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Full Description
What Is Christianity? provides a fascinating overview of the world's largest religion, weaving history, theology, spirituality, denominational divisions, and global growth into a single compelling story. Written in clear and captivating prose that requires no previous knowledge of Christianity, it describes the religion inspired by Jesus as a living faith that is still changing and developing today.
Reader-friendly chapters introduce the major traditions of Christianity (Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, and Pentecostalism), explaining their spiritual appeal and tracing their evolution over the centuries. Christianity's recent global expansion is highlighted, but Christianity has been a diverse and multicultural movement from the very beginning. Each chapter provides thought-provoking insights into the beliefs, values, practices, achievements, and failures of Christians as they tried to remain faithful to the message and meaning of Jesus in different times and places.
Condenses a vast amount of information into a coherent narrative
Explains how and why Christianity has become so incredibly diverse
Describes what almost all Christians have always held in common
Summarizes the current status of Christianity in each global region
Discusses the challenges that Christians worldwide are facing today
What Is Christianity? is an ideal introduction to Christianity as a world religion for people who are unfamiliar with Christianity as well as for Christians who want to know more about their own faith and the faith practices of fellow believers from other Christian traditions. An engaging text for general readers, this short volume will also be a stimulating choice for book discussion groups and or for the classroom.
Contents
List of Figures ix
List of Tables xi
Introduction: What Is Christianity? 1
1 Christian Beginnings 5
The Jewish Roots of Christianity 6
Jesus and the Gospel 7
Christianity's Original Diversity 9
Emergence of the Great Church 11
The Roman Imperial Church 12
Christian Diversity and Unity in the Year 500 14
The Great Division 15
The "Traditioning" of Christianity 19
2 Orthodoxy: Preserving Ancient Ways 21
Orthodox Spirituality 21
The Orthodox Understanding of Salvation 26
Orthodox History 28
Institutional and Social Structure of Orthodoxy 35
3 Catholicism: The Church 40
Catholic Spirituality 41
The Catholic Understanding of Salvation 45
Catholic History 47
Institutional and Social Structure of Catholicism 54
4 Protestantism: The Bible and the Individual 59
Protestant Spirituality 60
The Protestant Understanding of Salvation 64
Protestant History 67
Institutional and Social Structure of Protestantism 74
5 Pentecostalism: The Power of the Spirit 79
Pentecostal Spirituality 80
The Pentecostal Understanding of Salvation 85
Pentecostal History 87
Institutional and Social Structure of Pentecostalism 91
6 Becoming Global 95
Catholic Globalization 96
Protestant Globalization 101
The Bigger Picture: From Eurocentrism to World Christianity 105
7 The Contemporary Geography of Christianity 111
Mapping Christianity's Regional Differences 111
The Middle East and North Africa 113
Eastern Europe 115
Western Europe 116
India and Central Asia 117
Sub-Saharan Africa 118
East Asia 120
Latin America 121
North America 122
Oceania 124
Christian Interactions Today 125
8 Common Threads and Shared Challenges 128
Common Threads in the Early Christian Movement 128
The Modern Search for Christian Unity 131
Christian Commonalities Today 134
Contemporary Challenges 137
Conclusion: What Is Christianity Today? 145
Index 149
