The Everything Christianity Book

A Complete and Easy-To-Follow Guide to Protestant Origins, Beliefs, Practices and Traditions

Michael F Russell, Amy Wall

• Publisher: Everything
• Year: 2004
• Print ISBN: 9781593370299
• eBook ISBN: 9781605509440
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christianity

A complete and easy-to-follow guide to Protestant origins, beliefs, practices, and traditions Christians make up about one third of the world's population. Among those two billion followers, over 185 million are of the Protestant faith. What are the differences between Protestant and Catholic? Both are of the Christian faith, right? These questions and more are answered in The Everything Christianity Book —an easy-to-read, inclusive treatment to one of the world's oldest religions. Among the many questions answered:

• Who was Martin Luther?
• When did the Protestantism split from the Catholic Church?
• What are the differences between the different branches of Protestantism (Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, et. al.)?
• Do Protestant churches have a hierarchy similar to that of the Catholic Church?
• How are Christian holidays observed from the Protestant perspective?

Christians and non-Christians alike—no matter what their denomination—will gain a new understanding of the rich diversity and complexities of Protestant practices and traditions. Full of facts and figures, names, dates, and places, The Everything® Christianity Book is a stimulating, thought-provoking book on the Protestant faith.

Chapter 1

Early Christianity

In the sixteenth century, the Christian church went through a religious revolution, or Reformation, from Catholicism to what we now refer to as Protestantism. It was a gradual change with origins often credited to a man named Martin Luther. But in order to understand its effect on the Christian world today, we need to go all the way back to the beginning of Christianity itself.

In the Beginning

The birth of Christianity goes back to the time when Jesus traveled the Middle East region of the world teaching the word of God. Although Jesus has been referred to as “Jesus of Nazareth,” the town of Nazareth was in the green, mountainous region of Galilee, so he was also called a “Galilean.” It is actually in the region of Galilee that Jesus chose to begin his ministry.

Jesus Christ

According to the Bible, Jesus was born to Mary (daughter of Anne and Joachim), who was chosen by God to bear His son. The Bible states that Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and announced: “You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus” (Luke 1:31, NIV). In a state of grace, Mary accepted God’s will.

Mary was engaged to an older man, the carpenter Joseph. At that time, bearing a child outside of wedlock was considered disgraceful. Joseph considered leaving Mary, but an angel appeared to him to explain that he would be head of a household in which Mary would bear the son of God. And so Joseph too accepted his role.

Roman Catholics believe in the doctrine of “Immaculate Conception,” which recognizes that Mary was sinless (or without sin) when she conceived Jesus. Other Christians simply believe that Jesus’ birth was a miracle.

The Roman Empire

Jesus was born during the time of the Roman Empire (about 400 B.C. – A.D. 476), under the rule of the Roman emperors. At least 200 years before he was born, and for at least 200 years after his death, what we know today as Europe, the Middle East, and parts of northern Africa were ruled by the Romans. As the Roman armies swept across the region, they toppled existing cultures and governments by violent means, installing their own societal and governmental influences in their wake. So whatever belief systems existed in many of these areas were buried with their civilizations.

However, this time period was also surprisingly a time of relative peace—a time referred to as “Pax Romana.” The Romans developed cities by establishing water and sewage systems, public baths, and theatres. However, despite the growth and development of the time, there was still a great deal of religious unrest resulting in an outpouring of spiritual prophets. Many considered Jesus to be one of them, but he was not simply a prophet. He was the Son of God, and his influence took hold and became one of the biggest religions of all time.

Christian Influence

Today, it’s hard to imagine what the Western World would be like without the dominating influences of Christianity: We see it in our schools, in our jobs, and even in our politics.

Our calendar year is based on the birth of Jesus; we live in the twenty-first century (which really means twenty-one centuries after the birth of Christ); and to help us put history in comprehensible perspective, we refer to events or dates as being A.D. (anno Domini or “in the year of our Lord”) and B.C. (or “before Christ”).

So if it all started with Jesus, why do we have so many different factions of Christianity today? What does it all mean? Catholic? Protestant? Evangelical? Born Again? How did so many different beliefs come from the humble beginnings of one man and a group of his followers? The only way to make sense of any of it is take a step back into history.

Although many refer to Jesus as “Jesus Christ,” Christ wasn’t his last name, but a title. In Hebrew, “The Christ,” means “The Messiah” and serves as the root of the word Christianity. In his time, Jesus would have been referred to as Jesus of Nazareth— the area in which he was raised.

Religion Before Jesus

Human beings have always relied on some sort of belief system to help them understand the world mysteries. It’s hard to believe that the earth is here merely by luck and that we are born, live, and die for no good reason at all. Religion, myth, and legend have always been comforts to help people find answers to questions that would otherwise be unanswered.

While Eastern culture developed many different “universal” belief systems several centuries older than Jesus, Western Civilization did not have a universal religion. Before Jesus, Judaism was the predominant religion in Palestine, which was part of the Roman Empire.

Judaism was also around long before the Romans conquered the region, but Roman leaders did not see the Jewish people as a threat—they chose to keep to themselves and helped maintain law and order within their societies. Besides, if they continued to pay their taxes to the Caesar, the Emperor of Rome, the Romans had no reason to feel they would cause any kind of trouble for the Empire.

