Christianity is a faith tradition based on Jesus Christ and a culture that has lived out the past two thousand years. Evidently, this is a unique fusion whereby there is a strong faith tradition centered on Jesus Christ, coupled with a vast heritage that encompasses ideas, ways, and things that have been handed down through the ages. It is the church, or people of God, that bear testimony that this faith/tradition is lived out. Though this faith tradition is history-based, yet the focus is on Jesus Christ, whose reality is located within the realm of the present.
1. Christianity and Faith and Culture
As a double, the essence of Christianity cannot be identified with ritual or dogma alone. A culture characterized by art, architectural designs, music, literature, or social structure has been created by it. It is that very essence of Christianity which gives definition to it. The word ‘essence’ has Greek philosophical roots, denoting that which epitomizes the religion of Christianity. Jesus Christ has both served as the founding father of the religion as well as the ‘source’ to Christians.
2. Diversity of Denominations
There are more than a thousand denominations of Christians with their divergent practices and points of emphasis. The three largest branches or traditions of Christians today are Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism. Roman Catholicism is guided by the teachings of the Pope and accepts the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, as understood in transubstantiation, forgiveness of sins, matrimony, holy orders, and priestly ordination. Eastern Orthodox is guided by the synods of bishops, practicing theos is, or union with God. Protestantism traces its roots from the church movement of the Reformation, branching out into other churches such as Anglicans, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptist denominations, and many others.
3. Monotheism and the Christian God
Christiantiy can be said to be a part of the line of monotheistic religions, which includes Judaism and Islam, since they believe in one God and cannot believe in either polytheism or an atheist. This is as written in the Bible, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord (Deuteronomy 6:4), and I and the Father are one (John 10:30). God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are called persons but are one God and not like in monotheistic religions in two ways.
4. The Life and Mission of Jesus Christ
He was given the name Jesus Christ and was born around the time of 4 B.C. Jesus was a Jew from the city of Nazareth. His works included the healing of the sick and the forgiveness of sinners. His most notable act was the preaching of the Kingdom of God. Jesus was both human and God. He was the God with us who was sacrificed so that there can be reconciliation with God.
5. Salvation & Redemption
Secondly, the concept of separation from God and the need for salvation is at the core of the Christian faith. Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection lead to salvation, which is the act of buy back. According to Katherine Walden, Salvation was not finished merely because of the cross. It was finished by the triumph of the empty tomb. In the period of the Old Testament, the sins of humans were concealed, but in Jesus Christ, the awaited Messiah, the sins will be removed once and for all. It is cited in John 5:24, “Whoever heeds My word and puts his faith in him who sent me has ever-lasting life.”
6. Historical Development
The history of Christianity also has parallel moments in the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus’s followers, the missionary work of Paul, and the persecutions by various emperors of Rome. The Edict of Milan in A.D. 313 acknowledged the existence of the Christian church, while the Nicene Creed represented an attempt to standardize through unity. The Great Schism of 1054 divided Catholic from Orthodox churches, while the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century led to the creation of other Christian denominations. The Crusades, the expansionist fervor of Anglicanism in the British Empire, and the Pentecostal movement of the 20th century are examples of splits.
7. Symbols & Cultural Expression
Christian symbols such as the cross or “fish” (ichthys) represent theological truths and memories. The cross represents sacrifice and victory over death. The iconographic tradition represents an access to God in Orthodox churches, while státues in Catholic churches represent the role of saints as intermediaries.” The final, and for Protestants, most important holy book the Bible is, of course, “the most important symbol of authority.
8. Global Reach and Adaptability
Christianity Christianity flourishing in different cultures and traditions; worshiping in style from incense burning to English Christian melodies and harmony. Within the Global South, Pentecostal churches have proliferated at an appalling rate and have been bringing charismatics to a new flock. Congregations with non-denominational churches and a concept of autonomy with essentials of the word of the evangelicals.
The identity of Christianity has always consisted in its insistence upon Jesus Christ, its monotheism, and its message of salvation. It has been this way down the ages and around the world it has never ceased to be a living tradition-one that draws upon its own history, a tradition enriched by its diversity, yet in every diversity and in every divergence, deeply committed to its faith in the redemption offered in Christ alone.
