Understanding Christian History

Two thousand years have now passed since two cousins, John the Baptist and Jesus Christ, baptized the faithful on the banks of the River Jordan. Their combined ministry only lasted less than five years, but in spite of this short time frame they sowed the seeds which have now grown to be one of the three principal religions of the world. This book sets out to chart the history and back it up with chronological dates of the principal events of Christianity.

Today Christianity is represented by innumerable institutions all vying for the attention of the faithful. The principal institutions are undoubtedly the founder members, the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox Churches, followed by their offshoots, the Lutheran, Anglican, Episcopalian, Methodist and many other Churches which came into being with the Protestant Reformation. Then follow the quasi Christian churches with their great followings in the USA, that is the Mormon Church, the Jehovah Witnesses, the Christian Scientists, and then come the myriad Evangelical Churches, each one with its own characteristics and philosophy, and, finally, the modern, fashionable Churches, such as Born Again.

Christianity is the most flexible and accommodating of all religions, and it allows for the most diverse interpretations of its unique principles of Love Your Neighbor, Do Good to All, which are backed up by its always understanding and forgiving God, and his Son, Jesus Christ.

With all these variations and colors of Christianity what a difference It makes with the Muslim religion where the Koran remains in the original Arabic, completed before the death of Muhammad in the year 634 AD, and which has never had a single word changed, because the Koran is the word of God and no Muslim would ever dare to change His Word. This rigid inflexibility makes for the rapid growth of the extremism which we are now experiencing in all parts of the world.