Christianity is the world's largest religion with over 2 billion followers. It is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ who lived 2000 years ago. Christians believe in a Trinity of God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit. They believe Jesus was the messiah who was sent to earth to save humans from sin and was resurrected after his crucifixion. The Bible is the Christian holy book and Sunday is the holy day of worship in churches. Major Christian holidays include Christmas and Easter.

1. Christianity
 Christianity is a monotheistic religion and is the
world’s biggest religion with over 2 billion followers
worldwide.
 Monotheistic means a belief in
one god (usually referred to as
God).
 Believe in a Trinity:
 God the Father (God)
 God the Son (Jesus)
 God the Holy Spirit Portrait of Jesus

2. Key Beliefs
 Based on the teachings of
Jesus Christ who lived in the
Holy Land (modern day Israel)
2,000 years ago. Christians
also believe that Jesus was the
messiah (savior) promised in
the Old Testament of the Bible.
 Believe that Jesus is the son of
God. Christians also believe
that God sent Jesus to earth to
save humans from sin, through
his sacrifice (crucifixion), and
through his resurrection three
days later.
The Shield of the Trinity of traditional
Western Christian symbolism.

3. Key Beliefs (cont.)
 Christians believe in one baptism into
the Christian faith (either as a child
or as an adult, depending on the
denomination).
 The Eucharist, also known as a
communion meal in some churches, is
central to the church, and is thought
to bring unity amongst Christians.
 Christians believe in a Day of
Judgment, where people will be
judged to either go to heaven or hell.
The Eucharist, meant to
represent the body (bread)
and blood (wine) of Christ,
following instructions from the
Last Supper.

4. Christianity at a Glance
 There are approximately 2.1 billion Christians
worldwide, with approximately 247 million Americans
that refer to themselves as Christians.

5. Holy Book
 The Christian holy book is
the Bible, which consists of
an Old Testament and a
New Testament.
 The Old Testament is the
original Hebrew Bible
(Torah), the sacred scriptures
of the Jewish faith, written
at different times between
about 1200 and 165 BC.
The New Testament books
were written by Christians in
the first century AD.

6. Worship Services
 Christians worship at a
church, with the holy day
being on Sunday (a
departure from Judaism,
where the holy day is on
Saturday).
 Christian leaders go by
different titles, depending
on the type of church.
Some common titles are:
 Preacher/Minister
 Priest
St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Italy
(Vatican City)
Pope Francis Billy Graham (Preacher)

7. Practices, Rituals, and Holidays
 Christians believe that they
communicate with God
directly through prayer.
 The Christian religion has a
number of important
holidays. Two of the most
important are:
 Christmas – A Christian holy
day that marks the birth of
Jesus.
 Easter – Celebrates the
resurrection of Jesus after
his crucifixion.
A child praying
Easter Celebration in Vatican City

8. Christian Sects or Denominations
 Christianity is
divided into
numerous sects or
denominations.
Three of the
largest are:
Catholic
Protestant
Lutheran
Catholic believer
praying in a
church in Mexico
Martin Luther – German
Monk and Catholic
preacher, who began the
Protestant Reformation
(protesting the Catholic
Church), which led to a split
in Christianity