative
Baptist Association of America
General
Association of Regular Baptist Churches
National
Association of Free Will Baptists
National
Primitive Baptist Convention
North
American Baptist Conference
Southern
Baptist Convention

African-American Baptist

National
Baptist Convention of America
National
Baptist Convention, USA
National
Missionary Baptist Convention of America
Progressive
National Baptist Convention

Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement

Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ)
Christian
Churches and Churches of Christ
Churches
of Christ
International
Churches of
Christ

Catholic
& Anglican

Anglican
Church in North America
Episcopal
Church
Old
Roman Catholic Church
Polish
National Catholic Church
Roman
Catholic Church

Holiness
& Pietist

Christian
and Missionary Alliance
Church
of God (Anderson)
Evangelical
Covenant Church
Evangelical
Free Church of America
Church
of the Nazarene
Salvation
Army
Seventh-day
Adventist Church
Wesleyan
Church

Lutheran

Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America
Lutheran
Church - Missouri Synod
Wisconsin
Evangelical Lutheran
Synod

Methodist

African
Methodist Episcopal Church
African
Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
Christian
Methodist Episcopal Church
Free
Methodist Church
United
Methodist Church

Orthodox

Antiochian
Orthodox Christian Archdiocese
Greek
Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Orthodox
Church in America
Russian
Orthodox Church Outside Russia
Serbian
Orthodox Church

Non-Chalcedonic

Armenian
Apostolic of Am.
Armenian
Apostolic Diocese of Am.
Coptic
Orthodox Church

Pentecostal

Assemblies
of God
Church
of God (Cleveland, TN)
Church
of God in Christ
Church
of God of Prophecy
Full
Gospel Fellowship
Intl.
Church of the Foursquare Gospel
Intl.
Pentecostal Holiness Church
Pentecostal
Church of God

Oneness Pentecostal

Pentecostal
Assemblies of the World
United
Pentecostal Church
Intl.

Presbyterian
& Reformed

Christian
Reformed Church in North America
Conservative
Congregational Christian Conference
Cumberland
Presbyterian Church
Evangelical
Presbyterian Church
Korean
Presbyterian Church in America
International
Council of Community Churches
National
Asso. of Congregational Christian Churches
Presbyterian
Church (USA)
Presbyterian
Church in America
Reformed
Church in America
United
Church of Christ

Other

Church
of Christ, Scientist
Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Community
of Christ
Grace
Gospel Fellowship
Independent
Fundamental Churches of America
Jehovah's
Witnesses
Messianic
Jewish Alliance of America
Plymouth
Brethren
Vineyard
USA
See also: Non-denominational
Christianity

International Associations

Interdenominational Associations

World
Council of Churches
World
Evangelical Alliance

Denominational Associations

Friends
World Committee for Consultation
Mennonite
World Conference
Anglican
Communion
Baptist
World Alliance
World
Convention of Churches of Christ
Eastern
Orthodox Church
Confessional
Evangelical Lutheran Conference
International
Lutheran Council
Lutheran
World Federation
World
Methodist Council
Pentecostal
World Conference
International
Conference of Reformed Churches
Reformed
Ecumenical Council
World
Communion of Reformed Churches
World
Reformed Fellowship

Regional Associations

Africa

All
Africa Conference of Churches (AACC)
Association
of Evangelicals of Africa (AEA)
All
Africa Baptist Fellowship
Africa
Lutheran Communion

Asia

Christian
Conference of Asia (CCA)
Evangelical
Fellowship of Asia
Asia
Pacific Baptist Federation
Asia
Lutheran Communion

Caribbean

Caribbean
Conference of Churches (CCC)
Evangelical
Association of the Caribbean
Caribbean
Baptist Fellowship

Europe

Conference
of European Churches (CEC)
European
Evangelical Alliance
European
Baptist Federation
Pentecostal
European
Fellowship

Middle
East

Middle
East Council of Churches
(MECC)

Latin
America

Latin
American Council of Churches (CLAI)
Latin
American Evangelical Fellowship (FIDE)
Union
of Baptists in Latin
America

North
America

North
American Baptist Fellowship
Standing
Conference of Orthodox Bishops in America
North
American Presbyterian and Reformed
Council

Pacific

Pacific
Conference of Churches (PCC)
Evangelical
Fellowship of the South Pacific (EFSP)
Asia
Pacific Baptist
Federation

This box: view · talk · edit

The Catholic Church
comprises those particular churches,
headed by bishops, in communion with the Pope, the Bishop of Rome, as its
highest authority in matters of faith, morality and Church governance.[200][201]
Like the Eastern Orthodox, the
Roman Catholic Church through Apostolic
succession traces its origins to the Christian community founded by Jesus
Christ.[202][203]
Catholics maintain that the "one, holy, catholic
and apostolic church" founded by Jesus subsists
fully in the Roman Catholic Church, but also acknowledges other Christian
churches and communities[204][205]
and works towards reconciliation among all
Christians.[204]
The Catholic faith is detailed in the Catechism
of the Catholic Church.[206][207]

The 2,782 sees[208]
are grouped into 23
particular rites, the largest being the Latin
Rite, each with distinct traditions regarding the liturgy and the administering
the sacraments.[209]
With more than 1.1 billion baptized members, the Catholic Church is the
largest church representing
over half of all Christians and one sixth of the world's population.[210][211][212]

Various smaller communities, such as the Old Catholic and Independent
Catholic Churches, include the word Catholic in their title, and
share much in common with Roman Catholicism but are no longer in communion with the
See of
Rome. The Old Catholic Church
is in communion with the Anglican
Communion.[213][214]

Orthodox

Main articles: Orthodox Church and Oriental
Orthodoxy

See also: Eastern
Christianity and List of Orthodox
Churches

Eastern Orthodoxy
comprises those churches in communion with the Patriarchal Sees of the East,
such as the Ecumenical
Patriarch of Constantinople.[215]
Like the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church also traces its
heritage to the foundation of Christianity through Apostolic
succession and has an episcopal structure,
though the autonomy of the individual,
mostly national churches is emphasized. A number of conflicts with Western
Christianity over questions of doctrine and authority culminated in the Great Schism. Eastern
Orthodoxy is the second largest single denomination in Christianity, with over
200 million adherents.[210]

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. The Oriental
Orthodox communion comprises six groups: Syriac Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Ethiopian Orthodox,
Eritrean Orthodox, Malankara
Orthodox Syrian Church (India) and Armenian Apostolic
churches.[216]
These six churches, while being in communion with each other are completely
independent hierarchically.[217]
These churches are generally not in communion with Eastern Orthodox
Churches with whom they are in dialogue for a return to unity.[218]

