What is Christianity?

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. 

DOUGLAS JACOBSEN is Distinguished Professor of Christian History and Theology Emeritus, Messiah University, Pennsylvania, USA. A widely traveled researcher and speaker, he is the award-winning author of several books including The World’s Christians and Global Gospel. Professor Jacobsen currently co-directs the Religion in the Academy Project, a major research initiative examining the intersections of religion and religious diversity within higher education.

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

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