Christianity

Christianity is a religion inspired by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. It is a monotheistic religion, which develops out of the context of Jewish religion from the 1st century CE. It is distinguished from the monotheism of Judaism or Islam by the doctrine of the Trinity, which maintains that the one God exists in three persons – Father, Son (Jesus) and Holy Spirit.

Christianity is the world’s largest religion, with an estimated 2 billion adherents. It has been the dominant religion in the British Isles since the medieval period.

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Christianity in the UK
How many? In the 2001 census almost 72% of the population of England and Wales identified as Christian. This finding needs to be set aside other survey results.

The British Social Attitudes Survey finds that the proportion of the British population who consider they ‘belong to’ Christianity has declined from 66% in 1983 to 54% in 2005.

Since the 1970s Christian Research has carried out censuses of church attendance in the UK every decade. These reliable surveys find that today around 3.2 million people, or 6.3% of the population of England and Wales, are in church on a typical Sunday.

The Evangelical Christian aid agency Tearfund commissioned survey in 2007 which found that:

  • 53% of people in the UK identified themselves as Christian
  • 7% practise the faith
  • 10% attend church weekly
  • Two-thirds of those surveyed had not gone to church in the past year.

The Tearfund survey also found that 66% of British adults have no connection with Christian Churches (or with another religion). These are split between people who have been to church in the past but have since left (16 million) and those who have never been in their lives (16.2 million).

How many charities? In England and Wales there are 24,592 registered Christian charities.

How many faith schools? In 2004 there were almost 7,000 state-maintained faith schools in England, making up 36% of primary and 17% of secondary schools. The overwhelming majority of these faith schools (99%) are Christian. More information about religion and education in the UK.

History of Christianity in the UK
From its birthplace in Palestine, Christianity spread quickly throughout the Roman Empire and beyond, carried mainly by traders. It had reached Britain by the 4th century CE. From the 7th century onwards the western Catholic church, with its centre in Rome, consolidated its control over Christianity in the British Isles. Rome’s monopoly was only broken in the 16th century, when Henry VIII, under the influence of the Protestant Reformation, ‘nationalised’ the church, brought into being the Church of England and the Church of Wales (Anglican), and took control from the Pope. The Anglican church became the established ‘state’ church. Scotland had its own ‘Reformation’, under the leadership of John Knox, which led to the establishment there of the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian).

Protestants who ‘dissented’ from the state churches were known as dissenters, non-conformists, and members of the ‘free churches’. By the 18th century they included Quakers, Presbyterians, Baptists, and Methodists. By the mid 19th century non-conformists were as numerous as Anglicans, but they had to fight a long battle for toleration. The Toleration Act of 1879 granted the same civil rights as Anglicans, but the Church of England remains the established church in England to this day, with certain privileges attached. The Church of Wales and Church of Scotland are no longer established churches.

For articles and programmes about Christian history in general, and in the UK, see the BBC site.

Key Beliefs and Practices
God Christians believe there is only one God, but that there is a dynamic relationship between the three ‘persons’ or instantiations of this God. These are the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit

God the Father is:

  • personal and can be known through revelation and prayer
  • the creator of all things
  • the ‘Lord of history’, who guides history in accordance with his plan which will end with salvation for humanity
  • a judge, who expresses his judgment through prophets, and will judge all things at the end of the world
  • a God of love, who revealed himself through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus

God the Son is believed to be both human and divine. As a man, he lived in Palestine, and died around 30CE, on a cross. As the Son of God, he witnessed to God, and was raised from the dead (resurrection). Christians believe that Jesus fulfils the prophesies of the Hebrew Scriptures which are also recognised as holy by the Jewish people. As such Christians believe he is the promised ‘messiah’ (Hebrew) or ‘Christ’ (Greek) who was sent by God to save the world and usher in the Kingdom of God

God the Holy Spirit is God present in the world, inspiring individuals. Charismatic and Pentecostal Christians place particular emphasis on how God can be experienced as the Holy Spirit, who takes possession of individuals, and gives them gifts (‘charismata’ in Greek) which they would not otherwise have, including gifts of prophecy, healing and speaking in tongues.

