CHRISTIANITY

Presented by: Group 1

 TABLE OF CONTENTS
01 02
The Centrality of Jesus It’s Establishment And
Shape
Belief that Jesus holds a
central and essential role in 05 Belief came to be and how
it has evolved over time.
Christianity.
Going Global
The spread of the
03 Christian faith beyond its 04
The Bible original geographical and
cultural boundaries. Belief and Practice
It is divided into the Old
It involves having faith in
Testament and the New
something beyond oneself.
Testament.
 01
The Centrality
of Jesus
Christianity
THE CENTRALITY OF JESUS according to the life of Jesus Christ: "BC" is
literally "before Christ", and "AD" is for the
The word "Christianity" comes from the
Latin anno domini ("in the year of our Lord"),
from the alleged birthdate of Jesus Christ.
Greek christos, which means "anointed one".
The translation of the Hebrew word Christianity is the world's largest
"messiah", christos (Christ) is a title given to religion (about 32 percent of the globe): it is the
the historical person Jesus: in other words, he is most widely spread and ethnically diverse
Jesus (the) Christ, that is, the anointed one (of religion. Christianity is a religion that embraces
God). translation: it has no one holy language. There
are over 35,000 different Christian
Christianity started in a Jewish context denominations; however, all have the person of
during the Roman empire. The Gregorian calendar Jesus Christ as central.
used throughout the world splits history
How Do We Know about
Jesus?
The life of Jesus is recorded in the Bible. The
Bible has two parts: the Old Testament and the New
Testament. Jesus' life is specifically recorded in four
Gospels written by Matthew, a former tax collector
who became an apostle, or messenger, of Jesus;
Mark, a follower of the apostle Peter; Luke, a doctor
also credited with writing the New Testament book of
Acts; and John, a close disciple of Jesus. These are
the first four books of the New Testament. The rest of
the New Testament interprets the life and teachings
of Jesus for the new Christians in light of their
experience of him, and offers a rethinking of the .
The New Testament records both Jesus' earthly life
and his ongoing resurrected presence in the world.
 Jesus’ Life
It is understood Jesus was born supernaturally of
a young Jewish virgin called Mary. Her fiancé Joseph
wanted to break the engagement, but both were visited
by angels to assure them of the future importance of
this baby. The Gospel of Luke tells of an angel giving
Mary news that she would give birth to the Son of the Most
High. Jesus was born in Bethlehem (celebrated in the
festival of Christmas), but his family was from Nazareth,
where Joseph was a carpenter. We can assume Jesus grew
up as Joseph's apprentice, but at around the age of thirty he
took up an itinerant teaching role around Lake Galilee in
the north of Israel, based in Capernaum.
Jesus’ Message
Jesus taught about "the kingdom of God". This
rule of God was breaking into history in his own
person: hence, Jesus preached that "the time has come",
the "kingdom of God is near" and people should
"repent" and "believe the good news". The Gospel of
Mark for example, uses all this language quite explicitly.
The Gospel of Matthew uses the equivalent phrase
"kingdom of heaven". Jesus' ministry was accompanied
by "signs of the kingdom", that is, miracles. Jesus taught
using parables - similes and metaphors from everyday life -
to illustrate how this reign of God would work out.
Because Jesus implicitly claimed to be divine, the Jewish
authorities took offence and manipulated events so that
Jesus was crucified in Jerusalem - hung on a Roman cross.
Jesus' Resurrection
A unique sequence of events then follows this execution.
The Gospels say that on the third day after the crucifixion,
Jesus came back to life (was resurrected) as a new type of living
being. All four Gospels record this. The eyewitnesses to this event,
who discovered his empty tomb, were personally so transformed
that they enthusiastically spread the news of the resurrection; the
number of new Christians boomed. In their minds, this
resurrection was so convincing that it confirmed everything
that Jesus had taught and modelled: the reign of God had truly
broken into history. Jesus promised to continue to be with this
growing number of disciples "to the very end of the age"
(Matthew 28:20). He then departed from them a final time (the
ascension), but gave them power through his Holy Spirit.
Today's Christians in all their diversity continue to experience
the empowering presence of the resurrected Jesus Christ.
How Jesus "Fits" in the Bible
Jesus was a Jew, and Christianity is rooted in Jewish beliefs
about the coming of God in person to be with his people.
Particularly in the latter part of the Old Testament, this "coming
of God" was named as a saviour called "messiah". While Jews
reject Jesus as the messiah foretold in the Old Testament,
Christians believe that he is, in fact, the messiah.

