World History: The Christian Faith

  1. Jesus Christ and the New Testament
  1. Christians accept the Old Testament in its entirety. Everything the Jewish faith teaches is part of the Christian faith as well. The departure comes with Jesus Christ.
  2. Christ was a Jewish carpenter who was born in a stable. He never traveled more than 90 miles from his birthplace. He never wrote a book. He never led an army or conquered territory. He owned nothing and, at age 33, died a cruel death by crucifixion.
  3. The religion that grew from his teachings is the largest in the world. There are three major divisions among Christians – the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy and Protestantism.
  4. Christians believe Christ was born to the Virgin Mary. She miraculously became pregnant and bore the Son of God. Christ’s childhood and adolescence are not recorded by the New Testament. He is explained only as an adult.
  5. Jesus was renowned for his teachings and his miracles. He cured the sick, calmed storms at sea (Luke 8:22-24), fed thousands of people with a few loaves of bread and a small number of fish, turned water into wine and restored a dead man, Lazarus, to life (John 11:39-43).
  6. Jesus stressed the overwhelming love God has for people and the need for people to receive this love and then reflect it to everyone they come into contact with.
  7. Jesus has 12 apostles who are his closest companions. One of them, Judas, betrayed him to the authorities in return for 30 pieces of silver.
  8. Christians accept that Christ died on the cross. His body was put in a tomb, a large rock rolled in front of the entrance. On the third day of his death, visitors found the rock rolled away, the tomb empty. Christ appeared to a woman, Mary Magdalene, he visited his disciples who rejoiced at the fulfillment of the scriptures. He then ascended into heaven.
  1. The Roman Catholic Church
  1. The Catholic Church has a capital, Vatican City in Rome, Italy. The Church has one billion members worldwide. Their spiritual needs are met by priests, bishops and cardinals. The cardinals elect the leader of the church, the Pope.
  2. The Church has a teaching role. Jesus came to earth to teach people how to live their life in this world so they can attain salvation and be granted eternal life in Heaven. There can be many opinions regarding faith and morals. Many arguments proposed and developed.
  3. Without a clear authority, opinions and churches would multiply, people would fall into error, salvation could be lost. For those reasons the Church stands as the final word on matters of faith and morals. The Pope gives voice to the final word.
  4. This is the meaning of Jesus’ words to Peter: “Peter thou art my rock and on this rock I shall build my Church… I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven and whatever you bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven and whatever you loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heaven.”
  5. When the Pope, St. Peter’s successor, speaks officially on matters of faith and morals he speaks infallibly – without the possibility of error.
  6. Roman Catholics believe it is vital to receive sacraments to nourish their faith and their power to live a good, Christian life. There are seven sacraments, Baptism, Confirmation, Penance/Reconciliation, Eucharist, Holy Matrimony, Holy Orders, Anointing of the Sick.
  7. Each of these sacraments requires the intercession of a priest. The priest is the intermediary between God and the people. Only men can be priests. Priests take a vow of celibacy, they cannot marry or have children.
  8. The Christian world was unified for the first thousand years of its history. That unity was ended by the Great Schism in 1054.
  9. The schism split the Christian world in two. Eastern Orthodoxy was born. Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Georgia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia and the Sinai have their own churches independent of Rome. Eastern Orthodox priests can marry and have families.
  10. The Orthodox faith retains all seven sacraments. There is no pope in the Orthodox faith. The Orthodox body of beliefs is arrived at by bishops of the Orthodox Churches meeting in an ecumenical council and their collective judgment defines God’s truth.
  1. Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation (1517)
  1. Almost 500 years passed after the schism when the Christian world again split. This time the split came in a German state when a monk, Martin Luther, nailed 95 Theses into a Church door.
  2. Luther condemned the Church for the sale of “indulgences”. The Church sold pardons for sins. An individual could steal, murder, commit adultery and then pay a sum for a document that erased the slate and restored his soul to an unblemished state.
  3. Luther denied indulgences had any spiritual value. The pope had endorsed indulgences. He had publicly/officially stated they relieve a person’s soul of the stain of sin. Luther said this was not true, he called indulgences “nets” the Church used to fish for the riches of men.
  4. Sin was erased by true sorrow and repentance on the part of the sinner, not the exchange of money for documents saying your sins are forgiven.
  5. He denied any authority in Church. The pope could err, ecumenical councils could err. People should read the bible on their own, reflect and make their own decisions. He denied the existence of purgatory, he said the priesthood was no higher than any other profession, he reduced the sacraments from seven to two and he was excommunicated (expelled from the Church).
  6. Religious wars between Catholic and Protestant powers wracked Europe from 1534 to 1648. The bloodshed and suffering made religious chauvinism less desirable. More and more rulers found religious tolerance a better policy.
  7. The Lutheran Church was followed by the establishment of other Protestant Churches including the Presbyterian, the Anglican, the Episcopal, Quakers, the Methodist, the Baptist, Pentecostal, and Seventh Day Adventists.
  8. There are more than 200 Protestant Churches though 85% of Protestants belong to the twelve largest of these.
  9. Many of the churches are evangelical – people who have had an intense religious awakening and have been “born again”. Evangelicals want to share their spiritual joy with others, they often preach trying to win converts at home and abroad.

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World History: The Christian Faith

  1. Where does the departure between Judaism and Christianity come?
  1. What was the furthest Jesus traveled from his home?
  1. What are the three major divisions in Christianity?
  1. What part of Jesus’ live is explained in the New Testament?
  1. List 2 miracles Jesus performed.
  1. Which one of Jesus’ closest followers betrayed him? What did he receive for betraying Jesus?
  1. Who did Jesus first appear to when he arose from the dead?
  1. How many members does the Catholic Church have?
  1. In the Catholic faith, who sets forth the final word on matters of faith and morals?
  1. How many sacraments do Catholics receive?
  1. In the Catholic faith, who can become priests?
  1. What event first divided the church in 2?
  1. Where are some Orthodox churches found – list 2 areas?
  1. What is a similarity between the Catholic and Orthodox churches?
  1. Who started the Reformation?
  1. What would an “indulgence” erase? Give examples
  1. What did Martin Luther refer to indulgences as? Explain
  1. What did Luther believe erased sin?
  1. How many sacraments did Luther utilize in his “faith”
  1. For how long were Catholic and Protestant powers at war for?
  1. List other protestant churches