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Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament writings of his early followers. It is the world's largest religion, with an estimated 2.1 billion followers, or about one-third of the world's population. It shares with Judaism the books of the Hebrew Bible (all of which are incorporated in the Old Testament), and for this reason is sometimes called an Abrahamic religion.

Christianity encompasses numerous religious traditions that widely vary by culture, as well as many diverse beliefs and sects. It is usually represented as having divided into three main branches, over the past two millennia:

  1. Catholicism (including the largest coherent group, the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Catholics, representing over one billion baptized members),
  2. Eastern Christianity (including the second largest coherent group, the Eastern Orthodox Church, as well as the Old Oriental Churches),
  3. Protestantism (Many denominations and schools of thought, including Anglicanism, Reformed, Lutheran, Methodist, Evangelicalism and Pentecostalism)

These three broad divisions do not represent equally uniform branches. On the contrary, in some cases they disguise vast disagreements, and in other cases minimize sympathies that exist. But this is the convenient standard overview of distinctions, especially as Christianity has been viewed in the Western world.

A more comprehensive overview would categorize the Monophysite Old Oriental Churches and the Nestorian Assyrian Church of the East as branches distinct from the Chalcedonian Christianity of Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism, and Restorationism as a tradition separate from Protestantism, with which it has often been included.

In the 19th and 20th centuries many Christian nations, especially in Western Europe, became more secular. Most communist states were governed by avowed atheists, though only Albania was officially atheist. Adherents to Fundamentalist Christianity, particularly in the United States, also disagreed with new scientific estimates about the age of the Earth and the development of the concept of evolution.

Differing interpretations of the Bible and other forces led to schisms in Christianity over the millennia, but all branches trace their roots to early Christianity.

Christianity today

The Christian cross and its many variations are traditional Christian symbols.

According to Adherents.com [1], Christianity is the world's most widely practiced religion, with 2.1 billion adherents, including 1.1 billion Roman Catholics, 510 million Protestants in a number of traditions, 216 million Orthodox, 158 million Independents (unaffiliated with the major streams of Christianity), and 31.7 million belonging to other groups (Jehovah's Witnesses, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Mormons, etc.). These last denominations describe themselves as Christian but are not usually recognized as such by other denominations, because of their unorthodox teachings.

Not all people identified as Christians accept all, or even most, of the theological positions held by their particular churches. Like the Jews, Christians in the West were greatly affected by The Age of Enlightenment in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Perhaps the most significant change for them was total or effective separation of church and state, thus ending the state-sponsored Christianity that had existed in European countries. Now one could be a free member of society and disagree with one's church on various issues, and one could even be free to leave the church altogether. Many did leave, developing belief systems such as Deism, Unitarianism, and Universalism, or becoming atheists, agnostics, or humanists.

Others created liberal wings of Protestant Christian theology. Modernism in the late 19th century encouraged new forms of thought and expression that did not follow traditional lines.

Reaction to the Enlightenment and Modernism triggered the development of literally thousands of Christian Protestant denominations, Roman traditionalist splinter groups of the Roman Catholic Church that do not recognize the legitimacy of many reforms the Roman Catholic Church has undertaken, and the growth of hundreds of fundamentalist groups that interpret the entire Bible in a more literal fashion.

In Europe, and to a lesser extent the United States, liberalism has also led to increased secularism. Some Christians have long since stopped participating in traditional religious duties, attending churches only on a few particular holy days per year or not at all. Many of them recall having highly religious grandparents, but grew up in homes where Christian theology was no longer a priority. They have developed ambivalent feelings towards their religious duties. On the one hand they cling to their traditions for identity reasons; on the other hand, the influence of the secular Western mentality, the demands of daily life, and peer pressure tear them away from traditional Christianity. Marriage between Christians of different denominations, or between a Christian and a non-Christian, was once taboo, but has become commonplace. Some traditionally Roman Catholic countries have largely become agnostic.

Liberal Christianity grew rapidly during the early 20th century in Europe and North America, by the 1960s gaining the leadership of many of the larger U.S. and Canadian mainline denominations. However, this trend has reversed. At the turn of the 21st century, though secular society tends to consider the more accommodating liberals as the representatives and spokesmen of Christianity, the mainline churches are shrinking. This is partly due to a loss of evangelistic zeal, partly due to drift of their membership to Christian churches which are associated with a more conservative Christianity, and partly due to the failure of one generation to pass on Christianity to the next. Among the larger Protestant denominations in the United States, only the conservative Southern Baptist is growing. In addition, many other conservative denominational churches are growing along with many conservative non-denominational churches.