One of the first tasks of the new Christians was to re- read the
Jewish Scriptures (that is, the Old Testament) in light of Jesus'
resurrection. They had to work out how to believe in the one God
of Judaism but also recognize Jesus' extraordinary claims (the
Gospel of John, for example, records Jesus as saying, "I and the
Father are one"). The prophets of the Old Testament
(particularly Isaiah) had made some remarkable statements that
these new Christians now understood to be predictions of a
coming messiah, the "anointed one" of God.
 A man who said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great
moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on a level with the man
who says he is a I poached egg- or else he would be the Devil of Hell.
You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of
God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a
fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His
feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any
patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not
left that open to us. He did not intend to.

C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

 02
Its Establishment
and Shape
 Christianit
yITS ESTABLISHMENT
ANDJesus chose
SHAPE twelve disciples (from the Latin
discipulus, meaning "a learner"), of whom three were
close friends (Peter, James, and John). The Gospels also
record a wider group that includes women. The fifth
book of the New Testament, Acts of the Apostles, tells of
how the early church grew: convinced of the
resurrection, thousands "were added to their number"
(Acts 2:41). Perhaps the most dramatic conversion was that
of Saul of Tarsus, whose name changed to Paul following
an encounter with the resurrected Jesus on the road to
Damascus (Acts 9): he was responsible for much of the
spread of the church around the Mediterranean, and the
writing of the New Testament (his letters to those
churches).
Detail of a 12th-century mosaic depicting the apostles Matthew,
John, Andrew, and Peter.
 The Early Church and its
Originally a sect of Judaism, these first Christians
Councils
had to recognize that Jesus' teaching, death, and
resurrection were for the whole world, not just the Jews.
They hammered this out at the Council of Jerusalem (c.
AD 50), recorded in Acts 15. Worship routines changed:
followers met on Sundays, regularly celebrated
communion with bread and wine, sang songs, and
listened to teaching. On the whole, they refused to bow
down to the Roman Caesar, which cost many of them their
lives. Much debate followed about right belief, particularly
over the nature of Jesus Christ - in what way could he
have been both God and man at the same time? This
was resolved eventually at the Council of Chalcedon
(AD 451) with the statement that "Jesus Christ was fully
God and fully man" - with no further comment or
explanation.
Emperor Constantine bestows the primacy of the
Church and the rule over the West on his
contemporary pope, Sylvester (314-35).
Movement East
Meanwhile, in the East, due mainly to persecution, the church spread into
modern- day Iraq, but its core ideas were slightly different to those of the Western
(that is, Roman) church. Moving along the trade route we now call the Silk Road,
Christians formed many thriving communities as far east as China by AD 635.
This so-called Eastern expression of Christianity fitted roughly in a more general
movement now called Orthodox Christianity. Various sects within Orthodox
Christianity quickly established themselves outside Roman influence in such
places as Egypt, Ethiopia, Armenia, and Syria. The apostle Thomas, for example,
was probably the first to take Christianity to India, as early as - by some accounts - AD
52.
 The Reformation
The European Reformation of
the sixteenth century brought together
discontent that had been murmuring
for years, and had shown itself in
various reform movements. It was
Martin Luther (1483-1546), however,
who ignited the Reformation, when he
nailed his ninety-five theses -
propositions he wanted debated in the
church - to the castle door at
Wittenberg in Germany. The
Reformation made good use of the new
moveable type in printing: teaching and
propaganda could be spread at speeds not
experienced before, and, combined with
an uprising of the peasants, the social
fabric of Europe was changed forever, as
was the very structure, beliefs, and
worship patterns of the church.
Map shows the far-reaching spread of Christianity.
 THREE MAJOR GROUPS WITHIN CHRISTIANITY AUTHORITY IN THE CHURCH