Resurrection and Afterlife Christians believe that Jesus was resurrected after dying on the cross, and that in doing so he has made it possible for those who have faith in him to overcome death. Many Christians believe that all people will be resurrected at the end of time and judged by God, others believe that people go to heaven (or hell) as soon as they die, and a more recent belief held by some evangelical Christians is that on the Last Day the saved will be ‘raptured’ into heaven.

The Fall Many Christians believe that the world is fallen from the original state God intended, and that it is to redeem the world that God sent his Son, Jesus Christ. Full redemption will only occur at the end of the world, when God intervenes.

Faith Christians believe that it is through ‘faith’ in what God has done in Jesus that people are saved, rather than by trying to earn their way to heaven by good works. Jesus’ work is sometimes called a work of ‘atonement’ which puts human beings who have faith ‘at one’ with God.

Love The Christian message places strong emphasis on the importance of self-sacrificing love, as exemplified by Jesus’ death on the cross. Jesus’ teaching, contained in the New Testament, also emphasises the key importance of love. See Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, for an influential example.

The Second Coming/Return of Jesus Many Christians believe that Jesus will physically return at the end of world. This will inaugurate the Kingdom of God.

Church and Sacraments Christianity is a communal faith, and the heart of Christian life is regular worship in a church. Some Christians, particularly Catholic Christians emphasise the importance of receiving sacraments in the course of Christian ritual.

Main Traditions
Roman Catholic The Roman Catholic Church (or just ‘Catholic Church’) is the largest of the branches of Christianity. Its centre is in Rome, but it has a presence across the globe. It is a hierarchical church, led by the Pope and senior clergy in Rome, by bishops (several in each country), and priests (who lead churches). All are celibate males. The Catholic church recognises the authority of the Bible and of tradition (the teaching, ritual, and law of the western church down the ages). It recognises seven sacraments, and believes that these are channels of divine power. As well as recognising the Trinity, Catholics venerate Mary (the mother of Jesus) and many saints, both male and female.

(Eastern) Orthodoxy The Catholic and Orthodox Churches were originally one, but gradually split apart between the 7th and 11th centuries, with the Catholic church becoming dominant in the west (of the Mediterranean), and the Orthodox church in the east. The historic centre of Orthodoxy is Constantinople (now Istanbul) in Turkey, but Orthodoxy now has a more significant presence in Greece, Russia and many post-Soviet republics and countries of eastern Europe. Orthodoxy rejects the authority of the Pope and is independently governed by senior bishops in various countries (called patriarchs). It gives high value to tradition, especially that of the early centuries of Christian history. Worship is central to Orthodox Christian life, and churches are considered sacred places which give access to the sacred. Orthodoxy is also characterised by the veneration given to icons (a form of painting, image or picture) in private and public devotion.

Protestant Protestantism – from the word to ‘protest’ – develops from the Reformation of the 16th century in Europe. The Reformation involved many different forms of Christian protest against the Roman Catholic church, which resulted in the formation of a plethora of different Protestant churches. Despite their enormous variety, these churches are united by the high value they give to the Bible (as opposed to tradition), and to belief (as much as to worship and liturgy). Since the 19th century two important widespread movements have developed within Protestantism: (1) Evangelicalism, characterised by activism, Biblicism, Christocentrism, and an emphasis on being ‘born again’ (2) Charismatic or Pentecostal Christianity, characterised by the emphasis it give to the Holy Spirit and gifts of the Spirit (there are also some Charismatic Catholics). Protestant churches tend not to be as hierarchical as Catholic and Orthodox churches, and some celebrate the ‘priesthood of all believers’.

Important Texts
The Bible is the holy scripture of Christians. It is composed of the Hebrew Scriptures, which Christians call the Old Testament, and the New Testament (written in Greek), which includes writings about the life of Jesus and letters to churches, including those written by Paul. All Christian churches recognise the authority of the Bible, but interpret and apply it in different ways. Fundamentalist Christians (who came into being in the USA at the start of the 20th century) claim to interpret the Bible literally, and to treat every passage as the authoritative word of God. Liberal Christians interpret the text in the light of modern knowledge, and regard it as a human production, though with a divine message.

