“Many historians regard the spread and adoption of Christianity throughout the world as one of the most successful spiritual missions in human history,” says. “It may be that Christianity will no longer be a dominant or a default identity, but a religion of outsiders and of the marginalised,” he said. Professor Alec Ryrie, of the University of Durham’s theology and religion department, told the i news site that “there’s every reason to think the fall in 2031 will be even sharper”, as the traditional English identity had been “rapidly softening since the 1960s”. In the 2021 census, the proportion of people in England and Wales who described themselves as Christian fell below 50% for the first time. “Christianity today – unlike a century ago – is truly a global faith,” it said.Įurope’s Christian population is also expected to drop substantially by 2050, as other religious groups grow in numbers “due to a combination of higher fertility, younger populations and net gains via migration and religious switching”, the Center said in 2015. In 2011, the Washington DC-based Pew Research Center estimated that Europeans only accounted for only one in four Christians globally, while the share of the Christian population in sub-Saharan Africa had increased to 63%, and in the Asia-Pacific region to 7%. The Protestants’ complaints against the Church were summarised in German theologian Martin Luther’s Ninety-five Theses, which he is said to have nailed to the door of All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg in 1517.Ī key demand was the recognition of the individual’s personal relationship with God, and a reduced role for priests, rites and rituals, which they saw as getting in the way of true faith.Īfter a series of European wars in the 1500s and 1600s - a period known as the Reformation - Protestantism spread across Europe and has evolved to include denominations as diverse as Anglicans, Baptists, Methodists, Quakers and Amish.Īnd as European powers began colonising large swathes of Africa and the New World, they brought Christianity with them. The second major schism in Christian history occurred in the 16th century in northern Europe, when Protestantism emerged “as a reaction to medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices”, explained Encyclopaedia Britannica. Christianity split into two “major branches”: Roman Catholic in the West, and Orthodox in the East, each with their own liturgy, rituals and leader (the Pope in the West, the Patriarch in the East). In 1054, “a complex mix of religious disagreements and political conflicts” gave rise to the so-called Great Schism, said National Geographic. The now-Christian Roman Empire collapsed in the fifth century, and Western and Eastern Christians began to drift apart. But although life was dangerous for early converts, “the spread of Christianity was made a lot easier by the efficiency of the Roman Empire”, said the US Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).īy AD313, when Constantine became the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, the Gospel had already reached imperial provinces in Europe, Asia Minor and North Africa. In the late first century, alarmed by the rise of the new movement, Emperor Nero launched a brutal crackdown, arresting, torturing and executing Christians in Rome. Initially seen as a sect within Judaism, Christianity spread to gentile (non-Jewish) communities after Jesus’s death, emerging as a separate faith. These differ in rituals, religious practices and interpretations of the Bible, but share a belief in an all-knowing, all-loving God, who sent Jesus Christ to enlighten and redeem humanity. Please join us for this series as we sit at the feet of Jesus, our Messiah King!Ĭlick on the button below to hear our most recent sermons.Most Christians fall under one of three main Churches: Roman Catholic, Protestant and Eastern Orthodox. In short, the primary purpose of Matthew's gospel is to demonstrate that Jesus of Nazareth is the long-awaited King of Israel, the promised Messiah! In fact, Matthew focuses on how Jesus fulfills Old Testament prophecy concerning the Messiah with over 60 Old Testament quotations! The primary goal of the Gospel of Matthew, then, is to demonstrate from the Old Testament Scripture that Jesus is the promised Messiah (or Christ), who is also the long-awaited King of Israel. The Gospel is unique in that Matthew's intended audience was focused on the Jews. As with all the Apostles, Matthew left everything to follow Jesus because he came to believe that Jesus was in fact the Christ, the promised Messiah! The Gospel of Matthew takes its name from the Apostle Matthew (otherwise known as Levi the tax collector). Please join us for our sermon series in Matthew!
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