There are three main traditions within Christianity. They agree on The three main Christian groups have different understandings of
the basic tenets of the faith regarding i Jesus but differ spiritual authority.
significantly enough on other points to warrant a distinct group.
THE ORTHODOX CHURCH: THE SEVEN CHURCH
•The Ordthoox churches are located mainly in Russia, Eastern COUNCILS
Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, but have also
spread due to migration. There are 260-300 million Orthodox In the Western church, that is, the church under the
Christians worldwide. influence of Rome, leaders met periodically in full councils,
usually under the patronage of the Roman emperor. These
•The Roman Catholic Church, with the pope as its head, is councils met to sort out heresies that had arisen, usually around
based in the Vatican City in Rome. There are about 1 billion the nature of Jesus Christ. The findings of these seven councils
(1,000 million) Roman Catholics worldwide. - understood to have been guided by the Holy Spirit - are now
the chief authority of the Orthodox Church. The seven
•The Protestant churches are those that "protested" against councils were:
Rome in the sixteenth century, but continued to divide and
reform themselves into many denominations, some of which -325 Nicea
were associated with national expressions (Lutherans in -381 Constantinople
Germany, Anglicans in England, and Presbyterians in -431 Ephesus
Scotland, for example). There are around 800 million -451 Chalcedon
Protestants. -553 Constantinople
-680 Constantinople
-787 Nicea
 ROME AND THE SUCCESSION OF THE APOSTLE PETER
The Roman Catholic Church understands its authority as derived
from a particular reading of Matthew 16:16-20, understanding the
disciple Peter to be the "rock" on which the church would be built.
The popes are in a line of spiritual succession from Peter, who was the
"first bishop" of Rome. It is chiefly the popes and church authorities who
interpret Christian life and faith, guided by the Holy Spirit.

