Overview of Christianity

A brief overview of Christianity

Christianity is the most popular religion in the world with over 2,000 million adherents. 42 million Britons see themselves as nominally Christian, and there are 6 million who are actively practising.

• Christians believe that Jesus was the Messiah promised in the Old Testament.
• Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
• Christians believe that God sent his Son to earth to save humanity from the consequences of its sins.
• One of the most important concepts in Christianity is that of Jesus giving his life on the Cross (the Crucifixion) and rising from the dead on the third day (the Resurrection).
• Christians believe that there is only one God, but that there are three elements to this one God:
  • God the Father.
  • God the Son.
  • The Holy Spirit.
• Christians worship in churches.
• Their spiritual leaders are called priests or ministers.
• The Christian holy book is the Bible, and consists of the Old and New Testaments.
• Christian holy days such as Easter and Christmas are important milestones in the Western secular calendar.

Further information available at:

• BBC information on Christianity
• Christianity at Wikipedia
• Christianity at The Guardian online newspaper
• Faith Guides for Higher Education: A Guide to Christianity