An Overview of Christianity

"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved."
--Acts 16:31

Christianity is the World’s Largest Religion with 33 percent share of the world’s total population which ranges from 1.5 billion to 2.1 billion adherents. This large number of Christian believers is distributed to at least 34,000 sects and denominations worldwide.

Christianity is the predominant religion in the South Africa, Europe, the Americas, and the Philippines – considered the only predominantly Christian country in Asia. Based on the world statistical trend, Christianity is declining in many developed countries like Western and Southern part of the United States, Australia, Great Britain, France, and Germany among others. However, a large increase is noticed among the developing countries.

Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the teaching of the “Christ” – the anointed one. Jesus of Nazareth is said to be the Christ or the Messiah sent by God to teach God’s will and to save mankind from eternal perdition. Believers of this doctrine are called Christians.

Basic Christian Beliefs

Although Christianity is divided into many sects and may have differences in their beliefs, most if not all of these sects agreed on these basic Christian doctrines.

• Jesus the Messiah.

The belief that Jesus is the Messiah and Son of God prophesied by the Hebrews as the savior of the human kind is the fundamental tenet of the Christian religion. Although many theological disputes still exist today regarding the nature of Jesus, adherents of Christianity generally believe the divinity of Jesus and its “God-incarnate” status.

• Jesus’ Death and Resurrection

These two events are the cornerstone of many Christian doctrines. The Death and Resurrection of Jesus are viewed as the most important Christian events that strengthened the belief of God's power over Life and Death.

• Eternal Salvation

Eternal salvation and punishment are an indispensable teaching of the Christian faith. Heaven or Hell as it is commonly called is the belief of a spiritual life after death of the physical body. In Christian faith, Jesus Crucifixion is the payment of all the sins of the world and a manifestation of God’s unconditional love for mankind. Christians believe that because of Jesus’ sacrifice in the cross, mankind is ensured of salvation provided he/she lives according to Gods will and church doctrines.

• The Holy Scriptures

The Bible is regarded as the sacred scriptures containing the word of God and Jesus teachings through his apostles and disciples. The Bible is said to be written by God’s order and inspiration and is believed to be inerrant.

• The Trinity

These are an important doctrine and belief among Christians that God has three co-existing personalities. The triumvirate is composed of God the Father, God the Son or Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Although this doctrine could be perceived as three different God, Christians assert they are one. This doctrine is still a favored subject to many theological disputes.

Major Christian Grouping

Although many Christian sects share same fundamental doctrine and belief, there are many unique practices and beliefs among these sects that differentiate them from the other. Here are the three major Christian groups.

• The Catholic Church

This group represents more than half of the Christian population and about a sixth of the population of the world. With 1.1 billion members, this group apparently is the largest among Christian groups. This group is headed by the Pope and administered throughout its adherents through bishops and cardinals. Its religious center is the Vatican in Rome where the seat of the papacy resides.

• The Protestants Churches

The protestant group is mainly the break-away groups from Catholic Church. Led by Martin Luther during the 16^th century, Protestants now rank the second largest group of Christians. In terms of basic teachings and belief, the Protestants share same doctrines with the other groups. Some notable practices of the Protestants that differ from the Catholics are the non-veneration of saints and patrons, and the absence of religious relics.

• The Orthodox Churches

The orthodox churches are the third largest Christian group with 200 million believers. These churches are basically in communion with the Eastern Patriarchal Sees. This group has many doctrinal conflicts with the other groups that resulted to the “Great Schism”