The Pagans

The roots of paganism are the fertility cycle of nature and the existence of gods that were reborn every spring. The Greeks, for example, had an entire belief system built on a society of gods that represented different aspects of their culture.

What is a pagan?

By dictionary definition, a pagan is a label given to someone who is not Jewish, Muslim, or Christian. However, “paganism” is really a host of various different belief systems based on native societal and cultural rituals and traditions.

Many of the pagan beliefs held to the basic principles that applied to the message of Jesus: the rejection of immorality (sin) and resurrection (rebirth), for example. As word spread of Jesus’ miracles—for example, his ability to feed thousands of hungry people with only five loaves of bread and two fish—so did the intrigue surrounding him. Because he changed lives, people continued to gather around him and listen to his teachings.

Judaism in the Midst of Change

The people of the Jewish faith, who represented about half the population of Palestine (about 1 million) felt threatened by the pagan factions that sprang up all over the region. The Jewish people held onto the voice of their past prophets, predicting that one day God would deliver them from pagan influences by sending a Messiah, who would bring an end to corruption and establish the kingdom of God throughout the world. The evil ones would be condemned and the righteous would spend eternity in paradise. With further influence of foreign lords and pagan practice, it was time for the Messiah to arrive.

Politics and Jewish Factions

It’s important to understand the society in which Jesus lived in order to realize the magnitude of what he started and his followers continued. At that time, Jewish society was divided into several different political and religious factions, and the one thing these groups had in common was their dislike of the Romans.

Here is a list of the various Jewish power factions:

• The Pharisees: A group of staunchly restrictive Jewish leaders.
• The Sadducees: A conservative political group that represented the aristocracy of the Jewish society.
• The Zealots: A group that believed in armed conflict against the Romans.
• The Essenes: A group that was neither politically active nor violent, but that took to the wilderness to study religious writings.

Jesus and His Apostles

Jesus was Jewish—he was raised in the Jewish tradition under Jewish law. Together with a group of his disciples (students), Jesus traveled the region of Palestine to spread the word of God. At a time when people suffered spiritual suppression and craved religious leadership and guidance, Jesus offered them hope of salvation and renewed faith. The message he projected was one that the people desperately needed to hear.

The word “apostle” comes from the Greek word “apostello,” which means “to dispatch.” Another Greek word, “apostolos,” means “one who is dispatched” or entrusted with a mission— a sort of ancient-day ambassador.

The Message

Jesus’ message had come from Jewish roots, but it was also new, because he preached “a new and living way” (Hebrews 10:20, NIV). He taught the people the word of God, which would lead them to salvation, and that God wanted them to live their lives in goodness, love, and simplicity—which is more important than living life according to laws made by powerful politicians.

The Followers

To help him spread his message, Jesus chose twelve friends to be his closest disciples (also called “apostles” or “followers”). However, he also had many other disciples who set off ahead of Jesus on his travels to help prepare his way.

Here is a list of Jesus’ twelve apostles:

1. Simon: From Bethsaida; Jesus gave him the name of Peter (Greek) or Cephas (Aramaic), both of which mean “rock”; he is often considered the leader of the twelve.
2. Andrew: From Bethsaida; Simon Peter’s brother; he and John were the first disciples Jesus called.
3. James (son of Zebedee): John’s brother; he was killed in A.D. 44 by Herod Agrippa I and is considered the first apostle to die as a martyr.
4. John (son of Zebedee): James’ brother; one of the closest friends of Jesus; the author of the Gospel of John.
5. Philip: From Bethsaida, as Peter and Andrew.
6. Matthew: The tax collector; also known as Levi; the author of the Gospel of Matthew.
7. Thomas: He has the nickname “Doubting Thomas” because he wanted to actually see and touch Jesus’ scarred body after his resurrection; Didymus is the Greek version of his name.
8. Bartholomew: From Cana; one of the disciples to whom Jesus appeared at the Sea of Tiberias after his resurrection.
9. James (son of Alphaeus): He is also known as James the Younger, or James the Less; the author of John’s epistle.
10. Thaddeus: Also known as “Judas, the brother of James.”
11. Simon: Also known as the Zealot; evangelized Persia and Ethiopia.
12. Judas Iscariot: The only disciple not from Galilee; the one who betrayed Jesus and then committed suicide after Jesus w...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Top Ten Protestant Reformers and Reform Movements
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Early Christianity
• Chapter 2: The Early Years of the Catholic Church
• Chapter 3: Christians and Rome
• Chapter 4: Early Christian Leaders
• Chapter 5: The Monks
• Chapter 6: The Early Middle Ages
• Chapter 7: The Late Middle Ages
• Chapter 8: Pre-Reformation
• Chapter 9: The Renaissance
• Chapter 10: Protestant Inspiration
• Chapter 11: The Lutheran Movement
• Chapter 12: Protestant Reformation
• Chapter 13: Protestant Globalization
• Chapter 14: Calvinism
• Chapter 15: Presbyterianism
• Chapter 16: Reformation in England
• Chapter 17: The Church of England
• Chapter 18: Counter (Catholic) Reformation
• Chapter 19: The New World
• Chapter 20: The Great Awakening
• Chapter 21: Revolution and Reform
• Chapter 22: Christianity in the Modern Age
• Appendices
• Copyright