Evangelical parachurch organizations have grown rapidly in the last half of the 20th century. The liberal Christian Century magazine has shrunk, while being replaced by its challenger, the rapidly growing evangelical Christianity Today.

The Enlightenment had much less impact on the Eastern Churches of Eastern and Oriental Orthodoxy. Having to face a much more hostile secular society, especially during the rise of Communism, the church clung to ancient beliefs, even as its membership eroded.

Today in Eastern Europe and Russia, a renewing trend is taking place. After decades of communist-instated atheism, there is widespread interest in Christianity, as well as religion in general. Many Orthodox churches and monasteries are being rebuilt and restored; Protestants of many denominations are pouring in to evangelize and build churches; and the Roman Catholic Church is revealing once secret dioceses and undertaking other steps to support Roman Catholic churches more openly.

In South America and Africa, Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity form rapidly growing movements that are increasingly sending missionaries to Europe and North America. This is also true of Asia where many of the underground "house churches" intend to send hundreds of thousands of missionaries out over the next decade.

During the second half of the 20th century the Megachurch phenomenon developed, featuring media rich presentations and ministries targeted by careful demographics. These and other modern approaches have been reproached from some quarters as crass consumerism, a dead-end result of Modernism. "Seeker sensitive" presentations, such as the Alpha Course, which cater to those who are skeptical of the Christian message or have no personal familiarity with it, are occasionally the subject of such charges.

Since the development of Postmodernism with its rejection of universally accepted belief structures in favour of more personalized and experiential truth, organized Christianity has increasingly found itself at odds with the desire many people have to express faith and spirituality in a way that is authentic to them. What has thus far been known as the Emerging Church is a by-product of this trend, as many people who broadly accept Christianity seek to practice that faith while avoiding established Church institutions.

Another reaction of some Christians to Postmodernism is the advent of what might be called Postmodern Christianity.

A large and growing movement within the Christian church, especially in the West and most visible in the United States, is the Evangelical movement. Most mainstream Protestant denominations have a significantly active Evangelical minority and, in some cases, a dominant majority (see Confessing Movement). Evangelicals are "trans-denominational" and are more willing to have formal and informal relationships with Evangelicals from outside their denomination than to have the same sort of relationship with non-Evangelicals within their denomination.

Some Evangelicals have been schismatic within various church organisations, leaving to form their own denominations. More often they are forced out. It was only by dint of sheer determination that John Wesley, founder of Methodism, was able to remain an Anglican priest against intense opposition. His followers separated in America and in England after his death. Some Evangelicals claim that their beliefs are no less than true Christianity itself and that those within the church who differ from them may not be true believers. This attitude has led to much disunity amongst churches, especially those with a large modernist influence. Evangelicals cannot be easily categorized, but almost all believe in the necessity of a personal conversion and acceptance of Jesus as Savior and Lord, the eventual literal return of Christ, a more conservative understanding of the Bible and a belief in the miraculous. There are many different types of Evangelicals including Dispensationists, Pentecostals, Charismatics and Fundamentalists.

Doctrine

Christians often view Christianity as the fulfillment and successor of Judaism, and Christianity carried forward much of the doctrine and many of the practices from the Hebrew faith, including monotheism, the belief in a Messiah (or Christ from the Greek Christós, which means "anointed one") spoken of in prophecies, certain forms of worship (such as prayer, and reading from religious texts), a priesthood (although most Protestants assert the "priesthood of all believers" is the only valid priesthood today), and the idea that worship on Earth is modeled on worship in Heaven.

The central belief of Christianity is that by faith in the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus, individuals are saved from death—both spiritual and physical—by redemption from their sins (i.e., faults, misdeeds, disobedience, rebellion against God). Through God's grace, by faith and repentance, men and women are reconciled to God through forgiveness and by sanctification or theosis to return to their place with God in Heaven.