PROTESTANTS: THE BIBLE ALONE

There are thousands of Protestant sects and denominations, but they

are all "protestant" in as much as they have roots in the sixteenth-
century Reformation. Authority is generally understood to be from the
Bible, studied and interpreted using literary analysis, but also relying
on the ongoing guidance of the Holy Spirit. Protestants read Matthew
16:16-20 not as giving authority to Peter as a person, but to Peter's
confession: "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." In other
words, the church is all those people who make this same confession.
 03
The Bible
 Christianity
THE
BIBLE
The sacred text of Christianity is the Bible. The Bible is in
two parts, the Old and the New Testaments. "Old" in this
context means before Jesus Christ, and "New". after. The
word "testament" means covenant. In other words, the Bible is
divided in two parts because of two covenants: the first covenant
was between God and the people of Israel (the Jews), and
dominated by the name of Moses. The new covenant is the
covenant of Jesus Christ, which Christians believe not only
fulfils the expectations and hopes of the people of Israel, but
also extends the blessings of the old covenant to the nations of
the world, solely through Jesus' death and resurrection. The New
Testament fulfils the hopes and dreams expressed in the Old
Testament.
 Christianity
The Biblical Canon
The Old Testament comprises thirty- nine books, and the
New Testament, twenty-seven; hence sixty-six in all. Together,
these form the "canon", that is, the "measure" from which
Christian life and belief is taken. The biblical canon is
"closed", meaning nothing can be added to it or taken from it.
There is another group of books called the Apocrypha
(approximately fifteen books), dating from the period between
the two Testaments (roughly 400 BC to 1 BC), which some
Christians will use for personal edification. The Apocrypha is
not canonical in that, on the whole, doctrine is not derived
from it.
Key Ideas to Understand the Christian Bible
CANO A LIBRARY
N A canon is an authoritative WITHIN Acontains
The Bible BOOK different types of literature
(including history, law, prophecy, gospel, poetry, songs,
collection of texts agreed either
apocalyptic, journals, divine speech, sermons,
officially (by a council) or proverbs, letters, visions, and genealogy) written over a
unofficially (widely accepted in a period of 1,500 years (roughly 1400 BC to AD 100).
community). Different religious The full sixty-six books hang together as a single story
groupings have different canons. of God's relationship with his people. The Bible is self-
Christianity, in the main, accepts verifying: in other words, later writers quote from
the Old and New Testaments as its earlier parts of the Bible, and it claims to have internal
consistency, yet also development and commentary on
canon. Other books and religious
itself. The Jewish canon was probably made during the
texts may be on the edges of Babylonian exile (sixth century sc); various Christian
canonicity. canons exist, but generally, the list of authoritative
books was finalized by the fifth century AD.
 Christianity
SPECIFIC/SPECIAL
REVELATION
The Bible claims that God chose to reveal himself to
humanity. The Bible makes no argument for the existence of
God; it merely assumes God exists. The opening verse reads
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth"
(Genesis 1:1). The Bible itself distinguishes between general and
special revelation. General revelation is understood to be in
creation and the conscience: everyone can know something about
God. Special revelation is particular: the Bible is special
revelation, and Jesus Christ himself is the full and final
revelation of God. It follows that should one wish to know God,
one can only do so through Jesus Christ, as revealed in the
Bible.
 Christianity
INSPIRATION
Christians understand the Bible to be "inspired" - the
sense that the Bible is "God- breathed" or "exhaled by God".
Inspiration is not dictation (although some parts of the Bible
are dictated divine speeches). It is a spiritual weaving between
the "breathing out of God" and the will and personality of the
writer - a unique combination of human writing in a way that is
perfectly consistent with what God intended to be written. God
guides the author in their writing, but does not override the
author's style. Hence the Bible is a very human book - full of
human joys and sorrows - and yet also a divine book, offering
a storyline of God's relationship with the world, and God's
plan of salvation to renew and transform all creation.
TRANSL
ATION
The Bible was written originally in the local languages:
Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine (common) Greek. It is not
written in a "holy language". It is these original texts that are
considered to be inspired, and yet none of the originals actually
exist. The process of copying was so well organized,
disciplined, and precise in ancient Israel that the texts we do
have are generally regarded as being 99 per cent accurate.
Because there are so many ancient fragments that do date back
considerably close to the time to which they refer, cross-
checking is easy. The Scriptures that Jesus had access to was
the Septuagint, the standard Greek translation of the Hebrew
Scriptures, translated into common Greek by seventy or
seventy-two scholars in Alexandria (Egypt) in the third
century BC. The Bible has a rich history of translation into
the languages of the world. Full Bibles or Bible portions have
been translated into 2,700 of the world's 6,900 living
languages. In 2012, there were about 2,000 active Bible
translation projects around the world.
DEAD SEA
SCROLLS
The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered by a shepherd
boy in 1947 in caves near Qumran, Israel. Qumran was a
monastic Essene community (a sect of Judaism
characterized by its ascetic lifestyle), and the scrolls
possibly formed part of their library. In total over 950
scrolls of biblical (and other) texts were found over a
period of nine years. The collection contains the earliest
known copies of the Hebrew Bible, as well as related
manuscripts about Temple worship in Jerusalem. They date
from between 400 and 300 BC and these texts - including
major prophets like Isaiah - verified the accuracy of later
copies of biblical texts, and also filled in many gaps in the
history of the Jewish people, particularly in the period
between the Old and New Testaments. Below is a sample
of the so-called "Temple Scroll".
The ruins of the Essene community in Qumran.
 04
Belief and
Practice
 Christianity
BELIEF AND
PRACTICE In practice, Christians
Like Judaism, Christianity is strive to live a life devoted to
monotheistic—that is Christians believe in God, as modelled by Jesus
one God. However, it is the belief in Jesus Christ and empowered by the
Christ as God that makes Christianity Holy Spirit. They live with the
unique. In other words, God has visited this hope that God's reign - which
planet in person. The doctrine of the Trinity - started explicitly in the coming
the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as one - lies of Jesus - will come to full
at the heart of Christian belief. This is indeed expression when Jesus returns to
a mystery, and many thinkers continue to usher in the final and complete
struggle with this idea. Nevertheless, the reign of God in the new heavens
Trinity can be thought of as a Tri-unity of and new earth.
equal relationship of love.
 Christianity
CORE BELIEFS
ONE
GOD
Christians believe there is only one God and that
God is one. God is Spirit. God is creator and
sustainer of the universe. God can be known
through his Son, Jesus Christ, alone.

TRINITY Artists have grappled with trying to

This idea is unique to Christianity. This one God is portray the Trinity in their work. In
three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Holy Trinity, Nicoletto (fl.1353-
Christianity does not have three separate gods. 70) attempts to demonstrate the
The use of the words "Father" and "Son" indicates union, yet distinctiveness, of the
the type of relationship, not the sexuality of God, Father and the Son, with the Spirit
or the subordination or dominance of either as a dove hovering between them.
Father or Son.
 Christianity
INCARNATION HUMANITY
The Father sent the Son into the world as Jesus Humankind was made in the image of God,
Christ. In other words, the Son "took on flesh" in that we have many of God's
and became human (but without losing any deity). characteristics and qualities (for example,
Christians celebrate this at Christmas time. After being relational, loving, creative, and
Jesus' ascension (his return to the Father), the Holy imaginative). The Bible is clear, however,
Spirit was given to Jesus' disciples as an ongoing that humans are not gods, nor will they
living presence of God. ever become God.

