ChristianChurchs

"The History of the Christian Churches"

Essentially, Christianity is a "monotheistic religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament"

Its followers, known as Christians, believe that Jesus is the son of God and the Messiah (Christ) prophesied in the Old Testament (the part of scripture common to Christianity and Judaism). To Christians, Jesus Christ is a teacher, the model of a virtuous life, the revealer of God, and most importantly the savior of humanity who suffered, died, and was resurrected in order to bring about salvation from sin.

Christians firmly believe that Jesus ascended into heaven, and most denominations teach that Jesus will return (or has already returned invisibly) to judge the living and the dead, granting everlasting life to those judged worthy. Christians call the message of Jesus Christ the Gospel ("good news") and hence label the written accounts of his ministry as gospels.

David B. Barrett's "World Christian Encyclopedia" gives an oft-cited figure of 1.9 billion Christians (or about 33% of the world population), and projects that by the year 2010 there will be 2.1 billion Christians in the world or approx 33% of the total world population. Regardless of the degree of accuracy of this figure, Christianity, if taken as a whole, is unarguably the largest religion in the world. Keep in mind that although Christianity is the world's largest religion, it is an umbrella term that comprises many different branches and denominations.

But the question needs to be asked, "how can such a simple faith based on a common accepted text (The Bible) be so fragmented into over 38,000 different denominations (2008)?"

What are some of the major Christian Religions ?

How did they start, develop and what form do they take in modern times?

This DVD ROM (for computer use only) attempts to trace from the days of the so called Church Fathers (early second century) to the present day, an accurate record of the history and development of the many so called "Christian Churches" .

Can it be ascertained : "which of the 38,000 Christian denominations teach's the truth as taught by Jesus Christ most accurately"

(Jesus gave us a clue at Matthew 7 verse 20).

You must consider the evidence and decide for yourself the answer to this critical question.

Subjects Covered :

(all textual material in PDF format - searchable & printable)

The Early Church Fathers

From Justin Martyr (AD 100 - 165 ) to Blaise Pascal (AD 1623 - 1662)

Over 50 volumes .

General Christian History

Exhaustive texts regarded as authorities by scholars on this subject including :

- "The Complete History of the Christian Church (Philip Schaff)

- "The Creeds of Christendom (vol 1 & 2) (Philip Schaff)

- "The Dictionary of Christian Biographies" (Henry Wace)

- "Ritualism, Romanism & the English Reformation" (William E Jelf)

- "On the Formation of Church's" (John Nelson Darby)

- "The Two Babylon's" (Alexander Hislop)

- "Historic Creeds & Confessions" (Rick Brannon)

- "Church History from AD 33 to the Reformation" (J.C Robertson)

Biblical Maps & Charts

Wonderful old and new maps of the Bible lands and places of significance to the Christian faith.

The History of the Huguenots

Fascinating and enlightening information regarding this much persecuted Christian minority who dared to challenge the might of the Roman Catholic Church in France and demanded the right to read the scriptures in their native tongue.

The History of the Albigences

Also known as "The Cathars", this brave Christian minority also faced the wrath of the Catholic Church in medieval Europe due to their opposition to Catholic excesses.

The History of the Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church, officially known as the Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian denomination and represents over half of all Christians and one-sixth of the world's population.

Through the teaching of apostolic succession, the Church claims to be the continuation of the Christian community founded by Jesus in his consecration of the apostle Peter as "the rock".

Exhaustive 17 volume resource with video presentation.

The History of the Eastern Orthodox Church

The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian communion in the world. It is composed of numerous theologically unified autocephalous ecclesial bodies, each shepherded by a synod of independent bishops whose duty is to preserve the beliefs and practices of the Church. All Orthodox bishops claim to trace their lineage back to one of the twelve Apostles through the process of apostolic succession.

The Eastern Orthodox Church views its role as the preserver of the teachings and traditions given to the Early Christians by the Apostles nearly 2,000 years ago and the developer of conciliar interpretations which expand and illuminate the original teachings.

Includes video presentation.

The History of the Baptist Church

The Baptists number over 110 million worldwide in more than 220,000 congregations, and are considered the largest world communion of evangelical Protestants, with an estimated 38 million members in North America.

Large populations of Baptists also exist in Asia, Africa and Latin America, notably in India (2.4 million), Nigeria (2.5 million), Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) (1.9 million), and Brazil (1.7 million).

7 Volumes - includes video presentation.

The History of the Methodist Church

Methodism is a movement within Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations.

The Methodist movement traces its origin to the evangelical awakening in 18th century Great Britain.

Methodism followed from the work of John Wesley, who was an Anglican clergyman.

Through vigorous missionary activity Methodism spread throughout the British Empire, the United States, and beyond.

4 Volumes - includes video presentation.

The History of the Anglican Church

With approximately 77 million members, the Anglican Communion is the third largest communion in the world, after the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches.

Some of these churches are known as Anglican, explicitly recognising the historical link to England (Ecclesia Anglicana means "Church of England"); others, such as the American and Scottish Episcopal churches, or the Church of Ireland, prefer a separate name.

Each church has its own doctrine and liturgy, based in most cases on that of the Church of England; and each church has its own legislative process and overall episcopal polity, under the leadership of a local primate.

Includes video presentation.

The History of the Presbyterian Church

Presbyterianism is a family of Christian denominations within the Reformed branch of Protestant Western Christianity. Hallmarks include Calvinist theology and the presbyterian form of church governance.

A form of Calvinism, Presbyterianism evolved primarily in Scotland before the Act of Union in 1707. Most of the few Presbyteries found in England can trace a Scottish connection.

Although some modern adherents still hold to the theology of Calvin and his immediate successors, there is a wide range of theological views within contemporary Presbyterianism.

Includes video presentation.

The History of the Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormans)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the fourth largest Christian denomination in the United States and the largest and most well-known denomination originating from the Latter Day Saint movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. in 1830. The Church is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, and has established congregations and temples worldwide, reporting approximately 13 million members on its rolls.

Adherents, usually referred to as Latter-day Saints, LDS, or Mormons, are Restorationist Christians and do not consider themselves part of the Catholic, Orthodox or Protestant traditions. The Church teaches that sometime after the events depicted in the New Testament, there was a Great Apostasy, or loss of authority to lead Christ's Church, to preach the Gospel, and administer the ordinances of the Church. Because men relied on their own knowledge to understand the Gospel, the fullness of Jesus Christ's gospel was lost from the earth.

Includes video presentation.

The History of Jehovah's Witnesses

Jehovah's Witnesses originated with the religious movement known as The Bible Students, which was founded in the late 1870s by Charles Taze Russell.

In 1931, the name Jehovah's Witnesses was adopted by resolution at a convention in Columbus, OH, on July 26th.

Witnesses believe that after the death of the apostles, the Christian Church gradually diverged, in a "Great Apostasy", from the original teachings of Jesus on several major points.

Charles Taze Russell and his associates formed a Bible study group in the 1870s in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, in a sincere attempt to return to original primitive Christianity.

From these humble beginnings, the 2008 Year Book of Jehovah's Witnesses reports 6,957,854 active Witnesses worldwide.

Featured on this DVD ROM :

5 comprehensive history books including :

- "Faith on the March" (Alexander MacMillan)

- "The New World Society" (Marley Cole)

- "Triumphant Kingdom" (Marley Cole)

"The History of the Christian Churches"

Truely an incredible resource

on one unique DVD ROM

Only $12.00 (US)

(+ $6.00 shipping - WORLDWIDE)