Christianity
Date founded: ~30 AD
Place founded: Holy Land - Jerusalem
Founder: Jesus of Nazareth - Jesus Christ, Hebrew: Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus the Messiah.
Adherents: ~2.7 billion, as of 2025. Size rank: #1 Largest world religion (33.75% of the world population)
Major denominations: Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Messianic Jews - Also See Denominations page for details
Catholics: 1.4 billion; Protestant 1 billion; Orthodox 300 million; Messianic Jews 1 million
US adherents: 200 million, Brazil 169 million, Mexico 118 million, Philippines 102 million, Russia 102 million, China 100 million, Nigeria 92 million, Congo DR 92 million, Ethiopia 73 million, South Africa 51 million, Italy 48 million, Colombia 43 million, Germany 39 million, Uganda 37 million, Kenya 37 million, Argentina 34 million, Ukraine 34 million, Tanzania 34 million, and UK 27 million
(Orthodox churches [date founded]: Eastern Orthodox (Byzantine: Greek 1054, Russian 988) and Oriental Orthodox (Coptic 68, Armenian 301, Syrian 44, Ethiopian 333, Eritrean 1993, and India Malankara Church-Thomas Christians 52)
Sacred text: Bible, 66 Books, 1,500 BC to 90 AD(CE), 40 Authors, one message: redemption-faith
Original language: Hebrew and Greek (<1% Aramaic)
Religious professionals: Pastor, Priest, Bishop, Vicar, Messianic Rabbi, Reverend. Lay: Elder and Deacon
House of worship: Church Building, Chapel, Cathedrals, Messianic Synagogue, homes, meeting places.
Type of theism: Monotheism, Trinity, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
Ultimate reality: The universe (all space and time) is real and created. Humans are special. God has provided a way to fellowship with Him now and in the New Creation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Human nature: Are given 100% free will, thus born with a sin nature (apart from God and His Holy Nature), in need of God's mercy, grace, and forgiveness.
Purpose of life: To love God and seek Him, live in the light of God's Love, and to love God and love others.
How to live: Prayer, study God through the Bible, and what He has created (nature). Love God and Love others. Forgive yourself and others as God has forgiven you.
Afterlife: Resurrection of the body, followers have "jobs" in the New Creation (heaven), where there will be no pain, suffering, or death. Free to reject this offer and be apart from God. (Rev 21)
Symbol: Cross of Jesus Christ, a place where atonement and redemption are found.
Major holidays: Resurrection Sunday (Easter), Good Friday (Christ's death on the cross), Christmas (day picked to celebrate Jesus' birth), New Year's (Year of Our Lord starts). Found in some but not all churches: Ash Wednesday (repentance, prayer, and fasting before Easter), Lent (40-day season), Ascension, Pentecost (ascended into heaven), All Saints' Day, Epiphany (Three Kings), Passover, and Thanksgiving Day.
Main location: Worldwide
Major events: Last Supper, atonement at the Cross, empty tomb, the ascension, Pentecost, Paul converion, Council of Jerusalem, letters to Churches, Fire of Rome; Nero launches persecutions, Destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, martyred followers, Conversion of Constantine, First Council of Nicea, First Council of Constantinople, Patrick begins mission to Ireland, 2nd Council of Nicea, East-West Split, Gutenberg produces first printed Bible, Luther posts his Ninety-Five Theses, Augsburg Confession Reformation, John and Charles Wesley’s evangelical conversions - Great Awakening, Wilberforce ends UK salvery, US Christian abolitionists start the end of US salvery, International Missionary Conference founed, C. S. Lewis comes to faith in Christ, Wycliffe Bible Translators founded, Dead Sea Scrolls discovered, and more.
Bible Creation: God creates the Universe (all space, time, and matter-sun) out of nothing (Creatio ex nihilo), as God is extra-demonial and transdemonial (now known to be 13.7 billion years ago-Gen1:1). Earth is unfit for life (molten). Primordial Earth is dark on its surface and covered with water. God transforms the earth so it is fit for life. God created life in the ocean (broods over it, protecting life in seas) (Gen 1:2). The early primordial Earth's darkness (Job 38) gave way to light, but could not see objects in sky [translucent] (Gen 1:3). The early primordial Earth had a water cycle (Gen 1:3). Continents - dry land forms (Gen 1:9-10). Plants began to grow on the continental landmasses (Gen 1:11-12). The atmosphere transitioned from translucent to transparent so that the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars could be seen from Earth’s surface.(Gen 1:14-Job 38). Swarms of small sea animals filled the oceans. [Avlon and Cambrian explosion] (Gen 1:20). Sea mammals and birds were created and became abundant. (Gen 1:21) (Birds are earlier in the record). Three specialized kinds of animals came onto the scene, [ livestock come late] (Gen 1:24). Human beings appeared (Gen 1:26). No new phylum or clade comes after Human beings appear, day 7(Gen 2:2). The Bible gets the creration 100% even though it was written over 3,500 years ago.
