Introduction to Christianity

1. INTRODUCTION
TO
CHRISTIANITY
Prepared by:
Ms. Julie Rose R. Abiva

2. 2
MOTIVATIONAL
ACTIVITY
Summarize at least 1 Bible story that you love. Also,
share the lessons you have learned from the story
that you selected. Be ready to share your Bible
and insights in class.

3. After completing this lesson, students will be able to:
Knowledge
• contextualize Christianity by demonstrating orientational knowledge of its origins
and historical developments
• identify different forms of Christian practice
• demonstrate basic knowledge of the distribution of Christianity and reflect on its
regional and cultural variations
• locate Christianity in the wider history of religions by identifying the cultural context
of selected sources documenting practices, beliefs, and institutions
Skills
• differentiate between a theological and a religious studies approach to Christianity
• apply critical reading strategies to historical and contemporary sources
• convey academic knowledge about past and present Christianity in different
medial formats to a general audience
3
LEARNING
OBJECTIVES:

4. 3
CONCEPT MAP
CHRISTIANITY
SACRED
SCRIPTURES
WORSHIPS
AND
OBSERVANCES
BELIEFS AND
DOCTRINES
SUBDIVISIONS

5. 1.What Christian symbols
can you find in the picture?
2.What do these symbols
mean?
3. What is the relevance of
going to church in
Christianity?
Introduction to Christianity

6. LESSON
PROPER
Christianity is considered the world’s largest
religion, a religion based on the teachings of
Jesus Christ who is considered the Son of
God and the Messiah or Savior. Followers of
Christianity are called Christians. As of 2010,
there are more than 2 billion Christians all
over the world, which make up more than
30% of the worlds population of 6.9 billion.
Introduction to Christianity

7. 10 COUNTRIES WITH THE LARGEST
NUMBER OF CHRISTIANS (2015)
Introduction to Christianity

8. 6
The cross serves as a symbol of Jesus
Christ’s victory over sins when he died
on the cross for humanity’s redemption
and salvation. In Roman Catholic
Churches, the crucifix is a regular
feature with the image of Christ nailed
on the cross- emphasizing Christ’s
sufferings for humanity.
Introduction to Christianity

9. 6
Historical
Background
Christianity, regarded as an offshoot of Judaism,
developed in Palestine around 100 C.E. it was
founded by Jesus considered to be the Son of God
and Messiah or Savior. Today Christianity is divided
into three major sects:
• Roman Catholicism;
• Eastern Orthodox and
• Protestantism. Introduction to Christianity

10. 6
Introduction to Christianity

11. 6
Introduction to Christianity

12. THE 12 APOSTLES
Peter
(also known as Simon)
Andrew
(Peter’s brother)
James
son of Zebedee
John
(James’ brother) Philip Bartholomew
Thomas
Matthew James
son of Aphaeus
Jude Simon
Judas Iscariot
Introduction to Christianity

13. Introduction to Christianity

14. 6
Jesus as the Founder of
Christianity
Christianity started with a prophecy in the Old
Testament that God will send his only begotten Son to
save humanity from eternal damnation. Jesus, through
his preaching and healing, was seen by his followers to
be the Messiah they were waiting for.
Introduction to Christianity

15. RELIGIOUS
LEADERS
The Catholic Church follows a
certain hierarchy based on the Canon
Law of the Catholic Church. At the
top of the hierarchy is the pope,
considered as Peter’s successors.
The hierarchy also includes the
cardinals, archbishops, bishops,
priests, and deacons. Each member
of the hierarchy has his own function
for the efficiency of the Church. Introduction to Christianity

16. Introduction to Christianity

17. RELIGIOUS LEADERS
Introduction to Christianity

18. POPE
The pope is the head of
the Catholic Church and
the Bishop of Rome. The
pope is also the head of
the sovereign city-state,
Vatican City. What this
means on a daily basis is
that the pope, in this case
Pope Francis I,has duties
both political and religious.
Next to the Pope are the
cardinals, who are also
appointed by the Pope.
The primary
responsibility of a
cardinal is to elect a
new pope when a pope
dies or abdicates the
papacy. Other cardinals
have different areas of
responsibility, called
congregations.
CARDINALS
Introduction to Christianity