SIN
This word has a large range of meanings. It means a
mistake, an intentional rebellion, "missing the
mark" humankind moral corruption. God
created good and with free will, but humanity
hope to rebel against God. This introduced sin into
the universe (see Genesis 2-3).
 Christianity
ATONEMENT RESURRECTION
Humanity sinned - that is, rebelled against God - On the Sunday after his crucifixion,
and hence God, because he is loving, wished to set Jesus was physically resurrected as a
things right. "Atonement" is an umbrella term new type of living bodily existence,
describing at least five pictures that the apostle ushering in a new cosmic age. The Bible
Paul uses in his New Testament writings to notes that Jesus is the "firstfruits" of
explain how God sets things right with humanity. resurrection, meaning his resurrection
These include: court of Law (justification); as the first will be followed in future
commerce (redemption); personal relationships by the resurrection of everyone (see 1
(reconciliation); worship (sacrifice); battleground Corinthians 15:20
(victory over evil). This "setting things right" -
atonement - was achieved through the death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ.
 Christianity
ETHICS
Love of God and love of neighbor motivates
Christians for right living. It is not so much
that God has made bad people good, but
spiritually dead people alive. Hence this
"life in its fullness" has propelled
Christians into public service and the
reformation of society. Many social
movements have been started by Christians
with this ethic: for example, the Salvation
Army was formed in 1865 originally as a
response to the dire social needs in Britain.
 Christianity
Christian Practices
Christians practice baptism (either sprinkling or full immersion in water) as an entry
rite, and also Communion (Eucharist). Eucharist is a short drama in which bread,
representing Christ's body, and wine, representing Christ's blood, are eaten and drunk
by the participants. There are many variations of these two acts, with different
understandings of what they actually achieve. Baptism usually happens only once in a
lifetime, while Eucharist could be taken as often as daily.

Christians will also generally prioritize regular Bible reading, and seek to apply
to life what they learn. Many practice tithing - giving 10 per cent of their income to
their church or to special causes. Rhythms of prayer - daily, weekly, and yearly - are
common. Most Christians meet on a Sunday for combined worship events in formal and
informal gatherings, either in churches or in homes.
 Christianity
Christian Festivals Some denominations have a
yearly cycle of festivals,
Different branches and denominations of Christian churches either leading up to
have various local festivals, but two are common to all. Christmas (Advent), or
Easter (Lent), with
subsequent special days as
•Christmas (25 December) is the time when Christians well. Epiphany (6 or 8
celebrate the incarnation of Jesus Christ, that is, God's January) 1 the coming of the
coming to earth as the baby Jesus Christ, born in Bethlehem, wise men to worship the new-
Israel. born Jesus - is also widely
celebrated. Some
•Easter is the other major festival. This is lunar and shifts denominations will celebrate
Pentecost (fifty days after
every year, but usually occurs in early April. It includes
Easter), recognizing when the
Good Friday and Easter Sunday, remembering the crucifixion Holy Spirit was gifted to the
of Jesus and the resurrection of Jesus, respectively. disciples in a dramatic way
(Acts 2).
A young Orthodox Christian worshipper holds a large cross during a Good
Friday procession on the Via Dolorosa, retracing the route Jesus Christ
walked to his crucifixion in Jerusalem.
LORD'S PRAYER BEATITUDES
Jesus’ disciples once asked him "Lord, teach us to Jesus' so-called Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) is
pray" (Luke 11:1-4). Responding to this simple well loved by both Christians and people of other
request, Jesus taught them a prayer which many faiths. It starts with the well-known Beatitudes:
Christians recite by memory today, and which
has become known as "The Lord's Prayer".
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven.
Our Father in heaven,
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
hallowed be your name,
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
your kingdom come,
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
your will be done,
righteousness, for they will be filled.
on earth as in heaven.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from
children of God.
evil.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are
righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
yours now and for ever.
Amen.
Matthew 5:1-10
 05
Going Global
 Christianity
GOING GLOBAL
From its beginnings as a sect of Judaism, Christianity has spread rapidly and
widely. This is consistent with the teaching of the Bible, right back to when Abraham
and his descendants were called to be a "blessing to all the nations" (Genesis 12:2-3).
The apostle Paul interprets the descendants of Abraham as people who have Abraham's
faith, not his ethnic genealogy. Jesus himself told his disciples, "Therefore go and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them... and teaching them to obey everything I have
commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20).

