Christianity
Christian Populations
Global: c. 1,999,564,000
UK: c. 38,100,000
(UK Estimates taken from P.Weller (ed.), Religions in the UK: Directory,
2001-3, The Multi-Faith Centre, Derby, 2001, pp.30-35; global estimates from
D. Barrett, World Christian Enclyclopaedia: A Comparative Survey of Churches
and Religions, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2000.)
Beginnings of Christianity
Christianity has its roots in the life and teaching of Jesus of Nazareth
within the context of the Jewish community.
As it developed and spread, it increasingly included those of a non-Jewish
background and suffered persecution under a number of Roman Emperors, until
the conversion of the Emperor Constantine, after which it became adopted
as the official religion of the Empire.
From the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries onwards, Christianity developed
missionary movements which, at their peak in the nineteenth century, led
to Christian Churches being established throughout the world.
This, in turn, laid the basis for the modern ecumenical movement towards
the unity of global Christianity in which the global profile of Christianity
has shifted to Africa and Latin America.
Central Aspects of Christianity
Creation and Salvation
Christianity affirms that the creative intention
of God is for a world characterised by peace and unity, and that the
purpose of human life
is to glorify and
enjoy God and the creation.
However, Christianity also teaches the human beings and the world in
which they live have gone fundamentally wrong. Without the intervention
of the
divine, Christianity sees human beings as being locked into a state of
sin which is characterised by self-centredness.
Through the life and teaching of Jesus, Christians believe that the possibility
of forgiveness and renewal of life has been opened up to human beings
and to the creation as a whole.
Responding in faith to the grace of God is seen as the means of overcoming sin and achieving the wholeness of salvation, by means of the operation of the Holy Spirit of Jesus within the lives of believers.
The qualities
of faith, hope and love are seen as of eternal value, and Christianity
teaches that the fruits of the operation of the Spirit are:
love;
joy;
peace;
patience;
kindness;
goodness;
faithfulness;
humility;
self-control.
The Person of Jesus
Christians believe that the nature of the divine has been revealed most
clearly through the life, death, resurrection and teaching of Jesus
of Nazareth whom
they believe to be the promised Messiah of Jewish expectation.
Jesus offered hope to the marginalised and called upon people to repent of their sins and receive God's forgiveness, warning against the dangers of religious self- righteousness.
Through Jesus, Christians see the nature of the divine as being characterised by "agape" or self-giving love.
Christians affirm the Incarnation of the one God in Jesus Christ, who is understood to be both human and divine. God is also referred to as "Trinity", i.e. "three-in-one" which is a deliberate paradox. God is experienced as Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer of all things, often referred to as "Father, Son and Holy Spirit."
Scriptures, Creeds and Tradition
The Christian scriptures, known collectively as the Bible, are
central to Christian belief and practice. Some believe them to
be the literal
words of God whilst others see them as human writings informed
by the Spirit
of
God.
The creeds, the most important of which are the Apostle's
Creed and the Nicene Creed, include summaries of orthodox beliefs which
were
formulated
in the
early years of Christianity.
For Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Anglican Christians, the teachings
of the early Church Fathers are seen as another important source
of authority.
The Church
The Church is the community of Christian believers, formed by
those who look to God's grace for their acceptance by God and
one another.
The Church is understood as having four distinctive
marks that characterise it.
It is:
one, in terms of the basic unity of all who confess Jesus as Lord;
holy, in terms of its belonging to the Lord and its living accordingly;
Catholic, in terms of its universal inclusivity of people of all kinds;
Apostolic, in terms of the continuity of its inheritance from the first disciples.
Baptism marks entry into the Christian Church. Among Anglican, Roman Catholic, Reformed, and Orthodox Christians, baptism is usually offered to babies or infants. Among Baptists, Pentecostals and others, baptism is seen as being appropriate only for those who can personally confess a Christian faith.
In those traditions that baptise babies and infants, the rite of confirmation is seen as an opportunity personally to affirm an infant baptism, although some Churches administer instead what they describe as "reception into membership".
Mission and Discipleship
Christians have a commitment to spread the message of
Christianity. They understand this to be commanded
by Jesus and Good
News to announce. For
some Christians, this commitment is expressed in terms
of organised forms of mission
activity.
The teaching of Jesus, in his Sermon on the Mount, is central to the form of discipleship to which Christians are called, which involves them in trying to follow the example and pattern of Jesus in their own lives.
Christianity has a strong tradition of social concern. Service to the hungry, the sick and the imprisoned is seen as being the authentic expression of Christian commitment and believing.
Diversities of Chrstianity
Any beliefs and practices are shared by all Christians.
However, there are also distinct teachings and
organisational forms
for various Christian
traditions,
the largest of which are the Roman Catholic, Orthodox,
Protestant and Pentecostal traditions.
Following Christianity's adoption as the official religion of the Roman Empire, the Empire began increasingly to become separated into Eastern and Western parts which was also mirrored in the development of differences between the Churches of the East and West.
A formal division opened up in 1054 leading
to the development of the Western Catholic and Eastern
Orthodox
forms of
Christianity.
With the Protestant Reformation, Western Christendom
diversified further into national Churches closely
aligned with local
rulers and Free Churches
that sought an independent congregational life
separate from the structures of the state.
Catholic
The Catholic Church includes around half of all
Christians in the world and sees itself as
directly inheriting
an apostolic line
of succession
from the
earliest Christian leaders. It is led by the
Pope.
Orthodox
The Orthodox Churches of Christianity see themselves
as being in continuity with the undivided
Church before its
separation
into
Eastern and Western
traditions.
Orthodox Churches are independently governed, each with their own leaders who are bound together by their recognition of an Ecumenical Patriatch, the Patriarch of Constantinople.
Protestants
Protestant Churches vary considerably,
and especially concerning forms of Church
organisation
and government.
They emphasise the supremacy
of scriptural authority and of faith in Jesus. They
include the following
denominational forms:
Baptist;
Brethren;
Congregationalist;
Lutheran;
Methodist;
Moravian;
Presbyterian;
Reformed;
Salvationist.
Churches of the Anglican tradition see themselves as both Reformed and Catholic. They are autonomous Churches that look for international leadership to the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Pentecostal
The Pentecostal tradition emerged
within the broader Protestant tradition
and
additionally emphasises
the possibility of
contemporary sharing
the spiritual gifts and experience
of the earliest
Christians.
Restorationist and
House Church Movements have more recently emerged
seeking
what they believe
to be
more biblical
forms of Church life.
In a number of parts of the world,
but especially in Africa, indigenous
forms
of Christianity
have developed
and which
are seen by many
as more authentically
inculturated expressions of the
Christian faith than the traditions
imparted
by missionaries.