Foundations - History: Abraham is living in the city of Ur in Chaldea, Lower Mesopotamia. The City of UR was dedicated to the moon god Nanna, one of many gods at that time, like Ningal, Utu/Shamash, Inanna/Ishtar, and Iskur/Adad (a polytheistic city). God calls Abraham out of a polytheistic city to trust the only One true God, the Creator of all (12:1-4). Traditionally regarded as the first true monotheist Genesis 11–25). God promised to make Abraham a great nation, bless him, and bless all families of the earth (future blessings). These blessings are passed on to his son, Isaac, and then to his grandson Jacob. God renames Jacob to Israel ("one who strives with God" - Genesis 32:27-28). This name is given to the rebirth of the Jewish nation in 1948. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are ordinary people who trust God's promises. God gives a covenant to Abraham an unconditional promise in Genesis 12, 15, and 17, initiating a plan of redemption: promising him land (Canaan), numerous descendants, a great name, and blessing to all nations. Genesis 15:6 states that Abraham believed God, and that this was credited to him as righteousness, setting a precedent for salvation by faith. This faith is the message of the whole Bible. As found in the Merneptah Stele Stone and the Book of Genesis, Israel went into exile in Egypt. A new leader was selected by God, Moses, and with his leadership, Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. God made a covenant with Moses and the Israelites, often called the "Law", the first 5 books of the Bible. Passover is the meal commemorating the exodus from Egypt. Joshua is the next leader who leads the Israelites to the promised land. Judges ruled over the Israelites until their first king, Saul, followed by King David and then King Solomon. The nation of the Israelites is then divided into two: Judah and Israel. Both are taken into captivity to Babylon. After 70 years, most return to establish Judah again and rebuild the temple. The Hebrew Bible ends with the Prophet Malachi (about 425 BC), and the Greek New Testament does not start till the birth of Jesus (3 BC or 1 BC). This 400-year gap is so that everyone knows that the Bible from Genesis to Malachi was written before Jesus ' birth, life, and death. The Dead Sea Scrolls, found in 1946-1956, confirm that these texts were written before Jesus' birth and thus confirm the promises of the Messiah were given by God and not man's writings after Jesus' life.
(Between Testaments)
History tells us that the Israelites (and many other lands) were conquered by Alexander the Great in 332 BCE during his march toward Egypt. Alexander the Great granted the Jewish people freedom to worship and autonomy to live under their own laws when he reached Jerusalem (now Judea). After Alexander's death, Ptolemy I Soter, to Ptolemy 5, continued to grant Jews freedom to worship. The Seleucid Empire (based in Syria) under Antiochus III the Great defeated Ptolemaic Egypt at the Battle of Panium, seizing control of Judea. This victory marked the end of about 100 years of Greek-Egyptian rule. While initially allowing autonomy, this conquest eventually led to harsh Hellenization policies, triggering the Maccabean Revolt from 167 to 141 BC. General Pompey the Great of Rome conquered Judea (and Syria) in 63 BCE. Herod the Great became king of Judea in 37 BCE and was king at the time of Jesus birth, the start of the New Testament written in Greek, due to Alexander the Great's conquest of the known "world".
(New Testament)
The New Testament records the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, recorded by four different eyewitnesses: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Luke is a historian and a physician; as such, his record is the longest and most detailed. The Book of Matthew was primarily written for the Greek-speaking Jewish Christian community. The Book of John was written to both Greek-speaking Jews, Greeks and Romans to strengthen faith in Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God. The Book of Mark was primarily written for Roman Christians in the Roman Empire. Most Jews missed Jesus as their Messiah, as their prophets had foretold (Psalms 118:22, Matthew 21:42, and Acts 4:11). It is hard to blame the Jews, under hard Roman rule, they were looking for a Messiah who would remove the Romans from their lands, a conquering Messiah found in Psalm 2 & 110 and other passages, not the suffering servant to atone for sins found in Isaiah 53. Jews had debated whether the Messiah was a conquering King or a suffering servant, as both are found in the Bible. A number of Bible prophecies have two fulfillments. Jesus taught that the Messiah (himself, Jesus Christ) comes the first time as the suffering servant to atone and offer forgiveness. Also, the Messiah (Jesus) would come a second time as the conquering King to bring peace and reign. The conquering King will end evil, pain, suffering and death. Those who have faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and the Messiah the prophets foretold of, the Lord Jesus Christ, will enter into a New Creation. The New Creation will have no pain, suffering, or death. Followers will be given new "jobs" in this new home, that is beyond description of how great it will be.
(End Times-Eschatology)
See End Times page
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