The history of Christianity can be divided into several periods. Each represents the
development of a distinct Christian belief or practice - a paradigm. Each of these
paradigms represents certain "shifts" that have occurred in Christianity.
 Christianity
Primitive Christianity and the Eastern Church, AD 100-600
Christianity became the official religion of the Roman empire by the fourth
century AD after years of persecution and wrangling over core beliefs. The life and love
of God were emphasized; the call to community around liturgy was strong. Armenia was the
first Christian nation in AD 301, and Christianity pushed along the Silk Road east to China.

Medieval and Roman Catholic Church, AD 600-1500

Christianity had been influenced by Augustine of Hippo (AD 354-430) who wrote City of God
to interpret the fall of the Roman empire. According to Augustine, society was not only physical (the
city of Rome), but also spiritual, and this spiritual city of God would never fall. Nevertheless, church and
state were well on the way to being melded together: monks became "ideal citizens" and kings and
popes kept Europe in a uniform religion - Christendom. This church/state union promoted the
Crusades so as to expand this temporal "kingdom of God". The Crusades attempted to win back the Holy
Land through warfare.
Protestant Reformation, 1500-1800
The German monk Martin Luther sparked the
Reformation in 1517, but reform had also been
attempted before Luther. Getting right with God-
justification - became a core idea, based on renewed
reading of the Bible that was concurrently translated
into the languages of Europe. With the invention of the
printing press and moveable type, everyone could have
access to the Bible. Core beliefs and practices of the
Roman Catholic Church were challenged at the
grassroots level. The catch cry became "by faith
alone, by Scripture alone, by grace alone".

Portrait of Martin Luther (1483- 1546) by Lucas Cranach the Elder

 Christianity
Enlightenment Christianity, 1800-2000
With the rise of human reason, science, and materialism, some of the core
aspects of Christian faith were re- examined. Christianity both embraced this and
reacted against it. Christianity got tangled up with colonial expansion. Asian, African,
and Latin American churches eventually found their voices, yet this period is
overshadowed with despotic governments and world wars. Persecution, "underground"
Christianity, and the rise of Pentecostalism-emphasizing experience of the Holy Spirit -
have all been aspects of this period.
 Christianity
Ecumenical, from 2000 to the Present
Christianity continues to expand rapidly in the world, but in new ways. There is a
shift from the Old World centres (Europe and America) to the newer "global south"
centres, namely Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The church is growing fastest in these
places. There is also a much richer conversation happening between Roman, Orthodox, and
Protestant churches. Christianity wrestles with culture, looking for appropriate united
responses to the challenges of the twenty-first century. For example, women are gaining
more influence in leadership, and issues related to sexuality are keenly debated. Many
are thinking deeply about environmental concerns, and are politically proactive in standing
for the poor in the face of corruption and exploitation by banking systems.
 Christianity
Ecumenical, from 2000 to the Present
Christians seek to find an appropriate balance between social justice
initiatives and recognizing the call to preach the gospel - God's offer of
salvation - to all. New and unique contextual theologies are emerging, such
as Black theology, gay theology, liberation theology, and feminist theology.
Christians are responding in new and innovative ways to the different world
religions. They recognize that there must be open and honest conversation with
people of other religions because globalism and migration bring people of others
religions together. They ask, in what ways might God be at work in other
religions, and how might Jesus Christ still be considered to be unique?
THE RISE OF PENTECOSTALISM
Christianity, like other religions, continues to experience
various reform movements. In 1901 in California, the
Pentecostal movement started when people experienced
spiritual power in unprecedented ways. This movement
emphasizes that Christians should be able to experience
similar power as the first disciples did at Pentecost (Acts
2), including supernatural giftings of prophecy, healing,
and speaking in tongues (a phenomenon in which one
speaks in a new spiritual language). Pentecostalism has
spread rapidly and is the fastest-growing part of the church in
South America, Africa, and Asia.
ASIAN THEOLOGY
There is opportunity today for non-Western
forms of Christianity to find their own voice. In
Korea, minjung theology, or "theology of the
people", has been a response to the
industrialization of South Korea, its restrictive
politics, and the marginalization of the worker.
Appeals are made to Latin American "liberation
theology" in which the poor have agitated for a
more just place in decision making in the nation.
In India, Dalit theology is a response by "out-
castes" - those outside the Hindu caste system-
who become Christians and model their hopes on
Jesus Christ in that he too was an "outcast" in
similar ways.