World Religions

Introduction to World Religions Study Guide

©2018 Achieve Page 60 of 96 Chapter 7: Christianity Christianity is a monotheistic and Abrahamic religion. It is based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, who is presented in the canonical gospels in the New Testament. Christianity also uses the Old Testament, and is considered canonical. Those who adhere to the Christian faith are known as Christians regardless of the denomination or sect to which they belong. The Christian belief purports that Jesus is the Son of God. He is fully Divine and fully human. He is the Savior of humanity. Christians also believe that Jesus is the Messiah who was prophesied in the Old Testament and considered the God of Abraham. In contrast, the Jews are still waiting for the Messiah and do not embrace the New Testament or the “Good News”. Jesus’ story is told in the New Testament, where he is born, begins his ministry, is crucified (sacrificial death), and where He is resurrected. Christians believe that this is the victory over evil, offering eternal life for those who believe. Christianity began in the mid-1 st century. Originating in Judea, it migrated to Europe, Syria, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, Transcaucasia, Egypt, Ethiopia, and India. It was the official state religion of the church of the Roman Empire. After the Age of Discovery, Christianity migrated to North and South America, Oceania, sub-Saharan Africa, then the rest of the world through missionary work and colonists. The three largest groups of Christianity are the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the various denominations of Protestantism. In 1054 AD, the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox split during the East-West Schism. Protestantism split from Catholicism during the Protestant Reformation during the 16 th century. Protestantism split from the Roman Catholic Church because of Martin Luther’s beliefs and his challenges to the Roman Catholic Church. He taught that the words of the Scripture were such that the ordinary people could understand the words of the Bible, which is the belief in the historical-grammatical method or Biblical hermeneutics. Martin Luther believes in sola scriptura, or Scripture alone. Sola gratia means “by grace alone”. Solus Christus is “through Christ alone”. Soli Deo Gloria is “glory to God alone”. 7.1 Martin Luther Martin Luther was born on November 10, 1483, and he was a German religious leader and priest. He became a catalyst of the 16 th -century Protestant Reformation. Over time, he grew disenchanted with the Roman Catholic Church when he felt he could not get the answers he was seeking. He rejected several of the teachings of the church. He was highly concerned about the indulgences the church charged for the forgiveness of sins. As a result, he proposed an academic discussion of the ideas of the church with which he disagreed. As a scholar, he believed he was opening conversation. He refused to denounce his writings, like The 95 Theses , and the misgivings he had about the Church, which caused Pope Leo X and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, 1521, to excommunicate him. He was declared an outlaw by the Emperor.

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