Crucial beliefs in Christian teaching are Jesus' incarnation, atonement, crucifixion, and resurrection from the dead to redeem humankind from sin and death; and the belief that the New Testament is a part of the Bible. Many Christians today (and traditionally even more) also hold to supersessionism, the belief that Christianity is the fulfillment of Biblical Judaism.

The emphasis on God the Father giving his son, or the Son (who is God) becoming incarnate for the sake of humanity, is an essential difference between Christianity and most other religions, where the emphasis is instead placed solely on humans working for salvation.

The most uniform and broadly accepted tradition of doctrine, with the longest continuous representation, repeatedly reaffirmed by official Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant definitions (although not without dissent, as noted below) asserts that specific beliefs are essential to Christianity, including but not limited to:

  • God is a Trinity, a single eternal being existing as three persons: Father, Son (Divine Logos, incarnated as Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit.
  • Jesus Christ is both fully God and fully human, two "natures" in one person.
  • Salvation from spiritual death, a separation from God due to mankind's sin, is available to individual believers only through the person and work of Jesus Christ and by the grace of God. Most generally maintain that personal faith in Jesus Christ is necessary for salvation, and many view faith without associated "good works" as a "dead" (illegitimate) faith.
  • Jesus fullfilled Bible prophecy in regards to Messianic prophecy.
  • Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus, bore in her womb and gave birth to the Son of God, who although eternally existent as God was humanly formed in her womb by the Spirit of God. From her humanity he received in his person a human intellect and will, and all else that a child would naturally receive from its mother.
  • Jesus is the Messiah hoped for by the Jews, the heir to the throne of David. He reigns at the right hand of the Father with all authority and power forevermore. He is the hope of all mankind, their advocate and judge. Until he returns at the end of the world, the Church has the authority and obligation to preach the Gospel and to gather new disciples.
  • Jesus was innocent of any sin. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, believers are forgiven of sins and reconciled to God. Although virtually all Christians agree on this, there are a variety of views on the significance of Jesus' resurrection. Christians are baptized into the death, resurrection and new life of Christ. Through faith, they live by the promise of resurrection from death to everlasting life through Christ. The Holy Spirit is sent to them by Christ to bring hope, to lead mankind into true knowledge of God and His purposes, and to help them grow in holiness.
  • Jesus will return personally, and bodily, to judge all mankind and receive the faithful to himself, so they will live forever in the intimate presence of God.
  • The Bible is an authoritative book, inspired by God but written by men. Some, particularly in the West, refer to the Bible as the "word of God." Other Christians, particularly in the East, reserve to Jesus alone the title, Word of God. Christians disagree in various ways about the authority of the Bible (especially in relation to the authority of tradition) and how the Scriptures are best interpreted.

These beliefs are stated in a number of creeds, of which the most important and widely used are probably the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, commonly known as the Nicene Creed. These statements of belief were written in the first few centuries after Christ to reject certain heresies. Although there are arguments about specific parts of these creeds, they are still used by mainstream Christians to state their basic beliefs. (See also: Athanasian Creed)

Christian Love is basic to many forms of Christianity, based in part on Christ's answer to the question, "Which is the greatest commandment?" To which he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Matt. 22:36–39 NASB).

Many persons and groups throughout history have had varying ideas about the basic tenets of the Christian faith, from ancient sects such as Arians and Gnostics to modern groups who have different understandings of fundamental Christian ideas. Some of these groups are the Jehovah's Witnesses, who have a different theological understanding of Jesus, God and the Bible; the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who believe that in 1829 God restored the apostolic priesthood to their leader Joseph Smith, Jr., making possible continuing revelation (including additional teachings and scripture); and the Unification Church. While various groups may differ in their approach to the specifics of Christ's role, ministry, and nature (some calling him a god or Gods, and others a man), Christ is generally assumed to be of cosmic importance. Some of these groups number themselves among the Christian churches, or believe themselves to be the only true Christian church. Furthermore, many present-day liberal Christians do not define essential Christian belief necessarily including belief in the deity of Jesus, the virgin birth, the Trinity, miracles, the resurrection, the ascension of Christ, or the personality or deity of the Holy Spirit. Liberals may or may not recommend belief in such things, but differentiate themselves from conservative Christians by defining as included within genuine Christianity anyone who explains their views or teachings principally by appeal to Jesus; for example, John 3:16. It is common for those who hold the more traditional tenets of faith described in the paragraph above to assert that some or all of these groups are not true Christians, principally because they feel that by denying fundamental teachings about the nature, actions and teachings of Jesus, such persons are following a different religion. Conversely, liberals are often feel that "traditional" Christians have been misled by political organizations spanning thousands of years, and follow dogma designed to assign power to certain institutions.

