27
votes
Can somebody summarize the different "branches" of Christianity to me, and explain why they exist in the first place?
The branches come from difference in opinion. Here is a diagram showing where Christianity diverged.
Image source
From the beginning Christianity diverged from Judaism1:
where Christianity ...
- 8,612
24
votes
What was the most likely method of crucifixion that was used on Jesus?
That Christ's hands were nailed to the cross is firmly established by Scripture. Following the Resurrection, the Apostle Thomas doubted that Christ was alive:
So he [Thomas] said to them, "Unless I ...
- 3,650
18
votes
Can somebody summarize the different "branches" of Christianity to me, and explain why they exist in the first place?
Such a simple question, and so difficult to provide a simple answer!
Probably the main reasons for Christianity dividing into branches and sects are:
(a) issues of dogma: disagreements about points ...
- 321
13
votes
Accepted
Is the global Christian population increasing?
To answer your first question, yes, the total Christian population is growing, by about 1.5% per year. This number comes from one of several excellent studies of Christian populations, a 2013 report ...
- 42.3k
11
votes
Can somebody summarize the different "branches" of Christianity to me, and explain why they exist in the first place?
The other answers here are good, but I'll try to directly address some questions with more detail. And this is the sort of question where a lot of answers are "it's complicated, and no one perspective ...
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8
votes
Accepted
What soteriological doctrines are most prevalent within Protestantism throughout the world?
Below I have reproduced a table from a 2011 Pew study on Christian Movements and Denominations which used data from the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Center for the Study of Global Christianity.
...
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8
votes
Why was Jesus not welcomed and carefully tested by the Jews if they were (and are) actually waiting for Messiah?
He was tested
The Jews living in the time of Jesus did try to discern whether Jesus was the real Messiah that they had been yearning for, because they disliked living under Roman rule and wanted to ...
- 21.8k
6
votes
Can somebody summarize the different "branches" of Christianity to me, and explain why they exist in the first place?
Interesting question, but where to start? It’s a big ask! The Wikipedia diagram provided by depperm is a very useful illustration showing the timeline and emergence of the different major branches ...
- 28.7k
5
votes
Why was Jesus not welcomed and carefully tested by the Jews if they were (and are) actually waiting for Messiah?
Part of the OP assumption is the Jews in leadership didn't test Christ. They did, but they didn't like what they found.
And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day ...
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5
votes
What do Jews and Christians agree with in the Bible?
This answer compares the text and the interpretation of the Jewish Scriptures with the text and the interpretation of the Christian Bible.
Text comparison
As you can see in the table in the wikipedia ...
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4
votes
How many Christian missionaries are sent by the "global South"?
The best data on this topic that I'm aware of comes from the Atlas of Global Christianity, which describes how Christian missions has changed between 1910 and 2010 (unfortunately, if it does include ...
- 42.3k
4
votes
Can somebody summarize the different "branches" of Christianity to me, and explain why they exist in the first place?
I’ve done my best to address three of your sub-questions:
Why do we have Christianity if Jesus was a Jew?
God has always called prophets to teach the inhabitants of the earth (His children). These ...
4
votes
Why was the revelation that God has the Only Begotten Son not given in the Old Testament?
"Why was the revelation that God has the [an] Only Begotten Son not given to the ancient Hebrew people?"
There are two answers to this: it was and it wasn't! Answered in reverse order:
It ...
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4
votes
Accepted
Is there anything people do today that would have been seen as a miracle by ancient standards?
Jesus loved so perfectly that he was able to perform astonishing miracles
This is incorrect. Jesus either is God (according to Trinitarians; mainstream Christian belief), or was a prophet among ...
- 6,181
3
votes
What was the most likely method of crucifixion that was used on Jesus?
Another controversy brewing in the Hebrew Roots Movement is the cross or stake debate. Here is a good article exploring this whole discussion, which includes some references to the “mark”.
Used with ...
3
votes
What was the most likely method of crucifixion that was used on Jesus?
In the absence of a quantitative model, likelihood is likely abused.
If a matter such as this, which is the topic of an unsettled scholarly discussion, the only reasonable answer is that we don't ...
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3
votes
Are Convent Schools only for orphan children?
I did my schooling until high school in a convent school.
Answers:
1) No, I'm not a orphen. This may have cleared you first question but still for your information, convent schools are open for any ...
- 205
3
votes
Accepted
What countries today have severe restrictions against Christianity as state policy?
North Korea has severe restrictions against Christianity as state policy, with imprisonment and forced labour the penalty for even being a committed Christian, but not only Christians face persecution....
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3
votes
Has the gospel been "preached to all nations"?
Prominent dispensationalist John MacArthur understands this passage to be a prophecy that will be fulfilled in the future, but not primarily through the church's work of evangelism. Instead, his ...
- 42.3k
3
votes
Accepted
Has the gospel been "preached to all nations"?
Colossians 1:23 is translated in the NIV and several other translations as follows…” proclaimed”… “under heaven”. Paul may have been referring to the gospel in the stars. The zodiac has been found in ...
- 14.4k
3
votes
What Christian companies, today, have no name by which they are known?
The only ‘label’ that matters is the ‘label’ of Christian. A Christian is a person who belongs to Christ Jesus and who obeys Him. Denominational labels are man-made and of no importance. Jesus ...
- 28.7k
3
votes
What is "Christ Consciousness", and which branches teach it?
The first thing to understand about “Christ Consciousness” is that it is not Christian and does not form any part of Protestant or Baptist theology that I am aware of. Below are partial quotes from ...
- 28.7k
3
votes
Why was Jesus not welcomed and carefully tested by the Jews if they were (and are) actually waiting for Messiah?
Your question is not naive. Nor is there a single answer.
No sign. Some Jews expected the Messiah to perform an outstanding miracle. Moses prophesied this:
15 The Lord your God will raise up for ...
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3
votes
Is the Militia of the Immaculata a sect within the Catholic branch of Christianity?
If the teachings, requirements, and goals of the Militia of the Immaculata are not completely synchronized with Orthodox Christianity, does it then qualify as a sect within Christianity?
The ...
- 2,742
3
votes
What do Jews and Christians agree with in the Bible?
In Paul's declaration to the Corinthian Church he references 'the scriptures' in support of his gospel concerning Christ dying for sins and rising from the dead. The scriptures he speaks of are the ...
- 22.8k
3
votes
Is there a traditional belief in Christianity or Judaism on the cause of death of Moses?
The most detailed account I am aware of (from a reasonably consistent source) is the account written by Flavius Josephus, who concludes the relevant narrative with the following:
And as he [Moses] ...
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2
votes
Has the gospel been "preached to all nations"?
No. According to the Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature,
One valid translation of this word is "Gentile" and Strong's Concordance records that it is ...
- 2,616
2
votes
Has the gospel been "preached to all nations"?
While word translated 'nations' is ἔθνος (ethnos) is the word from which we derive the word 'ethnic', according to the Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, ...
- 2,616
2
votes
What is an overview of the schools of thought regarding the soteriological status of alien life forms?
The question is purely hypothetical, and would seem to fall under Paul's admonition in 1 Timothy 1:4 to avoid "...attention to fables..., which cause debates rather than godly edifying, which is in ...
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2
votes
Accepted
Are Convent Schools only for orphan children?
Please be informed that a Convent is the place where Catholic nuns stay in a group. All convents may not necessarily run schools ; Mother Teresa's Convents or the Convents of Missionaries of Charity ...
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible