Contemporary Christianity
By the late 20th century Christianity had become the most widely disseminated religion on earth. Virtually no nation remained unaffected by the activities of Christian missionaries, although in many countries Christians are only a small fraction of the total population. Most of the countries of Asia and of Africa have Christian minorities, some of which, as in India and even in China, number several million members. Massive increases in the size of such churches challenged the traditional dominance of Western Christianity. Each major division of Christianity—Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, and Protestantism—is treated in a separate article where its history, tenets, and practices receive a fuller exposition than this article can give them and where a bibliography on the denominations of the division is supplied. The purpose here is to provide an overview of the principal divisions and thus to set the articles about the individual traditions into their proper context.
Articles from Britannica encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
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Christianity - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
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With some 2 billion followers, Christianity is the world’s most widespread religion. Christianity is based on the life, death, and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. The religion has three main branches-Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism.
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Christianity - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
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The beliefs and practices of Christianity are based on the teachings of Jesus Christ. Christianity is divided into three main denominations: Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant. There are more Christians in the world (some 2 billion at the beginning of the 21st century) than followers of any other single religion. (See also Jesus Christ.)
The topic Christianity is discussed at the following external Web sites.
Citations
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