What is the life span of Christianity?

[MorkandMindy]

I think I've come to realize the answer to my question:

Christianity is really a group of religions with a lot of shared doctrine between many related denominations/religions but no single doctrine is shared by all.

The one key identifier of all Christianity is the shared character of Jesus Christ.

This one name originally kept the Jewish Ebionite Christians connected to the Gentile Christians. It's hard to think of much common ground between them even using the scriptures (Acts and Gal 2.11).

I guess the answer is, whether the religion accepts or rejects predestination, accepts or rejects the need for obedience in salvation, is sola scriptura or accepts other forms of authority as equal to scripture, values the mind of man or considers man a fallen creature unable to understand anything without the Holy Spirit, has salvation for all or just some, considers the gospels to be to our dispensation or in the previous one, (Jesus came to the Jews, to those under law, not to those under grace)

the religion is still Christian as long as the name of Jesus Christ is in it and his words are remembered.

 

[peterrobin]

I am getting an advertisement in this forum that tells me the 2nd coming could be today, so I guess the life span of Christianity could end today.

Actually today is very inconvenient, I wonder if they could make it tomorrow?

 

[Hypersonic]

I am getting an advertisement in this forum that tells me the 2nd coming could be today, so I guess the life span of Christianity could end today.

Actually today is very inconvenient, I wonder if they could make it tomorrow?

Don't worry, all the powerful nuclear countries have decided to end it tomorrow so they can watch today's football match.

 

[daydreamergurl15]

It stops being Christianity when they go against what is written in the bible. The bible tells us the standards to live by to please God and when we veer off from that, especially in worship, it is not the church.

 

[uberd00b]

It stops being Christianity when they go against what is written in the bible. The bible tells us the standards to live by to please God and when we veer off from that, especially in worship, it is not the church.

I disagree, I think this Bible worship (I'd consider it idolatry were I a Christian) is bringing about the end of Christianity. People know better now than (some of) the Bible writers did back then. This leads to the situation we have now wherein we have the so called "culture wars". THe struggle between modernity and conservatism, right and wrong.

Perhaps Christianity can be given a lifeline if it's followers abandon the less fitting teachings and instead concentrated on what is actually right and wrong. I think these things can be figured out without recourse to the Bible (and in some cases have to be, as the Bible writers had no idea what advances we would make in the future).

 

[daydreamergurl15]

You have every right to disagree.

God bless.

 

[MorkandMindy]

It stops being Christianity when they go against what is written in the bible. The bible tells us the standards to live by to please God and when we veer off from that, especially in worship, it is not the church.

Bible Old Testament: Lev 19.19 'Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.'

Bible New Testament: Luke 18:22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." 23When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. 24Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."


How many true Christians are there in the World today?

 

[Sphinx777]

What is the life span of Christianity?

About 2000 years, and still going strong...

History of Christianity

 

[daydreamergurl15]

Bible Old Testament: Lev 19.19 'Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.'

Bible New Testament: Luke 18:22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." 23When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. 24Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."


How many true Christians are there in the World today?

Lev. is in the Old Law, the old law has been done away with.
But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
Galatians 3:23-25

Sorry, I don't know how many true Christians are there in the world.

 

[MorkandMindy]

Lev. is in the Old Law, the old law has been done away with.
But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
Galatians 3:23-25

Sorry, I don't know how many true Christians are there in the world.

'It stops being Christianity when they go against what is written in the bible.'

But you also say it is OK to go against the Old Testament. Is the Old Testament part of the Bible?

 

[MorkandMindy]

According to the movie ‘Zeitgeist’ established religion exists to give the paid clergy a job.


Christians here in CF have varied answers to the question ‘what is Christianity’.

In Post 24: 'It stops being Christianity when they go against what is written in the Bible.' But in Post 29 there is no need to follow the Old Testament.

And many claim Christianity is not about deeds but about faith, and that the book of James was written to the Jews and therefore, like the Gospels, is a message to the earlier dispensation of law.

To include both groups it would be necessary to say: ‘It stops being Christianity when they go against what is written in the Pauline Epistles.'

And the debate over whether the current US President is a born-again obedient Christian or not highlights the lack of agreement over what Christian obedience is, or what Christianity is.

It appears that what distinguishes the Christian religions from other religions is just the name ‘Jesus Christ’. That is about all the Jewish Church in Jerusalem had in common with the Gentile Christians, and present day Christianity covers the entire road from Jerusalem to Tarsus and a few others that hadn’t been built back then.


Key to the whole picture is Christians are not clear on what Christianity is and haven’t spent much time trying to work out what it is either.

If Zeitgeist is correct then it is to support the work of the church - in short - to keep the clergy in a job.

 

[DailyBlessings]

Key to the whole picture is Christians are not clear on what Christianity is and haven’t spent much time trying to work out what it is either.

The first statement is true, the second is most certainly not.

If Zeitgeist is correct then it is to support the work of the church - in short - to keep the clergy in a job.

