Christianity is the belief in a personal, eternal, infinite God that created the universe. Christianity centers on Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God, lived on Earth for 30 years and served as an example of God in human form. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, performed miracles, was crucified for the sins of all mankind, and was resurrected from the dead, resulting in eternal life in heaven for those who place their trust in him as their savior.

Founder 

Jesus Christ is the founder of Christianity. He lived in Israel from 4 BCE to 30 or 32 CE.


Major Texts

The Bible, consisting of the Old Testament and the New Testament, is the central text of Christianity. Christians believe it is one of the primary ways that God reveals himself to mankind. There are 66 individual books in the Bible – 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. The Bible was written over a span of approximately 2,000 years, with dozens of authors, all of whom wrote under the inspiration of God.

The Bible contains historical narratives, poetry, songs, parables, principles for living wisely, and prophecy, in which events were predicted before they happened.

The central theme that is woven through the Bible is the need for all people to have their relationship with God restored and God providing the means of restoration through Jesus Christ.


Place of Worship

The place of worship for Christians is a church. The leader of a local church is called a minister, pastor or priest. A church can consist of as few as several people to as large as tens of thousands.

Worship services are typically held once a week on Sunday mornings. A worship service lasts about an hour and consists of singing, praying and a Bible teaching that is presented by the church leader. The purpose of a worship service is to get together with a group of people to praise God, to learn about God, Jesus Christ and the Bible, to serve others, and to be served by others.


Major Beliefs

Religion (view of God): theistic – a single, supernatural God exists. God is personal, eternal, the creator. God exists in 3 persons – God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit – but has one essence or nature. God is spirit and distinct from the world he created. God interacts with his creation through miracles, the incarnation of Jesus Christ, angels, and the Holy Spirit.

Philosophy (view of reality): Reality consists of both the material and spiritual worlds.

View of man: Man was created by God. God created man in his image. However, as a result of the sin of the first humans – Adam and Eve – all people are inherently sinful and alienated from God.

View of salvation: Salvation is available to all people through belief in Jesus Christ as the son of God who was raised from the dead.

View of knowledge: Knowledge comes from two sources: man’s God-given ability to observe and understand the world around him and God’s revelation.

View of creation: God created the universe and all matter.

Ethics: God has established absolute truths about right and wrong that apply for all time.

View of the afterlife: Man’s body is mortal, but the soul is immortal. There is an eternal life after death. Heaven and hell are real places. In heaven people dwell in the presence of God and experience joy. In hell people are separated from God and suffer punishment. The destination is dependent on each person’s choice of accepting Jesus Christ as savior.

View of the mind: Humans have a mind and soul.

View of law: Absolute law.

View of society: God has established institutions, such as government, the church and marriage to provide order, worship and relationships for people who are social beings. God has ordained specific roles, such as governing authorities and husbands and wives to fulfill specific responsibilities for the effective functioning of society and families.


Well Known Works

Confessions, Augustine

Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis

Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan


Branches of Christianity

There are three major branches of Christianity:

• Roman Catholicism

• Eastern Orthodox

• Protestantism

The Christian church split into two divisions in 1054 CE– the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Roman Catholics, as adherents to Catholicism are called, are led by the Pope, who is the head of the Roman Catholic Church. The Catholic Church is headquartered at the Vatican in Rome, Italy.

Eastern Orthodox, which is officially known as the Orthodox Catholic Church, is led by the patriarch of Constantinople in Turkey, which is now known as Istanbul.

Protestantism has no central leader or headquarters. Martin Luther (1483-1546) is credited with starting the Protestant movement, in which he criticized some of the practices and teachings of the Catholic Church. Within Protestantism are many denominations, such as Anglicans, Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, and Presbyterians.


Important Characters in the Bible

Some of the key figures of the Old Testament are Adam, Eve, Noah, Abraham, Jonah, David, and Solomon.

Some of the key figures of the New Testament are Jesus, Mary, Joseph, John the Baptist, the twelve disciples of Jesus (Andrew, Bartholomew, James (son of Zebedee) , James (son of Alphaeus), John, Judas Iscariot, Matthew, Peter, Philip, Simon the Zealot, Thaddaeus), and the apostle Paul.


Well Known Passages in the Bible

The Beatitudes – part of the Sermon on the Mount.

Sermon on the Mount – A message given by Jesus. Found in Matthew chapters 5 – 7.

Golden Rule – "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."A saying by Jesus that is found in Matthew 7:12.

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth."Genesis 1:1

The Ten Commandments - Exodus 20

The Love Chapter - 1 Corinthians 13


Bible Versions

Many different versions of the Bible are available. They primarily differ in their style of language. Some of the most popular versions are:

Jerusalem Bible – a Roman Catholic version of the Bible, which contains the Apocrypha.

King James Version (KJV)

New International Version (NIV)

New American Standard Bible (NASB)


Christian Holidays

Ash Wednesday – The Wednesday before Easter.

Christmas – Occurs every year on December 25 to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ 

Easter – Occurs in the spring (March or April) to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the new life available through him. Also known as "Resurrection Sunday".

Good Friday – The Friday before Easter. The day Jesus was crucified on a cross and took the sins of mankind upon himself.


Key Terms

Apocrypha – A series of books included in Roman Catholic bibles, but excluded from Protestant bibles. The books of the Apocrypha were written between the time of the Old Testament and New Testament.

Baptism – A ritual practiced by a Christian in which he is dipped in water by a church leader. The purpose of baptism is to publicly demonstrate a person’s belief in Jesus Christ as his savior.

Christ – A title given to Jesus that means messiah, savior.

Communion – A ritual practiced by Christians in which bread and wine or juice are consumed. The bread symbolizes the body of Jesus, which was sacrificed on our behalf. The wine or juice symbolizes the blood of Jesus, which was shed on our behalf.

Genesis – The first book of the Bible. It explains the origins of the universe and life.

Gospel – The "good news" that Jesus paid for our sins and offers us salvation through faith in him.

Gospels – The first four books of the New Testament – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Heaven – The eternal dwelling place for believers in Jesus Christ.

Hell – The eternal dwelling place for people who rejected God.

Holy Spirit – One of the three persons of the Trinity.

Revelation – Revelation also refers to the last book of the Bible, which includes predictions of events in the end times.

Salvation - Being rescued from separation from God. Salvation is available only through belief in Jesus Christ as your savior.

Savior – The one who rescues us from separation from God.

Sin – Falling short of God’s perfect standard. Missing the mark.

Sinner – A person that sins. All people are sinners and need God’s forgiveness.

Tithe – A regular offering of money given to the church. The tithe supports the church staff and church programs to further the work of God.

Trinity – The concept that God exists in 3 persons – God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit – but has one essence or nature.