See also Apostasy, Heresy, Heterodoxy, Orthodoxy.

Excommunication

Excommunication is the formal act of a Church in recognizing that a person has removed him or herself from the practice of orthodox faith. It is important to note that people are said to excommunicate themselves by their own actions; the Church claims that it merely affirms that fact formally with a declaration of excommunication. It effectively banishes a member of the Church from the communion of believers and the privileges of the Church. Excommunication is generally reserved for the most serious sins, including serious crimes, adultery, in most denominations polygamy and/or homosexual conduct, apostasy, and the alleged teaching false doctrines. In the case of apostasy and false teaching, excommunication is often a last resort after repeated warnings. In some denominations it may be a final action, while in others it may be rescinded if certain conditions are met, such as the repentance of the excommunicated member.

Christianity's relationship with other faiths

Further information: Christianity and world religions

Christianity's relationship with other faiths is at times rather complicated. Historically Christianity was often used to subjugate and oppress members of other faiths, particularly faiths considered "pagan" in nature. At the same time, early Christians did great deal of almsgiving to the poor not only to fellow believers but to pagans as well. The anti-Christian pagan emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363 AD), stated "These godless Galileans (ie. Christians) feed not only their own poor but ours: our poor lack our care". [2] Also, it is argued that Christianity had a role in the growth of tolerance in the West. [3] In addition, in modern times, prosecutions for blasphemy have been rare in nations such as the United States which is a fairly religious country with many Christians.[4] However, due to its diverse history and its numerous denominations and branches it is difficult to give an accurate account of Christianity's current relationship with the many non-Abrahamic faiths. The relationship of Christianity with faiths such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and the many so called "pagan" faiths of the world can vary from region to region and denomination to denomination. As such this segment will focus on Christianity's relationship with Abrahamic faiths.

Comparative religion scholars attempt to find commonality between religions; and, the description of Christianity as an Abrahamic religion arises from this effort, using the term to point out supposed commonalities especially in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, which each refer to Abraham as important to their faith. The Jews see Abraham as the progenitor of the people of Israel, through his descendants Isaac and Jacob, and Muslims admire Abraham (whom they call Ibrahim) as a great prophet and as the father of Ishmael, whom they believe to be the progenitor of Muhammad and whom they believe Abraham was to sacrifice rather than Isaac.

For their part, Christians point to Abraham as a spiritual ancestor and an exemplar of justifying faith. (This relationship is not to be confused with Abraham's role as a blood ancestor of Jesus, as described in the genealogies of Matthew chapter 1 and Luke chapter 3.) They see Jesus as Abraham's spiritual descendant, in whom God promised that all the families of the earth would be blessed (Gen. 12:3; 22:18), and thus they consider themselves heirs of that promise (Gal. 3, especially vv. 7,14,29; Rom. 9:6–8). Unlike Judaism and Islam, Christians see Abraham's willingness to offer his son, Isaac, to God, as foreshadowing God's giving of his son, Jesus, for the salvation of men (Gen. 22:1–14; Heb. 11:17–19).

Thus, some members of each faith see Abraham as a basis for understanding between Christians, Jews, and Muslims, but when Christians use the "Abrahamic roots" language, they do not mean that true Christianity is found in some kind of average of religions with overlapping traditions, but merely that, the Christian faith has elements in common, which may provide a helpful basis for constructive relationships between peoples of the divergent traditions. Two representatives of the Roman Catholic Church, for instance, have recently referenced the Abrahamic roots of the Christian faith publicly: In a statement to the United Nations in 2001, Apostolic Nuncio Renato Cardinal Martino, spoke of "the peoples of the Holy Land" as "cousins in the Abrahamic faith." Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) struck the same theme in his statement in 2000 in an effort to repair damaged Jewish-Roman Catholic relations during the time of Pope Pius XII and Adolph Hitler: "Even if the most recent, loathsome experience of the Shoah [the Holocaust] was perpetrated in the name of an anti-Christian ideology, which tried to strike the Christian faith at its Abrahamic roots in the people of Israel, it cannot be denied that a certain insufficient resistance to this atrocity on the part of Christians can be explained by an inherited anti-Judaism present in the hearts of not a few Christians".