Protestant

Historical
chart of the main Protestant
branches

Main article: Protestantism

See also: History of
Protestantism

In the 16th century, Martin Luther, Huldrych Zwingli, and
John
Calvin inaugurated what has come to be called Protestantism. Luther's
primary theological heirs are known as Lutherans. Zwingli and
Calvin's heirs are far broader denominationally, and are broadly referred to as
the Reformed Tradition.[219]
Most Protestant traditions branch out from the Reformed tradition in some way.
In addition to the Lutheran and Reformed branches of the Reformation, there is
Anglicanism after the English Reformation.
The Anabaptist tradition was
largely ostracized by the other Protestant parties at the time, but has achieved
a measure of affirmation in more recent history. Some but not most Baptists prefer
not to be called Protestants, claiming a direct ancestral line going back to the
apostles in the 1st century.[220]

The oldest Protestant groups separated from the Catholic Church in the 16th
century Protestant
Reformation, followed in many cases by further divisions.[219]
For example, the Methodist Church grew
out of Anglican minister John Wesley's evangelical
and revival movement in
the Anglican Church.[221][222]
Several Pentecostal and
non-denominational Churches, which emphasize the cleansing power of the Holy
Spirit, in turn grew out of the Methodist Church.[222][223]
Because Methodists, Pentecostals, and other evangelicals stress
"accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior",[224]
which comes from John Wesley's emphasis of
the New Birth,[225]
they often refer to themselves as being born-again.[226][227]

Estimates of the total number of Protestants are very uncertain, partly
because of the difficulty in determining which denominations should be placed in
these categories, but it seems clear that Protestantism is the second largest
major group of Christians after Catholicism in number of followers (although the
Orthodox Church is larger than any single Protestant denomination).[210]

A special grouping are the Anglican churches descended from the Church of England and
organised in the Anglican Communion.
Some Anglican churches consider themselves both Protestant and Catholic.[228]
Some Anglicans consider their church a branch of the "One Holy
Catholic Church" alongside of the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox
Churches, a concept rejected by the Roman Catholic Church and some Eastern
Orthodox.[229][230]

Some groups of individuals who hold basic Protestant tenants identify
themselves simply as "Christians" or "born-again Christians". They
typically distance themselves from the confessionalism
and/or creedalism
of other Christian communities[231]
by calling themselves "non-denominational".
Often founded by individual pastors, they have little affiliation with historic
denominations.[232]

Non-trinitarian

Main article: Nontrinitarianism

Nontrinitarianism
includes all Christian belief systems that
reject, wholly or partly, the doctrine of the Trinity, namely,
the teaching that God is three distinct yet coeternal and coequal hypostases
who are indivisibly united in one essence.[233][234]
In antiquity, sporadically in the Middle Ages, and again following the
Reformation until today, differing views existed concerning the Godhead from
those of Trinitarians and the related traditional Christology. Though diverse,
these views may be generally classified into those that hold Christ to be only
divine and not differing from the Father hypostatically;
those that hold Christ to be less fully God than the Father; in other forms
being completely human and a messenger as the perfect created human.[235][236]

Others

Main article: Esoteric
Christianity

Esoteric Christianity is a term which refers to an ensemble of spiritual currents which
regard Christianity as a mystery
religion,[237][238]
and profess the existence and possession of certain esoteric doctrines or
practices,[239][240]
hidden from the public but accessible only to a narrow circle of "enlightened",
"initiated", or highly educated people.[241][242]
A special characteristic common in these mystical denominations is the belief in
reincarnation.[citation
needed] Some of the esoteric christian institutions include the Rosicrucian
Fellowship, the Anthroposophical
Society and the Martinism.

The Second Great
Awakening, a period of religious revival that occurred in the U.S.
during the early 1800s, saw the development of a number of unrelated churches.
They generally saw themselves as restoring the original church of Jesus Christ rather than
reforming one of the existing churches.[243]
A common belief held by Restorationists was that the other divisions of
Christianity had introduced doctrinal defects into Christianity, which was known
as the Great Apostasy.[244][245]

Some of the churches originating during this period are historically
connected to early-19th century camp meetings in the Midwest and Upstate New
York. American Millennialism and Adventism, which arose from
Evangelical Protestantism, influenced the Jehovah's
Witnesses movement (with 7 million members),[246]
and, as a reaction specifically to William
Miller, the Seventh-day
Adventists. Others, including the Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ), Evangelical
Christian Church in Canada, Churches of Christ,
and the Independent
Christian Churches/Churches of Christ, have their roots in the
contemporaneous Stone-Campbell Restoration
Movement, which was centered in Kentucky and Tennessee. Other groups
originating in this time period include the Christadelphians and The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the largest denomination of the
Latter Day Saint
movement with over 13 million members.[247][248][249][250]
While the churches originating in the Second Great Awakening have some
superficial similarities, their doctrine and practices vary significantly.

Cultural Christian

Cultural Christian is
a broad term used to describe people with either ethnic or religious Christian
heritage who may not believe in the religious claims of Christianity, but who
retain an affinity for the culture, art,
music, and so on related
to it.

Many of the population of the Western hemisphere could broadly be described
as cultural Christians, due to the predominance of the Christian faith in Western culture, as well
as widely celebrated religious holidays such as Easter and Christmas. Another frequent
application of the term is to distinguish political groups in areas of mixed
religious backgrounds.

Ecumenism

Main article: Ecumenism

Most churches have long expressed
ideals of being reconciled with each other, and in the 20th century Christian ecumenism
advanced in two ways.[251]
One way was greater cooperation between groups, such as the Edinburgh
Missionary Conference of Protestants in 1910, the Justice, Peace and
Creation Commission of the World Council of
Churches founded in 1948 by Protestant and Orthodox churches, and similar
national councils like the National
Council of Churches in Australia which includes Roman Catholics.[251]

The other way was institutional union with new United and
uniting churches. Congregationalist,
Methodist, and Presbyterian churches
united in 1925 to form the United Church of
Canada,[252]
and in 1977 to form the Uniting Church
in Australia. The Church of South
India was formed in 1947 by the union of Anglican, Methodist, Congregationalist,
Presbyterian, and Reformed churches.[253]

Steps towards reconciliation on a global level were taken in 1965 by the
Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches mutually revoking the excommunications that
marked their Great Schism in
1054;[254]
the Anglican
Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) working towards full
communion between those churches since 1970;[255]
and the Lutheran and
Roman Catholic churches signing The Joint
Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification in 1999 to address conflicts at
the root of the Protestant Reformation. In 2006, the Methodist church
adopted the declaration.[256]

See also

Christianity
portal

Spirituality
portal

Book:
Abrahamic religions

Book:
Christianity

Book:
Christianity: A History

Wikipedia Books
are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in
print.

