1. CHRISTIANITY

2. "At the Beginning of the 20th century, 80 percent of
all Christians were white and lived in the northern
hemisphere. By the year 2020, 80 percent of all
Christians will be people of colour, who live in the
Southern Hemisphere."
- Keith F. Pecklers

3. CHRISTIANITY
●Understand how the church has grown,
developed, changed throughout history
●Understand the issues and importance of
the reformation (including Martin Luther
and Catholic response)
●Understand the basic similarities and
differences between the various Christian
denominations

4. Definition:
●Everyone who is baptized in Christ is a Christian.
However, each baptized person also belongs to a
particular family of Christians (i.e. Anglican, Catholic,
Baptist etc.).
●Catholics are Christians who belong to the Latin or
the Eastern Catholic Churches.
●All Christians however are catholic (with a small c)
because Christ is present in all Christian Churches.
●The word catholic means “universal” or “to the whole
world.”

5. The History of Christianity
● Jesus of Nazareth, founder (c. 4 B.C.E – 30 C.E.)
● Apostolic Age
●St. Paul (35 – 64 C.E.) – Apostle to the Gentiles
●Simon Peter (death 64 C.E.)
●Council of Jerusalem (approx 50 C.E.)
●Final Break with Judaism
●Persecution
●Nero (37-68 C.E.)
●Diocletian (284-305 C.E.)

6. The History of Christianity
● Freedom
●Constantine (280-337 C.E.)
●Battle of Milvian Bridge
●Edict of Milan (313 C.E.)
●Council of Nicea (325 C.E.) - Jesus, the Son, was
equal to the Father, one with the Father, and of the
same substance (homoousios in Greek).
●Constantinople (capital of Empire 330 C.E.)

7. SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY

8. The History of Christianity
●The Church Splits
●Council of Chalcedon (Nature of Jesus- divine or
human?) (Oct 8-Nov 1, 451)
●Coptic (Egypt) and Jacobite (Syria) split b/c say he is
ONLY divine
●Bishop of Rome and Patriarch of Constantinople say
he is BOTH divine and human

9. The History of Christianity
●The Empires Fall
●West (Latin) falls in 476
●East (Greek) falls in 1453
●Christianity offers:
●Organizational Structure
●Unity in thought
●Preservation of Culture
and Wealth
●The Medieval Church

10. The History of Christianity
●The Crusades
(1096 – 1270)
●1st
Crusade – Starts
1095, Antioch captured in
1099 followed by Jerusalem.
●3rd
Crusade - Jerusalem
lost in 1187
●4th
Crusade – final
crusade sponsored by the
papacy.

11. CRUSADES

12. The History of Christianity
●Eastern Orthodoxy Separates (1054)
● Filioque – "and the son"
●Constantinople vs. Rome
●Capture and sacking of Constantinople by the 4th
crusade in 1204.
●Attempts at reconciliation in 1274 and 1439
achieve union between the West and what are
know the “Eastern Rite Catholic Churches"

13. The History of Christianity
Constantinople
(Istanbul, Turkey)
Rome

14. What are some of the differences between the Eastern and the Western churches?

15. The History of Christianity
●The Reformation (16th
Century)
●Martin Luther
●95 Thesis
●Indulgences – tickets to heaven
●Simony – sale of Church offices
●Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone)
●Sola Fide (Faith Alone)
●John Calvin
●The Anabaptists
●The English Church
●King Henry VIII
●

16. The Protestant Reformation
Movement Time/Events People Beliefs Legacy
Lutheran
Calvin
Anabaptists
Anglicans
Use the internet to research & complete the chart

18. The English Reformation

19. DIVISIONS

20. The History of Christianity
●The Counter Reformation
●Council of Trent ( 3 sessions from 1545 – 1563)
● Doctrine Reaffirmed
● Structural Changes
● Religious Orders
● St. Ignatius Loyola
● Jesuits – scholars and missionaries
●

21. The History of Christianity
●Scientific Revolution
● Contextual vs. Literal reading of scripture
●Evangelization of the New World
●Secularization (Church State Separation)
● Removing the religious aspects from ceremonies and
festivals
●The Ecumenical Movement
● Vatican II (1962 – 1965)

22. Christianity Today
●Taking into account what you
have learned about the
different denominations of
Christianity…
●Make a VENN diagram
illustrating some similarities
and differences amongst the 3
Churches.
●What are the connections
between the central beliefs of
each of the faiths and their
architecture?

