What Is Christianity?: An Introduction to the Christian Religion

by Gail Ramshaw

Overview

Gail Ramshaw frames this new introduction to Christianity around the basic questions that students ask. Investigating Christianity as a lived experience, she opens each chapter with a voice from the field of religious studies and then presents answers to each chapters question by surveying the history, doctrine, practices, and convictions of Christian churches.

Written for undergraduates with little or no background in the breadth of Christianity, the text of the book reports on the diversity of Christian belief and practice, and is accompanied with student-friendly learning helps, including side-bar definitions, art, photos, study questions, essay topics, and suggestions for further exploration in short stories, novels and films.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780800698195
Publisher:	1517 Media
Publication date:	07/01/2013
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	7.40(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Gail Ramshaw, M.A., M.Div., Ph.D., D.D., a retired professor of religion, has published extensively in the field of liturgical language. Her most recent publications are Word of God, Word of Life: Understanding the Three-Year Lectionaries (2019), a collection of liturgical prayers titled Pray, Praise, and Give Thanks (2017), and a collection of personal prayers titled Blessing and Beseeching (2022). In 2010 she received the Berakah award from the North American Academy of Liturgy. In 2019 she was honored by Virginia Theological Seminary with the degree of Doctor of Divinity, and in 2020 received a Doctor of Divinity from Wartburg Theological Seminary.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction: Why study Christianity? 1

1 Why is the Bible central to Christianity? 9

2 What do Christians believe about God? 31

3 What do Christians believe about Jesus? 51

4 What do Christians believe about the Spirit and the church? 73

5 Why does Christianity have so many denominations and spiritualities? 91

6 How do Christians worship? 119

7 How did the church develop? 141

8 What are saints? 169

9 What do Christians say about their relationship to the state? 187

10 What do Christians say about sexual issues? 207

11 What do Christians say about science? 227

12 What do Christians say about religious truth? 247

Conclusion: Why continue studying Christianity? 265

Chronology: What are some significant dates in Christian history? 271

Book List: What are some worthwhile books written by Christians? 279

Notes 281

Photo Credits 289

Index 293