Main article: Outline of
Christianity

Christian World

Christian
apologetics

Criticism of
Christianity

Christian
mythology

Freedom of
religion

Good news
(Christianity), concerning the gospel message

Christian art

Christian
philosophy

Christian
symbolism

Christian
architecture

One true church

One true faith

Political
catholicism

Gospel

Bible

Evangelism

Evangelical
environmentalism

Messianic
Judaism

Christianity
and sexuality

Christian
views on marriage

Christianity and
politics

Not to be confused with

Messianism

Endnotes

^
Christianity's status as monotheistic is affirmed in, amongst other sources,
the Catholic
Encyclopedia (article "Monotheism"); William F.
Albright, From the Stone Age to Christianity; H. Richard Niebuhr;
About.com, Monotheistic Religion resources; Kirsch, God
Against the Gods; Woodhead, An Introduction to Christianity; The Columbia
Electronic Encyclopedia Monotheism; The New Dictionary of Cultural
Literacy, monotheism; New Dictionary of Theology, Paul, pp. 496–99; Meconi. "Pagan Monotheism in Late
Antiquity". p. 111f.

^ BBC, BBC—Religion & Ethics—566, Christianity

^ a
b
The term "Christian" (Greek Χριστιανός) was first used in reference to Jesus'
disciples in
the city of Antioch[Acts 11:26] about 44 AD, meaning
"followers of Christ". The name was given by the non-Jewish inhabitants of
Antioch, probably in derision, to the disciples of Jesus. In the New Testament
the names by which the disciples were known among themselves were "brethren",
"the faithful", "elect", "saints", "believers". The earliest recorded use of
the term "Christianity" (Greek Χριστιανισμός) was by Ignatius of
Antioch, around 100 AD. See Elwell/Comfort. Tyndale Bible
Dictionary, pp. 266, 828

^
Briggs, Charles A. The fundamental Christian faith: the origin, history and
interpretation of the Apostles' and Nicene creeds. C. Scribner's sons,
1913. Books.Google.com

^ Orthodox and Wesleyan Scriptural ....
Books.google.com. http://books.google.com/books?id=q-vhwjamOioC&pg=PA23&dq=anagignoskomena#v=onepage&q=anagignoskomena&f=true. Retrieved 2010-11-19.

^ a
b
Robinson, Essential Judaism: A Complete Guide to Beliefs, Customs and
Rituals, p. 229.

^ a
b
Esler. The Early Christian World. p. 157f.

^ Religion
in the Roman Empire, Wiley-Blackwell, by James B. Rives, page 196

^ Catholic encyclopedia New Advent

^
McManners, Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity, pp. 301-03.

^ Defined
to avoid the ambiguous term "orthodox"

^ Sheed,
Frank. "Theology and Sanity." (Ignatius Press: San Francisco, 1993), pp.
276.

^ a
b
McGrath, Christianity: An Introduction, pp. 4-6.

^ a
b
33.2% of 6.7 billion world population (under the section 'People') "World". CIA world facts. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/xx.html.

^ a
b
"The List: The World’s Fastest-Growing Religions".
foreignpolicy.com. 2007-03. http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3835. Retrieved 2010-01-04.

^ a
b
"Major Religions Ranked by Size". Adherents.com. http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html. Retrieved 2009-05-05.

^
Hinnells, The Routledge Companion to the Study of Religion, p.
441.

^ See Christianity#Demographics
for information and references

^
Olson, The Mosaic of Christian Belief.

^
Pelikan/Hotchkiss, Creeds and Confessions of Faith in the Christian
Tradition.

^
Catholics United for the Faith, "We Believe in One God"

^
Encyclopedia of Religion, "Arianism".[clarification
needed]

^
Catholic
Encyclopedia, "Council of
Ephesus".

^ Christian
History Institute, First Meeting of the Council of Chalcedon.

^ British Orthodox
Church, The Oriental
Orthodox Rejection of Chalcedon

^ Pope
Leo I, Letter
to Flavian

^ Catholic
Encyclopedia, "Athanasian
Creed".

^ a
b
"Our Common
Heritage as Christians". The United Methodist Church. http://archives.umc.org/interior.asp?mid=1806. Retrieved 2007-12-31.

^
Avis, Paul (2002) The Christian Church: An Introduction to the Major
Traditions, SPCK, London, ISBN
0-281-05246-8 paperback

^ White,
The History of the Church.

^ Cummins, Duane D. (1991). A handbook for Today's
Disciples in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Revised Edition.
St Louis, MO: Chalice Press. ISBN 0-8272-1425-1.

^ a
b
Ron Rhodes, The Complete Guide to Christian Denominations, Harvest
House Publishers, 2005, ISBN
0-7369-1289-4

^
Metzger/Coogan, Oxford Companion to the Bible, pp. 513, 649.

^ Acts 2:24, 2:31-32, 3:15, 3:26, 4:10, 5:30, 10:40-41, 13:30, 13:34, 13:37, 17:30-31, Romans 10:9, 1 Cor. 15:15, 6:14, 2 Cor. 4:14, Gal 1:1, Eph 1:20, Col 2:12, 1 Thess. 11:10, Heb. 13:20, 1 Pet. 1:3, 1:21

^ "Nicene
Creed—Wikisource". En.wikisource.org. http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Nicene_Creed. Retrieved 2009-05-05.

^
Hanegraaff. Resurrection: The Capstone in the Arch of
Christianity.

^
"The Significance of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus for the
Christian". Australian Catholic University National.
http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/research/theology/Walsh.htm. Retrieved 2007-05-16.

^
"Why is the resurrection of Jesus Christ important?". Got
Questions Ministries. http://www.gotquestions.org/resurrection-Christ-important.html. Retrieved 2007-05-16.

^  John, 5:24, 6:39–40, 6:47, 10:10, 11:25–26, and 17:3

^ This is
drawn from a number of sources, especially the early Creeds, the Catechism
of the Catholic Church, certain theological works, and various Confessions
drafted during the Reformation including the Thirty Nine Articles of the
Church of England, works contained in the Book of Concord.

^ Fuller,
The Foundations of New Testament Christology, p. 11.

^ A Jesus
Seminar conclusion: "in the view of the Seminar, he did not rise bodily
from the dead; the resurrection is based instead on visionary
experiences of Peter, Paul, and Mary."

^ Funk.
The Acts of Jesus: What Did Jesus Really Do?.

^
Lorenzen. Resurrection, Discipleship, Justice: Affirming the Resurrection
Jesus Christ Today, p. 13.

^
Ball/Johnsson (ed.). The Essential Jesus.

^ a
b
Eisenbaum, Pamela (Winter 2004). "A Remedy for Having Been Born of Woman: Jesus, Gentiles, and
Genealogy in Romans". Journal of Biblical Literature 123
(4): 671–702. doi:10.2307/3268465. http://www.sbl-site.org/assets/pdfs/JBL1234.pdf. Retrieved 2009-04-03.

^ Wright,
N.T. What Saint Paul Really Said: Was Paul of Tarsus the Real Founder of
Christianity? (Oxford, 1997), p. 121.

^ CCC
846; Vatican II, Lumen Gentium 14

^ See
quotations from Council of Trent on Justification at Justforcatholics.org

^
Westminster Confession, Chapter X; Spurgeon, A Defense of
Calvinism.