23. Tolerance Begins
●During the enlightenment (18th
century) the idea of religious
tolerance became popular.
●Tolerance = recognizing the right of others to think, live worship
according to their own beliefs.
●By 1950 the world had dramatically changed (the Holocaust, world
wars, a world-wide depression, and an emerging non-colonial
economy).
●The Church no longer wanted to be associated with colonial
practices based on the assumption of primitive and false faiths.
●Church began to understand that there are good and worthy parts
to other religions that should be understood and appreciated
through dialogue and shared goals.
●Official dialogue and openness between Catholics and Protestants
begins following Vatican II.

24. The Move to Ecumenism
●Contradictions among Christians can lead to confusion and
go against Jesus’ desire for unity among his followers. Most
Christians see the need for greater unity.
●Goal is to do away with conflict and contradictions not
difference.
●Ecumenical movement started in 1910 with the purpose of
working for Christian unity.
●In 1948 the World Council of Churches was formed to work
towards this goal.
●Communion is the goal of ecumenism and dialogue is the
means of achieving it.

25. The Move to Ecumenism
Communion:
●Christian churches are already in partial communion due to
the fact that they confess Jesus Christ and practice Baptism.
●Remaining roadblocks include: how each church confesses
Christ, how they view the Eucharist, Baptism and leadership in
the Church.
Dialogue is based on two understandings:
●It is more than talking, it means living, praying, studying and
working together.
●A universal church will NOT be identical to any existing
church.

26. Required Reading
The Catholic Church and the Modern World
NOSTRA AETATE,
(See appendix)

27. Questions:
Nostra Aetate
1.What specifically does Nostra Aetate refer to?
2.What makes a world religion a world religion?
3.What are the two main places of origins that most world
religions fall into? Which religions fall into each?
4.Which religions are focused on seeking eternal life within
a single lifespan? Which religions view the time as being
cyclical and allow for many lifespan before achieving
liberation?
5.How do 4 of the world religions prioritize proselytizing?
6.Why has the study of world religions been advocated by
Pope John XXIII?

28. Answers: Nostra Aetate
1. What specifically does Nostra Aetate refer to? The Declaration on the
Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religion
2. What makes a world religion a world religion? The definitive aspect is the
influence a particular religion now wields, has exerted in the past, or both. Religion is
one of the most pervasive factors in a culture and, as a result, has a lasting effect
which sometimes outlasts the religion itself.
3. What are the two main places of origins that most world religions fall into?
Which religions fall into each? The Near (Middle-Eastern or sometimes called
Western) Beliefs and the far Eastern Beliefs. The three Near Eastern faiths are
Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The far Eastern Beliefs include Shintoism, Hinduism,
and Buddhism.
4. Which religions are focused on seeking eternal life within a single lifespan?
Which religions view the time as being cyclical and allow for many lifespan
before achieving liberation? The Near-Eastern religions of Christianity, Judaism and
Islam view time as being linear and allow for only one lifetime. The far Eastern Beliefs
view time as cyclical in nature and believe in the process of Samsara, or transmigration
of the soul from one death into life.

29. Answers: Nostra Aetate
5. How do 4 of the world religions prioritize proselytizing?
●Both Christianity and Islam have traditionally stressed proselytizing and welcome
converts into the faith community as whole members.
●Hinduism does not stress a change in the beliefs in others but is rather flexible in
integrating a variety of beliefs systems.
●Lastly, Judaism has often discouraged conversion based upon their dual identity
as a faith community and as an ethnically distinct group.
6. Why has the study of world religions been advocated by Pope John XXIII?
●For Catholic Christians, having a better understanding of the multitude of faith
beliefs and world views serves many purposes. Knowledge will perpetuate a deeper
understanding and tolerance between different peoples and bring the world closer to
global peace.
●As Catholics, studying other religions requires that we become better acquainted
with our own faith and strengthens our commitment as disciples of God.