The Bible is available online.

Festivals
Christmas commemorates the birth of Jesus and the coming of God to earth. Western churches celebrate Christmas on the December 25th; Eastern churches on January 7th.

Easter commemorates the resurrection of Jesus, and this triumph over death. It is preceded by Holy Week, which commemorates the last week of Jesus’ life, and by Lent, which is a period of fasting in preparation for Easter and Holy Week.

Pentecost is the name given to the day when the Holy Spirit first descended to inspire the disciples of Jesus Christ.

For more information on Christian festivals see the BBC site – the majority of the festivals mentioned are not actively celebrated by many Protestant denominations

Material Culture
Cathedrals and churches are the main sites where Christians gather together for worship. Worship is structured by a written liturgy, especially in Catholic and Orthodox churches, and some of the older Protestant churches. Churches take many forms, but the most characteristic shape, especially in the west, is that of a cross.

Sacraments Sacraments are material objects which are believed to serve as channels for divine power, when administered by an authorised leader (like a priest) and according to the correct ceremony. Two sacraments universal to Christians:

  • The bread and wine which are given to participants in the worship service which is alternatively called ‘Holy Communion’, ‘the Eucahrist’, ‘the Mass’, ‘the Breaking of Bread’, the Lord’s Supper. The bread symbolises the flesh of Jesus Christ, the wine his body.
  • The water of Baptism. Baptism is the rite of passage by which an individual enters the church and becomes a Christian. Catholic and Orthodox churches normally baptise infants, whereas some Protestant churches only baptise adults.

Orthodox and Catholic Christians, and some Anglicans, recognise more sacraments, including Confession, Confirmation and Marriage.

Key Individuals
Jesus The New Testament is the chief record for the life of the historical Jesus (though there are also other early writings which speak of him). It presents him as a miracle-working itinerant preacher who travelled the region of Palestine with his disciples preaching the ‘Good News’ (gospel) that the rule of a loving God was being inaugurated. Jesus calls people to join this ‘Kingdom of God’, and takes his message to the poor and social outcasts (women, ritually unclean persons and non-Jews). Jesus’ arrest, trial and crucifixion by the Romans may have come about because of the following he attracted, and the danger this posed to the occupying Roman Empire. For the earliest Christians Jesus’ death and resurrection came to be a symbol of the way that the greatest earthly power – that of the Roman Empire – had been defeated by a greater force. More on the life of Jesus.

St Paul Paul is significant in Christian history as the named author of several letters to early churches which are preserved in the New Testament. He was a Jew who was involved in persecuting early Christians before being converted to their cause – on the road to Damascus. He opposed early followers of Jesus who thought that Jesus’ message should be confined to the Jewish people, and became the ‘apostle to the gentiles (non-Jews) who played an important role in spreading Christianity outside Palestine, and in formulating early Christian teaching. More on Paul.

More Information
General Introductions: L.Woodhead (2005), A Very Short Introduction to Christianity. Oxford University Press. S. Kim and K. Kim (2008), Christianity as a World Religion. Continuum.

Churchgoing in the UK today: P. Brierley, P (2006) Pulling out if the Nose Dive: A Contemporary Pictire of Churchgoing – what the 2005 Church Census reveals Christian Research.

Jesus: E.P. Sanders (1996) The Historical Figure of Jesus.Penguin.

Churches in the UK:
Anglican. Church of England, Scottish Episcopal Church, Church of Ireland , (including Northern Ireland), the Church in Wales Church of Scotland
Baptists
Quakers
Methodists
United Reformed Church
Roman Catholic Church. England and Wales , Scotland , Ireland
Churches Together in Britain and Ireland

These pages have been prepared by Jordan Tchilingirian. Please send any comments, corrections or suggestions to him at