^
Catechism of the Catholic Church, Grace
and Justification

^ Kelly.
Early Christian Doctrines. pp. 87-90.

^
Alexander. New Dictionary of Biblical Theology. p. 514f.

^
McGrath. Historical Theology. p. 61.

^
Metzger/Coogan. Oxford Companion to the Bible. p. 782.

^ Kelly.
The Athanasian Creed.

^ Oxford,
"Encyclopedia Of Christianity, pg1207

^ Fowler.
World Religions: An Introduction for Students. p. 58.

^
Theophilus of Antioch Apologia ad Autolycum II 15

^
McManners, Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity. p. 50.

^
Tertullian De Pudicitia chapter 21

^
McManners, Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity, p. 53.

^
Moltman, Jurgen. The Trinity and the Kingdom: The Doctrine of God. Tr.
from German. Fortress Press, 1993. ISBN
0-8006-2825-X

^
Harnack, History of Dogma.

^ Catechism
of the Catholic Church, Inspiration and Truth of Sacred Scripture
(§105-108)

^ Second
Helvetic Confession, Of the Holy Scripture Being the True Word of God

^ Chicago
Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, online
text

^ "PC
(USA)—Presbyterian 101—What is The Bible?". Pcusa.org. http://www.pcusa.org/101/101-bible.htm. Retrieved 2009-05-05.

^
Bruce, The Canon of Scripture; Catechism of the Catholic Church,
"The Canon of Scripture", § 120

^
Metzger/Coogan, Oxford Companion to the Bible. p. 39.

^ Kelly.
Early Christian Doctrines. pp. 69-78.

^
Catechism of the Catholic Church, The Holy Spirit, Interpreter of Scripture §
115-118.

^ Thomas
Aquinas, "Whether in Holy
Scripture a word may have several senses"

^
Catechism of the Catholic Church, §116

^ Second Vatican
Council, Dei Verbum (V.19).

^
Catechism of the Catholic Church, "The Holy Spirit, Interpreter of Scripture" § 113.

^
Catechism of the Catholic Church, "The Interpretation of the Heritage of Faith" § 85.

^
Mathison. The Shape of Sola Scriptura.[clarification
needed]

^ a
b
Foutz, Martin Luther and Scripture.

^ John
Calvin, Commentaries on the Catholic Epistles 2 Peter
3:14-18

^ "The Second
Helvetic Confession of Faith". Mb-soft.com. http://mb-soft.com/believe/txh/helvconf.htm. Retrieved 2010-11-19.

^ Second
Helvetic Confession, Of Interpreting the Holy Scriptures; and of Fathers, Councils,
and Traditions

^ Sproul.
Knowing Scripture, pp. 45-61; Bahnsen, A Reformed
Confession Regarding Hermeneutics (article 6).

^ Elwell, Walter A. (1984). Evangelical Dictionary of
Theology. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House. ISBN 0801034132.

^ Johnson, Elliott (1990). Expository
hermeneutics : an introduction. Grand Rapids Mich.: Academie Books.
ISBN 9780310341604.

^ Terry, Milton (1974). Biblical hermeneutics : a
treatise on the interpretation of the Old and New Testaments. Grand Rapids
Mich.: Zondervan Pub. House.  p. 205

^ Elwell, Walter A. (1984). Evangelical Dictionary of
Theology. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House. ISBN 0801034132.  p. 565

^ e.g.,
in his commentary on Matthew 1 (§III.3) Matthew Henry interprets
the twin sons of Judah, Phares and Zara, as an allegory of the Gentile and Jewish Christians.
For a contemporary treatment, see Glenny, Typology: A Summary Of The Present Evangelical
Discussion.

^
Catholic
Encyclopedia, "Particular
Judgment".

^
Ott, Grundriß der Dogmatik, p. 566.

^ David
Moser, What the Orthodox believe concerning prayer for the
dead.

^ Ken
Collins, What Happens to
Me When I Die?.

^ "Audience of 4 August 1999". Vatican.va. 1999-08-04. http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/audiences/1999/documents/hf_jp-ii_aud_04081999_en.html. Retrieved 2010-11-19.

^ Catholic
Encyclopedia, "The Communion
of Saints".

^
Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologicum, Supplementum Tertiae Partis
questions 69 through 99

^ Calvin, John. "Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book Three, Ch. 25".
www.reformed.org. http://www.reformed.org/books/institutes/books/book3/bk3ch25.html. Retrieved 2008-01-01.

^ "The
death that Adam brought into the world is spiritual as well as physical, and
only those who gain entrance into the Kingdom of God will exist eternally.
However, this division will not occur until Armageddon, when all people will
be resurrected and given a chance to gain eternal life. In the meantime, "the
dead are conscious of nothing."What is God's Purpose for the Earth?" Official
Site of Jehovah's Witnesses. Watchtower, July 15, 2002.

^ a
b
Justin Martyr, First Apology §LXVII

^ a
b
c
Cross/Livingstone. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. p.
1435f.

^
Hickman. Handbook of the Christian Year.

^ "ANF04.
Fathers of the Third Century: Tertullian, Part Fourth; Minucius Felix;
Commodian; Origen, Parts First and Second | Christian Classics Ethereal
Library". Ccel.org. 2005-06-01. http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/ANF-04/anf04-34.htm. Retrieved 2009-05-05.

^
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 (Octavius of Minucius Felix, chapter XXIX).

^ "At
every forward step and movement, at every going in and out, when we put on our
clothes and shoes, when we bathe, when we sit at table, when we light the
lamps, on couch, on seat, in all the ordinary actions of daily life, we trace
upon the forehead the sign." (Tertullian, De
Corona, chapter 3)

^ a
b
Dilasser. The Symbols of the Church.

^ a
b
Catholic
Encyclopedia, "Symbolism of
the Fish".

^
Catholic
Encyclopedia, "Veneration of
Images.

^
"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" (Catechism
of the Catholic Church, 1213;] "Holy Baptism is the sacrament by which God
adopts us as his children and makes us members of Christ's Body, the Church,
and inheritors of the kingdom of God" (Book
of Common Prayer, 1979, Episcopal ); "Baptism is the sacrament of
initiation and incorporation into the body of Christ" (An United Methodist Understanding of Baptism); "As an
initiatory rite into membership of the Family of God, baptismal candidates are
symbolically purified or washed as their sins have been forgiven and washed
away" (William H.
Brackney, Believer's Baptism).

^ a
b
Alexander, T. D., & Rosner, B. S, ed (2001).
"Prayer". New Dictionary of Biblical Theology. Downers Grove, IL:
Intervarsity Press.

^ "Saints". New Dictionary of Theology. Downers
Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press. 1988.

^
Madeleine Gray, The Protestant Reformation, (Sussex Academic Press,
2003), page 140.