And the educational system exists to keep the teachers employed? Do you really think a major social institution is kept alive merely so that the clergy can put up with a high-stress, multi-task, 24 hr job for almost no pay? Why not just become prison wardens?

 

[Anglian]

I'm very worried if my Church in Egypt died out in AD 150. What have we been doing all these centuries, and why are we still practising the Faith when it would be so much easier to give in to the attacks Muslims are making on us at the moment?

Western perspectives on Christianity do seem to ignore Churches such as mine (the Coptic Orthodox Church) and the Eastern Orthodox, which have been quietly proclaiming the same Faith over the centuries.

Perhaps I'd better tell the Muslims we died out in AD 150?

Peace,

Anglian

 

[MorkandMindy]

...

If the whole Early Church in Jerusalem was Jewish and was destroyed in 70 AD and the small branch in Alexandria had vanished by 150 AD, how can any of modern Christianity claim continuity with Jesus?

Can Arian or Athanasian Christianity claim any connection with the Early Church?

...

I'm very worried if my Church in Egypt died out in AD 150. ...

Western perspectives on Christianity do seem to ignore Churches such as mine (the Coptic Orthodox Church) and the Eastern Orthodox, which have been quietly proclaiming the same Faith over the centuries.

...

Hi Anglian,

I meant the small group from the Jerusalem Church who are reported to have continued in Alexandria after the Church in Jerusalem was destroyed in 70AD. These were Jewish and therefore distinct from the Coptic Christians which later included Athanasius who was Coptic.


I would hope most people are aware that the Coptic Christians shaped the course of Christianity through some formative years which included leading the first three ecumenical councils: Nicea (325), Constantinople (381), and Ephesus (431).

The big theological contribution of the present day form of the Trinity came from the Coptic Athanasius in Alexandria who was the theological heavyweight of the time. I remember cheering for Arius but after hearing Athanasius I shut up and went with him instead.

 

[Anglian]

Dear MorkandMindy,

Thank you for your clarification.

IThe big theological contribution of the present day form of the Trinity came from the Coptic Athanasius in Alexandria who was the theological heavyweight of the time. I remember cheering for Arius but after hearing Athanasius I shut up and went with him instead.

Indeed and amen (Or, as a student put it to me recently: 'Athansius rules, Arius drools')

Peace,

Anglian

 

[Darrell33]

go to McLeod Gaming Forums and debate them they constantly talk about evolution.

 

[Taure]

Regarding "it's still Christianity so long as they follow the Bible", different people have different ideas about what it means to follow the Bible, different interpretations, different levels of strictness of adherence and so forth. So it's not that simple.

I think the answer to this question is "it's Christianity so long as the majority of that group consider it so".

For example, the Mormon church is considered to be not Christian, because the majority of people who call themselves Christian do not consider it thus, even if the Mormon church themselves do think of themselves as Christian.

Similarly, the Catholic church is considered Christian because the majority of those who call themselves Christian consider it thus.

 

[holynoise]

What is Christianity and what are it's boundaries?

Is modern day liberal American Christianity the same religion as the Roman Catholic Church of Feudal times which burned witches, homosexuals and heretics alive?

If the whole Early Church in Jerusalem was Jewish and was destroyed in 70 AD and the small branch in Alexandria had vanished by 150 AD, how can any of modern Christianity claim continuity with Jesus?

Can Arian or Athanasian Christianity claim any connection with the Early Church?

As Christianity develops at what point does it cease to be the same religion?

This is just my personal opinion about the subject, but I strongly agree with what the holy bible says, old and new testament. God speaks to us through the bible and tells us just exactly what we need to do in this life to be a Christian and what we need to do to avoid evil...It is simply to accept and love Jesus Christ with our heart 100%, read the word of God and gain as much spiritual knowledge that we can gain, and to bring people to Christ. The Bible clearly states that fasle doctrine and false teachers will exist in the end times. As Christians we need to learn to break the barriers of religion and understand that it is all about Jesus. There will come a time where we will be attacked more and more for speaking the Truth. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't be surprised if some of you disagree with what I'm saying and trust me, I am not one who enjoys making people angry, so my apologies if any. God Bless.

 

[daydreamergurl15]

'It stops being Christianity when they go against what is written in the bible.'

But you also say it is OK to go against the Old Testament. Is the Old Testament part of the Bible?

The law that was given was in Lev, Old Law, and it has been done away when Jesus died on the cross. I did not say it was okay to go against the Old Testament, I said the Old law has been done away with. The Old Testament and The Old Law is different. The Old Testament is history, the Old Law was what the Jews were under before the death of Christ.

 

[MorkandMindy]

The law that was given was in Lev, Old Law, and it has been done away when Jesus died on the cross. I did not say it was okay to go against the Old Testament, I said the Old law has been done away with. The Old Testament and The Old Law is different. The Old Testament is history, the Old Law was what the Jews were under before the death of Christ.

So, to be a Christian it is necessary to obey the Bible which includes the Old Testament but it is OK to disobey the Old Law?