Global devotion to Jesus’s mother, the Virgin Mary, includes shrines across the world. For American and particularly Hispanic Catholics, special reverence is often afforded to the Virgin of Guadalupe, Mary’s manifestation as an indigenous Madonna in Mexico, who is now considered Patroness of all the Americas.

... Read more about Devotion to the Virgin Mary

Modeled on Christ’s baptism by John the Baptist in the River Jordan, the rite of baptism involves the partial or full immersion of a person into water as a sign of their rebirth into Christianity. Some denominations baptize infants, while others require that the person has voluntarily chosen to follow Jesus first. 

... Read more about Baptism by Water and Spirit

After Jesus’ resurrection, his followers traveled to spread his teachings. One prominent leader in the early church, The apostle Paul, made the radical shift to evangelize the Gentiles (non-Jews), which advanced the global spread of Christianity as more people joined the community of Christ-followers that is the church.

... Read more about Birth of the Church

Martin Luther was a 16th century German monk  who grew disillusioned with the authority of the Roman Catholic Church and insisted that salvation was entirely a gift of God’s grace. He began a process of Christian reform that eventually moved beyond Catholicism and became known as the Protestant Reformation. And that process of reform would continue in Protestant churches themselves, generating new practices, theologies, movements, and denominations. 

... Read more about The Protestant Movement

For all of Christian history, missionaries have traveled across the world with the goal of extending the church to new peoples and lands. Following the routes of empire and trade, unique Christian traditions arose across the globe. Some served the interests of colonizing powers, while others, influenced by diverse indigenous cultures and identities, opposed imperialism.

... Read more about Mission to the World

Statements of belief unite Christians in their articulation of shared commitments. While the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed are two of the oldest and most universal creeds of the church, the process of articulating what it means to give one’s heart to Christ continues in the present. 

... Read more about Credo: “I Believe. . .”

The Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches are rooted in Greece, the Middle East, North Africa, and India.  These churches are theologically and liturgically distinct from those in the Roman Catholic and Protestant traditions, and have weathered centuries of challenge and change.

... Read more about Orthodox Christian Churches

Since the 17th century, new disagreements among Christians have emerged over how to interpret the Bible, relate religious faith to scientific discoveries, and incorporate broader social changes into church structure. The Second Vatican Council in the 1960s led to Roman Catholic ecclesiastical change, while Protestant churches have offered diverse, sometimes ecumenical and sometimes conflicting, answers to these questions. In more recent years, the world has seen a resurgence of evangelical Christianity as well as the spectacular growth of Pentecostalism, particularly in Latin America, Africa, and the U.S.... Read more about The Modern Era

The Church of Rome traces its roots to the apostles Peter and Paul, whose lineage continues through the papacy. Despite the Church of Rome’s separation from the Orthodox churches in 1054, and then with Protestant reformers in 1521, Catholics account for half of the world’s Christians today.... Read more about The Roman Catholic Church and the Catholic Communion

According to the Gospels, Jesus was executed by crucifixion at the hands of Roman authorities, and resurrected three days later. For Christians, this event affirms the divinity of Jesus and stands as a sign of God’s continuing presence and power in the world.

... Read more about Death and Resurrection of Jesus

In the first decades of the 1800s, a growing coalition of Protestants made arguments grounded in scripture for the abolition of slavery. This group laid the foundation for later social movements, including the Women’s Rights Movement. Although cooperation between churches gave momentum to these campaigns, political and religious arguments also led to internal divisions, often along racial and geographic lines. 

... Read more about Abolition and Women’s Rights

In the early 19th century, many so-called “mainstream Protestants”—Congregationalists, Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, and Anglicans—believed themselves to be responsible for the future of the fledgling United States. Although they founded interchurch agencies that worked toward social reform, some religious alliances eventually split as denominations took either “liberal” or “fundamentalist” stances.

... Read more about The Protestant Mainstream

Enlightenment ideals of reason and religious freedom pervaded the American colonial religious landscape. These values were instrumental in the American Revolution and the creation of a nation without an established religion.

... Read more about Enlightenment and Revolution

The 18th century brought a series of religious revivals to the American colonies. Preachers traveled through Congregationalist, Presbyterian, Baptist, and Anglican communities, speaking to large crowds, urging renewed piety and personal conversions, and infusing American Protestantism with a lasting individualistic spirit.

... Read more about American Protestant Awakening