30. The Catholic Church and the Modern World
●Since Vatican II there has been an emphasis in
Catholicism on inter-faith dialogue.
●Why might this be?
●Key statements issued by Vatican II:
1.God’s Salvation is Offered to ALL People
2.Jesus Christ is Present in Other Religions
●All authentic religions contain rays of the truth taught by Jesus. The
fullness of Christ however can found only where Christ is fully worshiped.
3.The Holy Spirit is at Work in Other Religions
●The same Holy Spirit lives in other religions. Catholics may come to a
fuller truth about Jesus by listening to the workings of God in all religions.
4.Dialogue is Part of the Church’s Mission
●Gifts of the Holy Spirit in other faiths must be found by the Church (here
dialogue is essential). If the church fails to be receptive of other religions , it
may be failing in its own mission to proclaim Christ.

31. The Catholic Church and the Modern World
●Religious Pluralism (the co-existence of many religions in a
society) is practiced in Canada due to our policy of
multiculturalism and our Charter of Rights and Freedoms
which guarantees “freedom of conscience and religion.”
●At the same time the Catholic church believes in
evangelization (bringing the Gospel to others).
●Pope John Paul II called Catholics to a “new evangelization”
done with respect for the paths of different people and aimed
at purifying their values / bringing them to fullness.
●Part of this “new evangelization” is interfaith dialogue aimed
at understanding NOT conversion.
●How is this different from previous forms of evangelization?
●What are some ways of achieving this type of dialogue?

32. The Catholic Church and the Modern World
●Since Vatican II the Eastern and Western Churches have
begun to call one another “sister Churches”; they base
themselves on Eucharistic communion and have accepted
each other’s Eucharist.
●Dialogue within Western Churches is different; because
there is such difference among these churches, dialogue
is usually conducted within each church individually or
between a small group of denominations.
●The Catholic Church generally works most closely with Anglicans and
Lutherans.
●Catholics and Anglicans have reached a high level of agreement on
doctrine but disagree about various ethical issues and the ordination
of women. The two groups have not yet achieved a shared Eucharist
but there is a great deal of cooperation between the churches.

33. Foundation Stones of Christianity
While spreading quickly and throughout the
Mediterranean, Christianity remained true to FOUR
principles:
1.Keeping alive the memory of Jesus – through the
Disciples, the Gospels and Letters
2.Professing ONE faith and system of beliefs – Creeds
3.The Ministers of the Church – Bishops (and later -
Priests, Cardinals and Popes)
4.Ecumenical Councils – Meaning worldwide or universal

34. The APOSTLE’S
CREED

35. I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of
heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of
God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of
God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten,
not made, being of one substance with the Father, by
whom all things were made.
Who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from
heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the
virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also
for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was
buried; and the third day He rose again, according to
the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on
the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again,
with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose
kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of
Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who
with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and
glorified; who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins;
and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life
of the world to come. Amen.
The NICENE CREED

36. CHRISTIAN BELIEFS (Creed)

37. Christian Beliefs (Creed)
Similarities Differences
●Divinity of Jesus
●Holy Scripture
●Trinity
●Sacraments
●Educated religious leaders
●Contextual vs. Literal
interpretation of scripture.
●Predestination
●Importance of Mary and the Saints
●Position of Priests
●Leader of the church
●Importance, Timing and Number
of Sacraments
●The “LOOK”
●The calendar
●Faith Alone vs. Faith and Works
●Scripture Alone vs. Scripture,
Tradition and the Magisterium