19. BISHOP
Bishops alone have
the right to confirm
and ordain members
of the clergy, and their
main duty is to
supervise the clergy
within their diocese.
A bishop who moves to the
level of cardinal isn't
ordained, but handpicked
by the pope, who also
appoints bishops. A bishop
oversees a diocese, which
is a collection of local
parishes; and
an archbishop administers
an archdiocese, which is
just a really large diocese.
ARCHBISHOP
Introduction to Christianity

20. PRIEST
In the Catholic
Church, a parish priest
is a priest appointed
by the bishop to
represent him to the
local parish, which is a
collection of
neighborhoods in one
small region of a
county within a given
state.
Deacons are ordained as a
sacramental sign to the
Church and to the world of
Christ, who came "to serve
and not to be served.“
The entire Church is called by
Christ to
serve, and the deacon, in
virtue of his sacramental
ordination and through his
various ministries, is to be a
servant in a servant-Church.
5
DEACONS
Introduction to Christianity

21. DEITY/GOD
Christians believe in one God, therefore
Christianity is a monotheistic religion. God is
seen as the creator and maintainer of the
universe, and is believed to be:
• omnipotent (all-powerful),
• omniscient (all-knowing),
• omnipresent (all-present),
• and omnibenevolent (all- good).
God is also sacred, moral, unchangeable,
compassionate, graceful, and timeless.
Introduction to Christianity

22. The Shield of the Trinity,
or Scutum Fidei, which is
Latin for ‘shield of faith,’
is a traditional Christian
symbol which expresses
the concept of the Holy
Trinity – the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Introduction to Christianity

23. • In this context, the Holy Trinity concept relates
to the family, representing husband, wife, and
offspring.
• It also points to the direct connection between
mind, body, and soul, or, in other words, our
thinking, actions, and feelings.
• As an ideal representation of eternity, it’s also
a symbol of the inseparability between past, present,
and future.
• Similarly, it portrays faith, love, and hope.
Introduction to Christianity

24. SACRED SCRIPTURES
The Bible is considered the sacred scripture of Christianity.
• It is a collection of songs, stories, poetry, letters, history, as well as
literature.
• It is composed of two books, the Old Testament and the New
Testament.
• The Old Testament is considered the original Hebrew Bible, written
between 1200 and 165 B.C.E.
• The New Testament was written by Christians around 100C.E.
3
Introduction to Christianity

25. Verse 1
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
Verse 2
He guides me in right paths for his name's sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
Verse 3
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Verse 4
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
Introduction to Christianity

26. THE OLD
TESTAMENT
The Old Testament is the first part of Christian Bibles, based primarily upon the
Hebrew Bible.
• a collection of ancient religious writings by the Israelites believed by most
Christians and religious Jews to be the sacred Word of God. The second
part of the Christian Bible is the New Testament.
Introduction to Christianity

27. The New Testament is made up of twenty-seven different books attributed
to eight different authors, six of whom are numbered among the Apostles
(Matthew, John, Paul, James, Peter, Jude) and two among their immediate
disciples (Mark, Luke).
The New Testament was not written all at once. The books that compose it
appeared one after another in the space of fifty years, i.e. in the second half
of the first century. Written in different and distant countries and addressed
to particular Churches, they took some time to spread throughout the whole
of Christendom. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as
events in first-century Christianity. Introduction to Christianity

28. Beliefs and doctrines serve as moral guidelines for the
Christians. They should follow these teachings strictly
if they want to redeem God’s promise of eternal life.
Not following them would lessen their chances of
being called true Christians and reduces their chances
of salvation in the afterlife.
BELIEFS AND DOCTRINES
Introduction to Christianity

29. 3
TEN COMMANDMENTS
The Ten Commandments, also known as
the Decalogue, are a set of biblical
principles relating to ethics and worship,
which play a fundamental role in the
Abrahamic religions.
The Ten Commandments appear twice
in the Hebrew Bible, in the books of
Exodus and Deuteronomy.
Introduction to Christianity

30. 3
Introduction to Christianity
"He proclaimed to you his
covenant, which he
commanded you to keep:
the Ten Commandments, which
he wrote on two tablets of
stone."
Deuteronomy 4:13

31. Instruction: As a Christian, give a
significant event that you
experienced in your life that you
can say that God exist.
ACTIVITY
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