Skip to main content

The Living Faith

Denominations, Diversity, and Christianity Today

Christianity is not one thing. It is 2.4 billion people in thousands of denominations spanning every culture on earth — from Ethiopian Orthodox liturgies to Korean megachurches, from Catholic monasteries to Quaker meeting houses. In this final lesson, you will explore the great branches of Christianity, understand why they diverged, and consider what this ancient faith offers the modern world.

▶
Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant: What's the Difference?
Video ~10 min
▸

A clear explanation of the three major branches of Christianity — how and why they split, what they share, and how they differ in practice, theology, and governance.

Channel: Religion For Breakfast
📄
One Faith, Many Churches
Reading ~5 min
▸

Christianity has split, and split again, and split again — and yet all branches trace themselves back to the same person, the same story, the same hope.

The first great division came in 1054 CE — the Great Schism between the Catholic (Western, Rome-centered) and Orthodox (Eastern, Constantinople-centered) churches. They disagreed about papal authority, liturgical practice, and a single word in the Creed.

The second great division came in 1517 CE — the Protestant Reformation, when Martin Luther challenged Catholic practices (especially the sale of indulgences). Luther's insight: salvation is by grace through faith, not through institutional mediation. The Reformation produced hundreds of new denominations — Lutheran, Calvinist, Anglican, Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, and many more.

Today the landscape includes: - Catholicism — 1.3 billion members, led by the Pope, sacramental worship, rich tradition of social teaching - Orthodoxy — 300 million members, ancient liturgy, icon veneration, emphasis on theosis (becoming like God) - Protestantism — 900 million members in thousands of denominations, emphasizing scripture, personal faith, and the priesthood of all believers - Pentecostalism — the fastest-growing branch, emphasizing the gifts of the Holy Spirit, emotional worship, and healing

What unites all Christians: the belief that in Jesus of Nazareth, God acted decisively to rescue and renew the world.

📖
Augustine on Love of Neighbor
Primary Source ~8 min
▸
St. Augustine's City of God and Christian Doctrine — Saint Augustine of Hippo
Open in Ocean Library ↗
There arises further in this connection a question about angels. For they are happy in the enjoyment of Him whom we long to enjoy; and the more we enjoy Him in this life as through a glass darkly, the more easy do we find it to bear our pilgrimage, and the more eagerly do we long for its termination.
ⓘ
Teacher's note

Augustine here reflects on the scope of the commandment to love your neighbor. Who counts as a neighbor? Augustine pushes the question to its logical extreme — even angels? His conclusion: anyone from whom you can receive or to whom you can give the kindness of love is your neighbor. The circle of love has no boundary.

📄
Christianity and the Modern World
Reading ~5 min
▸

Christianity faces the same questions every ancient tradition faces in modernity: How do you hold onto what is essential while adapting to a changed world?

Some of the live debates within Christianity today:

- Science and faith — Can evolution, cosmology, and neuroscience coexist with Christian belief? Many scientists are practicing Christians; the tension is real but not irresolvable. - Social justice — Christians are on every side of debates about poverty, immigration, climate change, and human rights. Liberation theology (born in Latin America) argues that God has a 'preferential option for the poor.' - Ecumenism — The movement toward Christian unity. After centuries of division, Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants are in dialogue. - Global shift — Christianity's center of gravity has moved south and east. The typical Christian today is not a European but an African, Asian, or Latin American.

Whatever one thinks of its truth claims, Christianity has shaped art, music, literature, law, science, education, and ethics in ways that are impossible to overstate. Understanding it is essential for understanding the modern world.

▶
Christianity Around the World
Video ~10 min
▸

How Christianity looks in different cultures — Ethiopian Orthodox, Korean Presbyterian, Brazilian Pentecostal, European Catholic. The same faith, radically different expressions.

Channel: Religion For Breakfast
🔄
Key Terms: Christian Diversity
Key Terms ~3 min
▸
What was the Great Schism (1054)? tap to reveal
The division between Catholic (Western) and Orthodox (Eastern) Christianity, over papal authority, liturgical differences, and a disputed clause in the Nicene Creed.
What was the Protestant Reformation? tap to reveal
Martin Luther's 1517 challenge to Catholic practices, leading to the formation of Protestant churches. Key principle: salvation by grace through faith alone (sola fide).
What is Catholicism? tap to reveal
The largest Christian tradition (1.3 billion), led by the Pope, centered on seven sacraments, and emphasizing tradition alongside scripture.
What is Eastern Orthodoxy? tap to reveal
The ancient Eastern tradition (300 million), known for its rich liturgy, icon veneration, and emphasis on theosis — the process of becoming like God.
What is Pentecostalism? tap to reveal
The fastest-growing form of Christianity, emphasizing the gifts of the Holy Spirit (speaking in tongues, healing, prophecy) and emotional, participatory worship.
What is Liberation Theology? tap to reveal
A movement born in Latin America arguing that God has a 'preferential option for the poor' — that the Gospel demands structural justice, not just individual charity.
What is Ecumenism? tap to reveal
The movement toward Christian unity — bringing divided churches into dialogue, recognizing shared baptism, and working together on shared concerns.
✓
Check Your Understanding
Comprehension Check ~5 min
▸
1. What caused the Great Schism of 1054?
The fall of the Roman Empire
A disagreement about whether Jesus existed
Disagreements over papal authority, liturgical practice, and a disputed clause in the Creed
The Protestant Reformation
2. What is Martin Luther's central insight?
The Bible should only be read in Latin
Christianity should merge with Islam
The Pope should have absolute authority
Salvation is by grace through faith alone — not through institutional mediation or good works
3. Where is Christianity growing fastest today?
The Global South — Africa, Asia, and Latin America
The United States
Australia and New Zealand
Western Europe
4. What does Augustine conclude about who counts as a 'neighbor'?
Only Christians and Jews
Anyone from whom you can receive or to whom you can give love — the circle has no boundary
Only people who live on your street
Only members of your own church
✎
Reflection: One Faith, Many Voices
Essay Prompt ~15 min
▸

Looking back over the entire course — from the Sermon on the Mount to the global church of today — what is the single most surprising or challenging thing you have learned about Christianity? Has anything changed the way you think about this tradition? Christianity has produced extraordinary beauty (cathedrals, music, art, literature) and extraordinary harm (crusades, inquisitions, colonialism). How do you hold both of these realities together? Is it possible for a tradition to be deeply flawed and deeply valuable at the same time? Finally: Augustine said our hearts are restless until they rest in God. Paul said nothing matters without love. Jesus said the meek inherit the earth. If you had to carry one idea from this course into your daily life, which would it be, and why?

Expected length: 500-800 words