^ "Catechism of the
Catholic Church: Part Four - Christian Prayer". Va.
http://www.va/archive/catechism/p4s1.htm. Retrieved 2010-11-19.

^ Theodosian Code XVI.i.2, in: Bettenson. Documents of the
Christian Church. p. 31.

^
Orlandis, A Short History of the Catholic Church (1993), preface.

^
McManners, Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity, p. 37f.

^
Luc-Normand Tellier (2009). "Urban world history: an economic and geographical
perspective". PUQ. p.198. ISBN
2760515885

^ Eusebius of
Caesarea, the author of Ecclesiastical
History in the 4th century, states that St. Mark came to Egypt in the
first or third year of the reign of Emperor Claudius, i.e. 41 or 43 AD.
"Two Thousand years of Coptic Christianity" Otto F.A. Meinardus p28.

^ Bethel.edu[dead
link]

^ "Allaboutreligion.org". Allaboutreligion.org. http://www.allaboutreligion.org/history-of-christianity-in-africa-faq.htm. Retrieved 2010-11-19.

^ a
b
c
d
Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity, pp. 238–42.

^
Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity, pp. 248–50.

^
Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity, pp. 244–47.

^
Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity, p. 260.

^
Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity, pp. 278–81.

^
Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity, pp. 305, 312, 314f..

^
Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity, pp. 303–07, 310f., 384–86.

^
Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity, pp. 305, 310f., 316f.

^
Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity, pp. 321–23, 365f.

^
Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity, pp. 292–300.

^
Riley-Smith. The Oxford History of the Crusades.

^ The
Western church was called Latin at the time by the Eastern Christians and non
Christians due to its conducting of its rituals and affairs in the Latin
language

^
"The
Great Schism: The Estrangement of Eastern and Western Christendom".
Orthodox Information Centre. http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/general/greatschism.aspx. Retrieved 2007-05-26.

^
Duffy, Saints and Sinners (1997), p. 91

^
Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity, pp. 300, 304–05.

^
Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity, pp. 310, 383, 385, 391.

^
Simon. Great Ages of Man: The Reformation. p. 7.

^
Simon. Great Ages of Man: The Reformation. pp. 39, 55–61.

^
Schama. A History of Britain. pp. 306–10.

^
Bokenkotter, A Concise History of the Catholic Church, pp. 242–44.

^
Simon. Great Ages of Man: The Reformation. pp. 109–120.

^ A
general overview about the English discussion is given in Coffey,
Persecution and Toleration in Protestant England 1558–1689.

^ Novak, Michael (1988). Catholic social thought and liberal institutions: Freedom with
justice. Transaction. p. 63. ISBN 9780887387630. http://books.google.com/books?id=7pb1GDmxA1UC&pg=PA63.

^
Mortimer Chambers, The Western Experience (vol. 2) chapter 21.

^ Altermatt, Urs (2007). "Katholizismus und Nation: Vier
Modelle in europäisch-vergleichender Perspektive". In Urs Altermatt, Franziska
Metzger (in German). Religion
und Nation: Katholizismen im Europa des 19. und 20. Jahrhundert.
Kohlhammer. pp. 15–34. ISBN 978-3-17-019977-4.

^ Heimann, Mary (1995). Catholic Devotion in Victorian
England. Clarendon Press. pp. 165–73. ISBN 0-19-820597-X.

^
Christian Communities in the Middle East.
Oxford University Press. 1998. ISBN 0-19-829388-7.

^
"Major Religions Ranked by Size". Adherents. http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html. Retrieved 2007-12-31.

^ Werner
Ustorf. "A missiological postscript", in McLeod and Ustorf (eds), The
Decline of Christendom in Western Europe, 1750-2000, (Cambridge
University Press, 2003) pp. 219–20.

^ Encyclopedia Britannica table of religions, by region.
Retrieved November 2007.

^ ARIS 2008 Report: Part IA - Belonging. "American Religious Identification Survey 2008".
B27.cc.trincoll.edu. http://b27.cc.trincoll.edu/weblogs/AmericanReligionSurvey-ARIS/reports/p1a_belong.html. Retrieved 2010-11-19.

^ "New
UK opinion poll shows continuing collapse of 'Christendom'".
Ekklesia.co.uk. http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/news/uk/061223/christendom. Retrieved 2010-11-19.

^
Barrett/Kurian.World Christian Encyclopedia, p. 139 (Britain), 281
(France), 299 (Germany).

^ "Christians in the Middle East". BBC News. 2005-12-15. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4499668.stm. Retrieved 2010-11-19.

^ Katz, Gregory (2006-12-25). "Is
Christianity dying in the birthplace of Jesus?". Chron.com. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/4425100.html. Retrieved 2010-11-19.

^ "Number of Christians among young Koreans decreases by 5% per
year". Omf.org. http://www.omf.org/omf/uk/about_asia/countries/korea/south_korea_profile. Retrieved 2010-11-19.

^ "Christianity fading in Taiwan | American Buddhist Net".
Americanbuddhist.net. 2007-11-10. http://americanbuddhist.net/christianity-fading-taiwan. Retrieved 2009-05-05.

^ A Gambling-Fueled Boom Adds to a Church’s Bane

^
Barry A. Kosmin and Ariela Keysar (2009). "AMERICAN RELIGIOUS IDENTIFICATION SURVEY (ARIS) 2008" (PDF).
Hartford, Connecticut, USA: Trinity College. http://b27.cc.trincoll.edu/weblogs/AmericanReligionSurvey-ARIS/reports/ARIS_Report_2008.pdf. Retrieved 2009-04-01.

^
"Religions in Canada—Census 2001". 2.statcan.ca.
2010-03-09. http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/products/standard/themes/RetrieveProductTable.cfm?Temporal=2001&PID=55822&APATH=3&GID=431515&METH=1&PTYPE=55440&THEME=56&FOCUS=0&AID=0&PLACENAME=0&PROVINCE=0&SEARCH=0&GC=99&GK=NA&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF=&FL=0&RL=0&FREE=0. Retrieved 2010-11-19.

^ "Australian 2006 census - Religion".
Censusdata.abs.gov.au. http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ABSNavigation/prenav/PopularAreas?&collection=Census&period=2006&&navmapdisplayed=true&textversion=false. Retrieved 2010-11-19.

^
Table 28, 2006 Census Data - QuickStats About Culture and
Identity - Tables.

^ David
Stoll, "Is Latin America Turning Protestant?" published Berkeley: University
of California Press. 1990

^ Jeff Hadden (1997). "Pentecostalism". http://web.archive.org/web/20060427204250/religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/penta.html. Retrieved 2008-09-24.

^
Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life (2006-04-24).
"Moved by the Spirit: Pentecostal Power and Politics after
100 Years". http://pewforum.org/events/?EventID=109. Retrieved 2008-09-24.

^
"Pentecostalism". Britannica Concise Encyclopedia.
2007. http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1B1-374862.html. Retrieved 2008-12-21.