38. JESUS’ MESSAGE (Code)
●Work to establish the Kingdom of God (on EARTH)
●Golden Rule – “Do Unto Others as you would have them do unto you”
●Gratitude and Humility
●Love and Respect for ALL life
●Forgiveness/Mercy and Peaceful cohabitation
●Empathy
●Justice (giving others what is due to them/whatever is needed to live
with dignity) and Charity
●Honesty
●Patience
●Courage in the face of hostility
●Individual worship (no need for rituals and temple)
●Common sense interpretation of law
●Preparation for end times (SOON TO COME)

39. Scripture Re-Cap (Cult)
●Books of the New
Testament
●Stages in the
creation of the
Gospels
● Oral
● Written
● Edited
●Authorship and
focus of the Gospels

40. 65CE:
Writes for a group having
difficulty accepting that
God’s Messiah had to
suffer and die a shameful
death.
90CE:
Wrote like a theologian,
dealing with the mystery
of Jesus as the Word of
God.
85CE:
Wrote of Jesus as a
Jew and as the new
Moses (a continuation
of Jewish tradition).
85CE:
Wrote for a gentile
audience. Portrays
Jesus as
compassionate
messiah.
TheGospels

41. Stone 3: Ministers (Cult)
●Within 30 years of Jesus’ death, churches had
been established throughout the Empire
●All had the same structure and organization =
episcopos (overseer) or Bishop (Bishops are
seen as successors to the Apostles).
●The Pope is the Bishop of Rome
●Today Bishops preside over a Diocese while
priests generally preside over a parish or a
family of parishes.

42. Stone 4: Ecumenical Councils
●Since 325 (the Council of Nicaea)
bishops have come together in
church councils to deal with
disagreements and/or threats to
the church.
●In church history there have been
21 ecumenical councils, all named
after the place in which they were
held.
●Labeled “ecumenical” because
they bring together the bishops of
all churches.
Kind of a Big Deal!
Vatican II (1962-1965) is
the most important church
council in modern history.
After the Council of Trent
the Church did not see any
real reform until Vatican II.
2,500 Bishops met in
Rome 4 times (for three to
four months at a time) to
deal with the massive
cultural changes that had
taken place prior to the
1960’s.

43. Sacraments (Cult)
●Christians believe that God encounters them at key moments
in their lives through the rituals of the sacraments.
●For Catholics the sacraments transmit God’s grace, for
Protestants they are symbols of God’s grace.
●Catholics believe that there are seven sacraments. While all
other Christians accept Baptism, they do not all accept the
other six.
●These sacraments are believed to have their source in Jesus
Christ and Church tradition.
●What Jesus did is at work for Christians in the sacraments by
the action of the Holy Spirit.

44. BAPTISM:
Water and Oil
are used to
confer
membership in
the Church.
CONFIRMATION:
Oil and the Laying
on of Hands
signify the gift of
the Holy Spirit.
One becomes an
adult in the
church,
completing their
Baptism.
EUCHARIST: Initiation is
completed and continued in
Sunday Mass. During the
Eucharist, everyone who is
present participates,
affirming their commitment
to God’s act of saving and
reshaping the world. The
highlight of participation is
the rite of communion where
the people eat and drink the
body and blood of Christ.
Sacraments of Initiation (Cult)

45. Sacraments of Healing (Cult)
RECONCILIATION
Forgiveness for wrongs
granted
by God through the Priest.
ANOINTING OF THE SICK
Reconciliation and Eucharist
before death or when
seriously ill.

46. Sacraments of Service (Cult)
HOLY ORDERS
“Marriage to the Church”
MATRIMONY
Vows, bound by God

47. The Liturgical Year (Cult)
●Each religion has a certain time set aside for the
sacred (Sunday for Christians).
●Religions generally have “high” times or seasons, with
special feasts and celebrations.
Rituals highlight these times and
allow participants to celebrate them.
These rituals return in cycles.
●The Catholic calendar starts on
the 1st
Sunday of Advent
(Sunday nearest November 30th
).
●The end of the calendar leads
Catholics out of time, as the last
Sundays before Advent look
forward to the second coming of Christ.

