Confirmation Part 3/10: Christianity
This is part of a series of mix-and-match curriculum resource for UMC Confirmation Classes and Teachers
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Christian History and Teachings
Christianity and the Gospel of Jesus
Christianity is currently the largest religious tradition in the world — and if you're studying this, you're part of a story that started roughly 2,000 years ago. The people who identify with Christianity are known as Christians. Many Christians identify with a specific branch, such as "Roman Catholic" or "United Methodist." Christians uphold the unique importance of Jesus. For Christians, Jesus is considered a human, the Son of God, and/or the living presence of God.
The Birthplace of Christianity
Christianity began in the lands of Judea and Galilee roughly 2,000 years ago — two regions in the eastern Mediterranean, both under the control of the Roman Empire. Jesus grew up in Galilee and traveled throughout the region, including Judea to the south.
Many people in the region were waiting for God to act — to send a deliverer, sometimes called The Anointed One (translated as Messiah in Hebrew or Christ in Greek). Some expected a new king who would overthrow the Roman military. Others expected a priest, a prophet, or a dramatic act of God. The expectations varied, but the longing was real.
The Good News of Jesus
While people waited for God to act, stories began to arise about a man named Jesus. These stories are called the "Gospel," meaning the "Good News" of Jesus. The Gospel stories reveal the deeds, teachings, and significance of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus was known for his powers in healing, teaching, performing miracles, and causing disruptions to the oppressive status quo.
The most well-known and preserved Gospel stories are attributed to the authors known as Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These four Gospels teach about Jesus from different perspectives and points in time. The Gospels, plus a collection of letters (or "Epistles"), were eventually brought together to form the New Testament (or "the Christian Testament"). Christians read the New Testament alongside the scriptures they inherited from the Jewish tradition, which Christians call the "Old Testament."
The Death of Jesus
As described in the Gospels, Jesus was tortured and executed while he was still a young man. He was crucified — nailed to a large wooden cross. For the Roman government, crucifixion was a way to make an example of political enemies. Pontius Pilate, the Roman prefect of Judea, was known for his brutal treatment of the people he governed.
The Gospels were written at different times and for different communities. As the separation between the Jesus movement and other Jewish communities grew, the later Gospel accounts placed increasing blame on "the Jews" as a group — a shift that has been used across the centuries to justify antisemitism and violence. The church today takes seriously the responsibility to name and resist this history.
The Resurrection
According to the Gospels, Jesus came back to life soon after his death — he was resurrected.
Christians have understood the resurrection in many ways. Some say that Jesus was physically resurrected as a historical fact. For some, the resurrection is not a literal historical fact, but a deep spiritual truth. For some, it is a sign that God's love is more powerful than oppression and even death. For others, it is a sign that God forgives our wrongdoings. Many Christians are still working out what it means to say that "Jesus is alive."
— What do you think?
Christianity Began to Grow
The Gospels give many names to Jesus, including "Christ," "King of the Jews," and "Son of God." His students (or "disciples") believed that following Jesus was the way to live faithfully before God, and they started a movement that would eventually be called "Christianity."
After the crucifixion, more and more people became his followers. Eventually, the followers of Jesus became known as Christians — a name sometimes understood as "little Christs" or "little anointed ones," though it may simply follow the Roman pattern of naming followers after their leader. The people who spread the stories of Jesus became known as apostles (meaning "sent out").
The earliest apostles include Peter and Paul. Peter was known as a student of Jesus. Paul was originally against the Christians, but was converted to Christianity.
The Acts of the Apostles is a book in the New Testament that teaches about these early Christians. According to Acts, the Holy Spirit of God visited the early Christians in the form of a fiery wind, empowering them to share the news of Jesus. At first, Christianity was unpopular. Nonetheless, it spread through existing Jewish communities, synagogue networks, and trade routes around the Mediterranean Sea. Christian communities developed in cities across the Roman Empire, and as the movement grew, it developed separate identities and practices from other Jewish communities.
