Quick facts about Christianity

Christians believe that Jesus is the “Messiah” or savior of the world. They also believe that he is the son of God.

Jesus was born in a manger in Bethlehem, to Mary, a virgin during pregnancy, and her husband Joseph. Mary met the angel Gabriel and told him that she would conceive a son and that he would be the Messiah.

Jesus was crucified. His death made salvation and forgiveness of sins possible for all.

After Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, God’s presence remained on earth in the form of the Holy Spirit to comfort all.

Salvation can only be achieved by believing that God sent Jesus to forgive the sins of all men and to confess their sins.

Interpretations of the Bible and the practices of each church vary by denomination, but belief in one God and Jesus as the Messiah is fundamental to all Christians.

History

Christian beliefs date back thousands of years before Christ.

Many prophets foretold the coming of the Messiah, as written in various books of the Old Testament according to Christian belief.

Many theologians believe that Jesus was crucified between 30 and 33 AD.

The first Christians were Jews who believed that Jesus was the Messiah. Gentiles (non-Jews) also formed a large majority of his followers, as is the case today.

392 AD – Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire.

1054 – Disputes over the role and authority of the Pope led to a split in Christianity between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches. The division still exists today.

1517 – Martin Luther, a German monk, started a movement called the Reformation when he criticized certain church practices and the supremacy of the Pope. It split Western Christianity into the Roman Catholic Church and Protestantism.

Statistics

Unaffiliated: 16%

Popular religions: 5.7%

Jews: 0.2%

Protestant: 43%

Unaffiliated (includes atheists and agnostics): 26%

Catholics: 20%

Jews: 2%

Muslim: 1%

Buddhism: 1%