Christianity is currently the largest faith in the world with over 85% of Americans identifying themselves as Christian. Although, there are many Christian churches the largest are Roman Catholic, with over 1 billion members, followed by Protestant, of which there are approximately 500 million members and Eastern Orthodox with approximately 225 million members. Not all Christians associate themselves with one particular denomination, so the percentage of Christians may be higher then estimated. What sets Christianity apart from other religions is the belief that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the birth of whom was written about in the Old Testament. He was born, lived and died without sin. Christ's mission on earth was to clear up misconceptions and errors in the Old Testament, to educate followers about God's true will, to provide a human example of goodness to emulate and to die for the sins of mankind so that all people could experience atonement, (reconciliation with God), and be redeemed for personal sins. This course does not focus on, or favor, any specific Christian church. What is provided, however, for reference and educational purposes, are the basic principles and doctrines of the world's largest Christian churches and denominations, namely Roman Catholic*, Eastern Orthodox* and Protestant. There are approximately 38,000 different denominations of Christianity to date. Covering more than the three largest and some of the longest established smaller denominations is outside the scope of this course.  

There are seventeen comprehensive lessons written in an easy to follow, informative manner. The end of each lesson will provide you with multiple summary review questions and exercises so that you may effectively test your new found knowledge. We encourage you to use these self-test questions and exercises to determine whether you are ready to move on or if you should review portions of the preceding lesson before taking the next step. Do not rush yourself. Take the time to read all portions of the lessons and complete the exercises and self-tests. Whether you are seeking to learn more about Christianity for personal or scholarly reasons, or you are just curious about Christ's teachings and the religion that stemmed from Him, this course will introduce you to its basic premise and principals in an easy to understand manner. 

Because it is used so often as a reference for this course, if you don't already own a Bible, you need to obtain one. Although, many Internet versions are available, it is advisable that you purchase a hard copy King James Version of the Holy Bible or borrow one from the library. There are many inexpensive copies available from online book sellers. Friends or relatives may also have one you can borrow, however, it is nice to have your own in which you can make notes, highlight key entries and refer to in the future. 

*Both the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches do not categorize themselves as "denominations" of Christianity, but rather "The One True Church" as established by Jesus Christ at the Confession of Peter.

 

This course will not require you to have previous experience in any particular area but you should have a high school reading level. No books will be required.

 

Lesson 1 - Introduction to Christianity

Lesson 2 - The Christian Bible

Lesson 3 - Brief History of Christianity

Lesson 4 - Overview of Basic Christian Doctrines

Lesson 5 - Christian Churches/Denominations

Lesson 6 - Christian Practices, Rituals, Sacraments and Traditions

Lesson 7 - Christianity in the Postmodern World

Lesson 8 - Christian and Christian Church Holidays

Lesson 9 - Well Known Christian Leaders, Past and Present

Lesson 10 - Similarities and Differences between Christianity and Other Religions

Lesson 11 - Archangels and Angels

Lesson 12 - Christ's Twelve Disciples/Apostles

Lesson 13 - Conclusion