^
Ed Gitre, Christianity Today Magazine (2000-11-13).
"The CT Review: Pie-in-the-Sky Now". http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2000/november13/36.107.html.

^ "Aljazeera". Aljazeera.net. http://www.aljazeera.net/programs/shareea/articles/2000/12/12-12-6.htm. Retrieved 2010-11-19.

^ "Six Million African Muslims Convert to Christianity Each
Year". Orthodoxytoday.org. http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/articles6/AlJazeerahAfrica.php. Retrieved 2010-11-19.

^ Posted at 12:00 AM. "Six million African Muslims leave Islam per year". American
Thinker. http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2006/05/six_million_african_muslims_le.html. Retrieved 2010-11-19.

^ "Over a Million Muslim Converts to Christianity - MND".
Mensnewsdaily.com. 2006-12-31. http://mensnewsdaily.com/2006/12/31/over-a-million-muslim-converts-to-christianity/. Retrieved 2010-11-19.

^ khadijabibi (2009-10-30). "In Africa, 6
million muslims convert to Christianity every year". Chowk. http://www.chowk.com/ilogs/74351/51514. Retrieved 2010-11-19.

^ a
b
c
d
e
f
Muslims Turn to Christ - ChristianAction[dead
link]

^ khadijabibi (2009-10-30). "35,000 Moslems
convert into Christianity each year in Turkey". Chowk.com. http://www.chowk.com/ilogs/74358/51514. Retrieved 2010-11-19.

^ "Kandhmal: 66 percent Christian population growth in 10
years". Answerbag.com. http://www.answerbag.com/article/Kandhmal:+66+percent+Christian+population+growth+in+10+years/cad07d37-403a-0b7b-48f3-e984412a9262/population-growth-rate. Retrieved 2010-11-19.

^ "160,000 Have Converted Out of Hinduism in Malaysia in 25
Years". Christianaggression.org. 2005-05-16. http://www.christianaggression.org/item_display.php?id=1116227550&type=news. Retrieved 2010-11-19.

^ "Religions in Mongolia". Mongolia-attractions.com. http://www.mongolia-attractions.com/religions-in-mongolia.html. Retrieved 2010-11-19.

^
Religious Demographic Profiles - Pew Forum[dead
link]

^
"Annual Report on International Religious Freedom for 2005 -
Vietnam". U.S. Department of State. 2005-06-30. http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/rsd/rsddocview.html?tbl=RSDCOI&id=437c9cdd2&count=0. Retrieved 2007-03-11.

^
Putnam, Democracies in Flux: The Evolution of Social Capital in
Contemporary Society, p. 408.

^
McGrath, Christianity: An Introduction, p. xvi.

^ Peter
Marber, Money Changes Everything: How Global Prosperity Is Reshaping Our
Needs, Values and Lifestyles, p. 99.

^
"Costa Rica". Encyclopædia Britannica.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/139528/Costa-Rica. Retrieved 2008-05-11.

^
"Denmark". Encyclopædia Britannica. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/157748/Denmark. Retrieved 2008-05-11.

^ a
b
"El Salvador". Encyclopædia Britannica.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/181798/El-Salvador. Retrieved 2008-05-11.

^
"Church
and State in Britain: The Church of privilege". Centre for
Citizenship. http://www.centreforcitizenship.org/church1.html. Retrieved 2008-05-11.

^
"Official Religions of Finland". Finish Tourist Board. http://www.visitfinland.com/w5/index.nsf/(Pages)/Religion. Retrieved 2008-05-11.

^
"State and Church in Finland". Euresis.
http://www.euresisnet.eu/Pages/ReligionAndState/FINLAND.aspx. Retrieved 2008-05-11.

^
"McCain Praises Georgia For Adopting Christianity As Official
State Religion". BeliefNet. http://blog.beliefnet.com/stevenwaldman/2008/08/mccain-praises-georgia-for-ado.html. Retrieved 2009-04-11.

^
"Iceland". Encyclopædia Britannica. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/281235/Iceland. Retrieved 2008-05-11.

^
"Liechtenstein". U.S. Department of State. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2003/24418.htm. Retrieved 2008-05-11.

^
"Malta". Encyclopædia Britannica. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/360532/Malta. Retrieved 2008-05-11.

^
"Monaco". Encyclopædia Britannica. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/388747/Monaco. Retrieved 2008-05-11.

^
"Norway". Encyclopædia Britannica. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/420178/Norway. Retrieved 2008-05-11.

^
"Switzerland". U.S. Department of State. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2003/24436.htm. Retrieved 2008-05-11.

^
"Vatican". Encyclopædia Britannica. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/623972/Vatican-City. Retrieved 2008-05-11.

^
"Cyprus". U.S. Department of State. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2003/27433.htm. Retrieved 2008-05-11.

^
"Divisions of Christianity". North Virginia College. http://www.nvcc.edu/home/lshulman/Rel232/resource/Xiandivision.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-31.

^
"The LDS
Restorationist movement, including Mormon denominations". Religious
Tolerance. http://www.religioustolerance.org/ldswho.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-31.

^ "Nicene
Creed". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica.
2007. http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9055702. Retrieved 2007-12-31.

^ Sydney
E. Ahlstrom ([clarification
needed], p. 381.) characterized denominationalism in
America as "a virtual ecclesiology" that "first of all repudiates the
insistences of the Roman Catholic church, the churches of the 'magisterial'
Reformation, and of most sects that they alone are the true Church." For
specific citations, on the Roman Catholic Church see the Catechism of the
Catholic Church §816; other examples: Donald Nash, Why the Churches of Christ are not a Denomination; Wendell
Winkler, Christ's
Church is not a Denomination; and David E. Pratt, What does God think about many Christian denominations?

^
Second Vatican
Council, Lumen Gentium.

^
Duffy, Saints and Sinners, p. 1.

^
Hitchcock, Geography of Religion, p. 281.

^
Norman, The Roman Catholic Church an Illustrated History, p. 11,
14.

^ a
b
Second Vatican
Council, Lumen Gentium, chapter 2, paragraph 15.

^ Catechism
of the Catholic Church, paragraph 865.

^
Marthaler, Introducing the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Traditional
Themes and Contemporary Issues (1994), preface.

^ John Paul II, Pope (1997). "Laetamur Magnopere". Vatican. Archived from the original on 2008-02-11. http://web.archive.org/web/20080211121910/http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/laetamurmagnopere.htm. Retrieved 2008-03-09.

^ Annuario
Pontificio (2007), p. 1172.

^
Barry, One Faith, One Lord (2001), p. 71

^ a
b
c
Adherents.com, Religions by Adherents

^
Zenit.org, "Number of
Catholics and Priests Rises", 12 February 2007.

^
Central
Intelligence Agency, CIA World Factbook (2007).