Christianity and Judaism

There have long been some sentiments of anti-semitism in Christianity (see Christianity and anti-Semitism), but especially since the Holocaust, there has been much dialogue between Christians groups and Jews aimed at Christian-Jewish reconciliation and Christian attitudes toward Jews have greatly improved. Many conservative evangelicals support Christian Zionism, which is tied to the common belief that the Jewish people are "the apple of God's eye". Many are dispensationalists, who believe that the ingathering of Jews to the modern state of Israel is a fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. They await the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem, which they believe to be one of the final signs that Jesus is returning soon to rescue the Church from the Great Tribulation, and to save the Jews from the Antichrist, after which Jesus is expected to reign over the earth from Jerusalem, during the Millennium.

Jewish criticism

A common Jewish criticism of Christianity is that Jesus did not fulfill prophecy. Christians by and large believe that Jesus did fulfill prophecy, but Jewish scholars and religious leaders often argue that many of the prophecies remain unfulfilled. Some such prophecies include the following: The Hebrew people were expecting a descendant of King David, anointed by God, who would restore the Nation of Israel and the Davidic Kingdom, ushering in an everlasting age of peace on earth. The Messiah was also to end all earthly bondage and servitude (Particularly to the Romans). Many Jews today believe that were Jesus the true Messiah (or anointed one) it would be in the power of none to deny him. Christians, by and large, believe in an eventual Second Coming in which Jesus will fulfill all prophecy.

Messianic Judaism

Messianic Judaism refers to a loose religious movement, self-identified as Jewish, holding that Jesus is or was the Messiah. Messianic Jews may hold a wide range of religious beliefs and practices, ranging from Evangelical Christian Judaism to Christian Orthodox Judaism. Messianic Jews vary in their adherence Jewish religious law and worship practices, such as keeping of Kosher and observing the Sabbath. Even though Messianic Jews are typically of a Jewish ethnicity, some Messianic temples may be composed entirely of gentiles. Messianic Jews are not considered part of the Jewish religion by mainstream Jewish groups. There are also Jewish members of Christian churches that are not affiliated with Messianic Judaism.

Many Jews argue that since Jesus failed to fulfill numerous prophecies he could not have been the true Messiah. Because of this argument some religious Jews have dismissed Messianic Judaism as little more than Christianity with Jewish undertones. However Messianic Jews believe in the Second Coming of Jesus and that those prophecies which Jesus supposedly failed to fulfill will be fulfilled upon his eventual return.

See also

Christianity and Islam

Muslims refer to themselves, Jews, and Christians (among other religious adherents) as People of the Book since they all base their religion on books that are considered to have a divine origin. Christians accept the Old Testament as part of their Biblical canon, but they neither consider the Qur'an to be a book of divine revelation or a part of their faith nor agree with Islam's view that Jesus was a prophet, on par with Muhammad, much in the same way as Jews do not consider the New Testament a divine revelation or Jesus of divine being.

Muslims, unlike Christians and Jews, do not believe in Messianic Prophecy. Instead, in Islam Messiah means Anointed Prophet, thus Muslims believe in more than one Messiah. In Islam any Prophet anointed by God could be considered a Messiah, and therefore Muslims believe that Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad were all Messiah.

Christianity and persecution

Historically Christians have been both the victims and perpetrators of persecution. Some forms of persecution continue to the present day.

Christian martyrs in the first three centuries were crucified, torn apart by chariots, cut down, or impaled on pikes in much the same manner as Roman political prisoners and rebels. Many were forced to fight in Roman coliseums as fodder for famous gladiators, or forced to fight each other for entertainment and as punishment. When early christians refused to fight each other wild beast or gladiators would often be set loose to slaughter them, providing sinister entertainment for betting Roman citizens. Bets were often cast on which Christian would die first, whether or not one would raise arms against another, and how long one would last before having his or her torso ripped apart. They are recognized as martyrs because they chose to die rather than renounce their Christian faith.