Christianity Became Dominant
The Christian church in the city of Rome came to power. Some traditions hold that Peter led the church in Rome. The Roman church also benefited from being located in the center of political power. Both factors likely played a role.
The Roman ruler Constantine embraced Christianity almost 300 years after the crucifixion — though he wasn't baptized until his deathbed, and his reasons remain debated. It may have been a genuine change of heart, a consolidation of political power, a military strategy, or some combination.
Protests and Protestants
As Christianity grew, the Roman Catholic church became the largest and most politically powerful branch. However, some communities disagreed with the Roman Catholic church's teachings or practices enough to develop into separate organizations.
In 1517, a Catholic friar and professor named Martin Luther famously wrote his "95 Theses," attempting to address disagreements about the practice of "Indulgences." Luther had many teachings in conflict with the established Church. He believed that salvation and life are not earned by good deeds, but received only as the free gift of God's grace through the believer's faith in Jesus Christ.
Luther's theology challenged the authority of the pope by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge, and he considered all baptized Christians to be a holy priesthood. Luther's teachings, empowered by the invention of the movable printing press in Europe, sparked a period of new teachings and traditions known as the Protestant Reformation.
Luther's followers became known as Protestants, due to their protest against key Church teachings. In the years since, Protestant communities have developed distinct beliefs and practices from one another. There are now many streams of Protestantism, including Lutherans, Anglicans, Methodists, Baptists, and the United Church of Christ (UCC). John Wesley, for example, was a priest in the Church of England whose teachings were foundational for what would become the Methodist movement. Many Christian congregations are unaffiliated, and members may simply identify as "Christian."
Christian Teachings
As Christianity grew, Christians began to develop new teachings. Some, such as the Holy Trinity, the liturgical calendar, and the sacraments, developed many years after the crucifixion. For some Christians, these are necessary teachings. For others, they are ways to draw closer to God, but also the expression and result of cultural processes.
The Holy Trinity
One of the earliest Christian teachings is the Holy Trinity. According to this teaching, God is represented in three persons: Creator (Father), Son, and Holy Spirit (Holy Ghost).
The Creator or Father is the God who breathed life into the world. The Son is Jesus, who walks and suffers among humans. The Holy Spirit is the presence and influence of God, affecting our day-to-day lives and inspiring change. Although God has three persons, there is still one God.
The logo of the United Methodist Church represents Jesus with the cross and the Holy Spirit with the flame.
The Liturgical Calendar
The liturgical calendar helps Christians celebrate the stories of Jesus throughout the year and helps church leaders plan worship services.
Advent — Four weeks of preparation before the celebration of Jesus' birth
Christmas — Recalling the birth of Jesus Christ and his manifestation to the peoples of the world
Ordinary Time (after Christmas) — A span of 4–8 weeks in which the faithful consider the fullness of Jesus' teachings and works
Lent — A six-week period of penance before Easter
Sacred Paschal Triduum — The holiest "Three Days" of the Church's year, recalling the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus
Easter — Fifty days of joyful celebration of the Lord's resurrection and his sending forth of the Holy Spirit
Ordinary Time (after Easter) — About six months in which the faithful consider the fullness of Jesus' teachings and works, concluding with Reign of Christ Sunday
The Sacraments
As Christianity developed, certain ritual acts became especially important. These are called sacraments — sacred acts that serve as visible signs of God's love and grace acting in our lives.
For Roman Catholics, there are seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist (Communion), Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Matrimony (Marriage), and Holy Orders. In Eastern Orthodox Christianity, there is no fixed limit to the number of sacraments, but seven are considered major. For most Protestant forms of Christianity, including Methodism, there are two sacraments: Baptism and Communion.
The Great Commandment and the Great Commission
The Great Commandment: Jesus is asked, "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" Jesus responds: "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Matthew 22:36–40) Christians call this the Great Commandment.
The Great Commission: After his resurrection, Jesus returns to the disciples and says: "Make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:19–20) Christians call this the Great Commission.
Many Christians choose to emphasize one or both.
This is part of a series of mix-and-match curriculum resource for UMC Confirmation Classes and Teachers