^
According to the Bonn Accord of 1931, cited at Old
Catholic Church of the Beatitudes.

^ Council of
Anglican Episcopal Churches in Germany.

^
Cross/Livingstone. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, p.
1199.

^ "Oriental Orthodox Churches". Wcc-coe.org. http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/ecumenical/ooc-e.html. Retrieved 2010-11-19.

^ "An Introduction to the Oriental Orthodox Churches".
Pluralism.org. 2005-03-15. http://www.pluralism.org/affiliates/student/allen/Oriental-Orthodox/Home.html. Retrieved 2010-11-19.

^
OONS. "Syrian
Orthodox Resources - Middle Eastern Oriental Orthodox Common Declaration".
Sor.cua.edu. http://sor.cua.edu/Ecumenism/20010317oomtg4.html. Retrieved 2010-11-19.

^ a
b
McManners, Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity. pp. 251–59.

^
Dr. James Milton
Carroll. The Trail of Blood. The School of Biblical &
Theological Studies (2004).

^
"About The Methodist Church". Methodist Central Hall
Westminster. http://www.methodist-central-hall.org.uk/history/WhatisMethodism.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-31. [dead
link]

^ a
b
"American
Holiness Movement". Finding Your Way, Inc. http://mb-soft.com/believe/text/holiness.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-31.

^
"Christianity: Pentecostal Churches". Finding Your Way,
Inc.. http://www.findingyourwayinc.org/christianity.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-31.

^
"Statement of Belief". Cambridge Christ United Methodist
Church. http://www.cambridgechristumc.com/statementofbelief.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-31.

^
"The
New Birth by John Wesley (Sermon 45)". The United Methodist Church
GBGM. http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umhistory/wesley/sermons/45/. Retrieved 2007-12-31.

^
"God's Preparing,
Accepting, and Sustaining Grace". The United Methodist Church GBGM. http://gbgm-umc.org/umw/wesley/walk.stm. Retrieved 2007-12-31.

^
"Total Experience of the Spirit". Warren Wilson College. http://www.warren-wilson.edu/~religion/newifo/religions/christianity/index/pentecostal/essay.shtml. Retrieved 2007-12-31.

^
Sykes/Booty/Knight. The Study of Anglicanism, p. 219.

^
Gregory Hallam, Orthodoxy and Ecumenism.

^
Gregory Mathewes-Green, "Whither the
Branch Theory?", Anglican Orthodox Pilgrim Vol. 2, No. 4.

^
Confessionalism is a term employed by historians to describe "the creation of
fixed identities and systems of beliefs for separate churches which had
previously been more fluid in their self-understanding, and which had not
begun by seeking separate identities for themselves—they had wanted to be
truly Catholic and reformed." (MacCulloch, The Reformation: A History,
p. xxiv.)

^
"Classification of Protestant Denominations". Pew Forum on
Religion & Public Life / U.S. Religious Landscape Survey. http://religions.pewforum.org/pdf/report2religious-landscape-study-appendix3.pdf. Retrieved 2009-09-27.

^
Do You Believe in a Devil?. Birmingham, UK: CMPA. http://www.thechristadelphian.com/pamphlets/standardseries/doyoubelieve.html.

^ The dogma of the Trinity at 'Catholic Encyclopedia', ed.
Kevin Knight at New Advent website

^ John
6:14 Jesus identified as a prophet. The greater Moses.

^ On
Unitarians, see: UUA.org, Unitarian Views of Jesus; on connection with
Socinianism, see: sullivan-county.com, Socinianism: Unitarianism in 16th-17th century Poland and Its
Influence (Note that the icon at the top of the page expresses
Trinitarian theology with a symbolic hand gesture); on this matter they
parallel the ancient Ebionites, see: J.N.D.
Kelly, Early Christian Doctrines pp. 139

^
Western Esotericism and the Science of Religion: Selected Papers Presented at
the 17th Congress

^
Besant, Annie (2001). Esoteric Christianity or
the Lesser Mysteries. City: Adamant Media Corporation. ISBN 9781402100291.

^ From
the Greek ἐσωτερικός (esôterikos, "inner"). The term esotericism itself was
coined in the 17th century. (Oxford English Dictionary Compact Edition, Volume
1,Oxford University Press, 1971, p. 894.)

^ Wouter
J. Hanegraaff, Antoine Faivre, Roelof van den Broek, Jean-Pierre Brach,
Dictionary of Gnosis & Western Esotericism, Brill 2005.

^ "Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary: esotericism".
Webster.com. 2010-08-13. http://www.webster.com/dictionary/esotericism. Retrieved 2010-11-19.

^ "Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary: esoteric".
Webster.com. http://www.webster.com/dictionary/esoteric. Retrieved 2010-11-19.

^
McManners, Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity, p. 91f.

^
"The
Restorationist Movements". Religious Tolerance. http://www.religioustolerance.org/chrrest.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-31.

^
"What is
Restorationism?". Got Questions Ministries. http://www.gotquestions.org/restorationism.html. Retrieved 2007-12-31.

^
JW-Media.org Membership 2005

^
"Statistical Report 2008". Lds.org. 2008-12-31. http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-1032-10,00.html. Retrieved 2010-11-19.

^
"LDS Church says membership now 13 million worldwide", Salt Lake
Tribune, June 25, 2007.

^
Press Release, LDS Church, "One Million Missionaries, Thirteen Million Members", June
25, 2007.

^ The
church counts all members who were ever baptized, who have neither been
excommunicated nor asked to have their names removed from church records.
Independent surveys estimate that about 50% of people on LDS Church rolls do
not identify with the religion. See John Dart, Counting Mormons: study says LDS numbers inflated, Christian
Century, August 21, 2007.

^ a
b
McManners, Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity, pp. 581–84.

^
McManners, Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity. p. 413f.

^
McManners, Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity, p. 498.

^
McManners, Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity, p. 373.

^
McManners, Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity, p. 583.

^ "Methodist Statement" (PDF). http://www.lutheranworld.org/What_We_Do/OEA/Methodist-Statement-2006-EN.pdf. Retrieved 2010-11-19.

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Esler, Phillip F. The Early Christian World. Routledge (2004).

Farrar, F.W. Mercy and Judgment. A Few Last Words On Christian Eschatology
With Reference to Dr. Pusey's, "What Is Of Faith?". Macmillan,
London/New York (1904).

Foutz, Scott. Martin Luther and
Scripture Martin Luther and Scripture.[clarification
needed]

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Sussex Academic Press (1997). ISBN
1-898723-48-6.

Fuller, Reginald H.
The
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Froehle, Bryan; Gautier, Mary, Global Catholicism, Portrait of a World
Church, Orbis books; Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate,
Georgetown University (2003) ISBN=157075375x

Funk, Robert. The Acts of Jesus: What Did Jesus Really Do?.
Polebridge Press (1998). ISBN
0-06-062978-9.