48. Worship (Cult)
●Sunday mass is seen as a ritual that
creates community or Church and as a
result participation in mass is essential.
●The Catholic mass consists of two parts;
the liturgy of the Word and the liturgy of the
Eucharist.
●Sunday was selected by early Christians
as a day of worship because it is the day of
Christ’s resurrection.
●Mass (or services in the case of
Protestantism) and most other Christian
rituals take place at the local Parish.

49. Protestant

51. Catholic

52. Orthodox

53. Worship (Cult)
●The home and family also play key roles in the Christian
faith.
●Jesus taught to “pray always.” for this reason Christians
set aside times throughout the day to pray. Generally,
they are encouraged to pray in the morning, evening and
before meals.
●In the Catholic tradition marriage is a sacrament and
Catholic couples are called to be “domestic church.” In
other words, couples are called to teach their children
and those around them faith in Christ and the sort of love
Jesus had for people through their words and actions.

54. Easter (Cult)

55. Easter (Cult)
●Celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon
following the spring equinox.
●For Catholics the celebration of the Paschal Mystery
begins with Mass on Holy Thursday and ends with
evening prayer on Easter Sunday (the entire
celebration is known as the Triduum).
●The most solemn liturgy occurs on Holy Saturday night
(the Easter Vigil). During the Vigil, new members are
baptized, confirmed and admitted to the Eucharist.
●The Easter season lasts 50 days and ends with the
feast of Pentecost (Greek for “fiftieth day”)

56. Christmas (Cult)

57. Christmas (Cult)
●Celebrates the birth of Jesus and the arrival of
the Magi to pay homage to him (on Epiphany).
●In the Western Church Christmas is celebrated
on December 25th
. The Eastern Church, using
the Julian calendar, celebrates it on January 7th
.

58. Feast Days (Cult)
●Because saints resemble in different ways, the
person of Christ, Catholics often turn to saints in
prayer to intercede with God and as examples of
how we should live our lives.
●In Mary, the Church sees the best example of
what the work of Christ can do in a human being.
●Saints remain part of the Church. Together with
all the baptized, they form the communion of
saints.
●The extent to which feast days are celebrated
varies between churches; in general, Protestant
churches observe far fewer than Catholic and
Orthodox.

59. The New Age of Protestantism
Fundamentalism:
A return to the basics of the
Christian faith. Read the bible
literally and reject theories of
evolution.
Evangelicalism:
Since the 18th
century efforts have
been made to revive the
enthusiasm of early protestant
spirituality (ex. Methodism breaks
off from the Anglican church). This
period is known as the great
awakening in US history and has
given rise to periodic revivals.
This movement became known as
evangelicalism.
Evangelicalism involves a call to
personal conversion as a
conscious experience (being born
again) as well as a renewed
emphasis on the authority of the
bible, behaving honourably and
spreading the Gospel through
missionary activity. Evangelicals
often de-emphasize official church
membership and formal creeds.

60. The New Age of Protestantism
them and helps them share their
faith. Pentecostalism preaches
God’s judgment of the world and
states that the message of Christ
and the world are on a collision
course. Holds that believers can
seek to be baptized in the HS and
believes in what are seen as signs
of the HS’s presence (speaking in
tongues).
Liberalism:
An attempt to adapt to
contemporary culture, finding
common ground with modernity
and its search for reason, with
scientific and tech advances and
with modern political structures.
Pentecostalism:
Emerged as a response to the
liberal views above. Accepts the
bible as the word of God without
error. Believes that the Holy
Spirit (HS) guides them in how
they should live, strengthens

61. IMPORTANT TERMS
●Jesus
●Early church (family and persecution)
●“cult” of Christianity
●Church and the middle east (crusades)
●Protestant Reformation/Catholic Reformation
●Martin Luther
●Scientific revolution
●Secularization of Christianity (modern issues)
●Protestant, Lutheranism, Calvinism, Anglican,
Orthodox, Catholic etc.