In the Middle East and Africa, Christians face a great deal of persecution, including arrests for "blasphemy" in the Middle East and even being targeted for assassination and acts of terrorism. Though such violence against Christians is extremely uncommon in China, Christians in China are treated as second class citizens, and are often the victims of public insults and persecution by government officials. In China there are also laws against proselytizing, so while it's not illegal to convert to Christianity, one can be fined or imprisoned for attempting to convert others, especially publicly. Predominantly Christian regions (such as East Timor) have chosen independence partly for this reason. Because of this, many Christian converts from these parts of the world have left for Europe, the United States, Canada and Australia.

Christians have not always only been the victims of persecution however. As early as year 323 AD. Constantine became the sole Roman Emperor and declared Christianity the Roman religion. Subsequently all pagan practices and worship were made illegal, through perhaps not by Constantine himself. Those who continued to worship the ancient pagan gods of Rome were imprisoned, tortured, and killed. The pagan temples of Rome were also desecrated, torn apart, and sacked, or converted to Christian sites. This sent shockwaves throughout the ancient world, and the subsequent Christianization of Greece and other regions touched by Rome was by and large a very violent process, including forced conversions, public executions, and ethnic cleansing. Since the rise of Constantine as emperor of Rome Christianity has developed a long history of persecution, particularly against pagans and other non-Christians.

In spite of the widely held belief that violence is antithetical to Christ's teachings, some Christian adherents have at times persecuted, tortured, and killed others over doctrinal and ethnic differences. Few would deny the role of Christianity in the Crusades, the Inquisition, and the Witch hunts that acted as a means to exterminate nonchristians between the Dark Ages and the early settlement of the USA. Anti-Semitism, which remains in some denominations today, has also been a powerful force at various times in Christian history, sometimes resulting in great violence.

Christians in Western countries are sometimes accused of persecution and discrimination today, although alleged offences are minor compared with the torture and death as forms of persecution elsewhere. The campaigns of some Christians against allowing homosexuals equal legal rights, and rare individual instances of religiously motivated violence and vandalism sometimes fuel these allegations. Christian disagreements with other religions are also sometimes seen as persecution by those disagreed with, particularly when the rhetoric reaches what some perceive as threatening. Campaigns by a small minority of Christians for the setting up of Christian states are sometimes seen as a dangerous form of separatism, particularly by those of different faiths. Some Christians see alleged restrictions placed on some forms religious activity in the public sphere as a form of discrimination. In the United States many secular organizations may receive government funding, but not tax exempt status, while religious organizations may not receive government funding but do receive tax exemption.

Conflicts within Christianity itself have led to the persecutions of one Christian group by another. Protestants, Roman Catholics and other Christians have at times persecuted each other, sometimes violently. In the second half of the 20th century the violent conflict between armed political groups among the unionist and nationalist communities in Northern Ireland carried a strong element of sectarianism between Protestants and Roman Catholics.

For more information, see Persecution of Christians and Historical persecution by Christians.

== See also ==

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jesus Christ.

References and Select Bibliography

  • The Story of Christianity by Justo L. Gonzalez (1984, 1985, 1999, ISBN 1565635221)
  • Christian Theology: An Introduction by Alister McGrath (ISBN 0631225285)
  • Christian Theology Reader by Alister McGrath (ISBN 063120637X)
  • Mere Christianity. C.S. Lewis
  • Systematic Theology, an ecumenical trilogy by Thomas Oden
    • Volume 1: The Living God (1992, ISBN 0060663634)
    • Volume 2: The Word of Life (1992, ISBN 0060663642)
    • Volume 3: Life in the Spirit (1994, ISBN 0060663626)
  • The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine. Jaroslav Pelikan. 5 Volumes, published between 1971-1989.
  • The Kingdom of God is Within You [5] by Leo Tolstoy (1894, ISBN 0803294042)

General on-line sources

  • WikiChristian, a wiki book on Christianity, church history and doctrine, and Christian art and music
  • The Catholic Encyclopedia, containing detailed information on Catholic beliefs and history and the Catholic view of other churches and beliefs
  • The Vatican contains much official information related to the Roman Catholic Church in many languages
  • Home Page of Orthodox Church and Bible Study Links While this site manifestly exhibits a certain point of view or editorial bias, it does provide some good information and links regarding Eastern Orthodoxy, particularly as it relates to the more mainstream Eastern Orthodox jurisdictions.

Criticisms

Criticisms, responses to

Directories

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