Glenny, W. Edward. Typology: A Summary Of The Present Evangelical
Discussion.

Gonzalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity: The Early Church to the
Dawn of the Reformation, Harper Collins Publishers, New York (1984).

Hanegraaff, Hank. Resurrection: The Capstone in the Arch of
Christianity. Thomas Nelson (2000). ISBN
0-8499-1643-7.

Harnack, Adolf von. History of Dogma (1894).[clarification
needed]

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Press (1986). ISBN
0-687-16575-X

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(2005).[clarification
needed]

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0-7922-7313-3

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needed]

Kelly, J.N.D. The Athanasian Creed. Harper & Row, New
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needed]

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0-89870-798-6

Letham, Robert. The Holy Trinity in Scripture, History, Theology, and
Worship. P & R Publishing (2005). ISBN
0-87552-000-6.

Lorenzen, Thorwald. Resurrection, Discipleship, Justice: Affirming the
Resurrection Jesus Christ Today. Smyth & Helwys (2003). ISBN
1-57312-399-4.

McLaughlin, R. Emmet, Caspar Schwenckfeld, reluctant radical: his life
to 1540, New Haven: Yale University Press (1986). ISBN
0-300-03367-2.

MacCulloch,
Diarmaid, The Reformation: A History. Viking Adult (2004).

MacCulloch,
Diarmaid, A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand
Years. London, Allen Lane. 2009. ISBN
978-0-7139-9869-6

Marber, Peter. Money Changes Everything: How Global Prosperity Is
Reshaping Our Needs, Values and Lifestyles. FT Press (2003). ISBN
0-13-065480-9

Marthaler, Berard. Introducing the Catechism of the Catholic Church,
Traditional Themes and Contemporary Issues. Paulist Press (1994). ISBN
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Mathison, Keith. The Shape of Sola Scriptura (2001).[clarification
needed]

McClintock, John, Cyclopaedia of Biblical, Theological, and
Ecclesiastical Literature. Harper &Brothers, original from Harvard University
(1889)

McGrath, Alister E.
Christianity: An Introduction. Blackwell Publishing (2006). ISBN
1-4051-0899-1.

McGrath, Alister E. Historical Theology.[clarification
needed]

McManners, John.
Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity. Oxford University Press
(1990). ISBN
0-19-822928-3.

Meconi, David Vincent. "Pagan Monotheism in Late Antiquity", in:
Journal of Early Christian Studies.[clarification
needed]

Metzger, Bruce M., Michael Coogan (ed.). Oxford Companion to the
Bible. Oxford University
Press (1993). ISBN
0-19-504645-5.

Norman, Edward. The Roman Catholic Church, An Illustrated History.
University of California (2007) ISBN
978-0-520-25251-6

Olson, Roger E., The Mosaic of Christian Belief. InterVarsity Press
(2002). ISBN
978-0-8308-2695-7.

Orlandis, Jose, A Short History of the Catholic Church. Scepter
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Ott, Ludwig. Grundriß der Dogmatik. Herder, Freiburg (1965).[clarification
needed]

Pelikan, Jaroslav; Hotchkiss, Valerie (ed.) Creeds and Confessions of
Faith in the Christian Tradition. Yale University
Press (2003). ISBN
0-300-09389-6.

Putnam, Robert D. Democracies in Flux: The Evolution of Social Capital
in Contemporary Society. Oxford University Press (2002).

Riley-Smith, Jonathan. The Oxford History of the Crusades. New
York: Oxford University Press, (1999).

Robinson, George. Essential Judaism: A Complete Guide to Beliefs,
Customs and Rituals. New York: Pocket Books (2000).

Schama, Simon . A History of Britain. Hyperion (2000). ISBN
0-7868-6675-6.

Servetus, Michael. Restoration of Christianity. Lewiston, New York:
Edwin Mellen Press (2007).

Simon, Edith. Great Ages of Man: The Reformation. Time-Life Books
(1966). ISBN
0-662-27820-8.

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needed]

Spitz, Lewis. The Protestant Reformation. Concordia Publishing
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Sproul, R.C. Knowing Scripture.[clarification
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Spurgeon, Charles.
A Defense of Calvinism.[clarification
needed]

Sykes, Stephen; Booty, John; Knight, Jonathan. The Study of
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Talbott, Thomas. Three
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Werner (ed.). The Decline of Christendom in Western Europe, 1750-2000.
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White, Howard A. The History of
the Church.[clarification
needed]

Woodhead, Linda. An Introduction to Christianity.[clarification
needed]

Further reading

Gill, Robin (2001). The Cambridge companion
to Christian ethics. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521779189.

Gunton, Colin E. (1997). The Cambridge
companion to Christian doctrine. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University
Press. ISBN 0-521-47695-X.

MacCulloch, Diarmaid. Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years
(Viking; 2010) 1,161 pages; survey by leading historian

MacMullen, Ramsay (2006). Voting About God
in Early Church Councils. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. ISBN 0300115962.

Padgett, Alan G.; Sally Bruyneel (2003).
Introducing Christianity. Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books. ISBN 1570753954.

Price, Matthew Arlen; Collins, Michael (1999).
The story of Christianity. New York: Dorling Kindersley. ISBN 0-7513-0467-0.

Ratzinger, Joseph
(2004). Introduction To Christianity (Communio Books). San Francisco:
Ignatius Press. ISBN 1586170295.

Tucker, Karen; Wainwright, Geoffrey (2006).
The Oxford history of Christian worship. Oxford [Oxfordshire]: Oxford
University Press. ISBN 0-19-513886-4.

Wagner, Richard (2004). Christianity for
Dummies. For Dummies. ISBN 0764544829.

Webb, Jeffrey B. (2004). The Complete
Idiot's Guide to Christianity. Indianapolis, Ind: Alpha Books. ISBN 159257176X.

Woodhead, Linda (2004). Christianity: a
very short introduction. Oxford [Oxfordshire]: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0192803220.

External links

Find more about
Christianity on Wikipedia's sister
projects:

Definitions
from Wiktionary

Images
and media from Commons

Learning
resources from Wikiversity

News
stories from Wikinews

Quotations
from Wikiquote

Source
texts from Wikisource

Textbooks
from Wikibooks

"Christianity." Encyclopædia Britannica Online.

"BBC—Religion & Ethics—Christianity". British
Broadcasting Corporation. http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/index.shtml. Retrieved 2008-01-03.  A number of introductory articles
on Christianity.

"CBC Montreal—Religion—Christianity". Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation. http://www.cbc.ca/montreal/features/religion/christianity.html. Retrieved 2008-01-03.  An overview of Christianity.

"Netzarim". - Click at
'History Museum' in the left menu. http://www.netzarim.co.il/. Retrieved 2008-10-21.  The origin of Christianity

Adena, L. The 'Jesus Cult' and the Roman State in the Third Century,
Clio History Journal, 2008.

Messianic Christianity´s official site

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