List of Figures ix List of Tables xi Introduction: What Is Christianity? 1 1 Christian Beginnings 5 The Jewish Roots of Christianity 6 Jesus and the Gospel 7 Christianity's Original Diversity 9 Emergence of the Great Church 11 The Roman Imperial Church 12 Christian Diversity and Unity in the Year 500 14 The Great Division 15 The "Traditioning" of Christianity 19 2 Orthodoxy: Preserving Ancient Ways 21 Orthodox Spirituality 21 The Orthodox Understanding of Salvation 26 Orthodox History 28 Institutional and Social Structure of Orthodoxy 35 3 Catholicism: The Church 40 Catholic Spirituality 41 The Catholic Understanding of Salvation 45 Catholic History 47 Institutional and Social Structure of Catholicism 54 4 Protestantism: The Bible and the Individual 59 Protestant Spirituality 60 The Protestant Understanding of Salvation 64 Protestant History 67 Institutional and Social Structure of Protestantism 74 5 Pentecostalism: The Power of the Spirit 79 Pentecostal Spirituality 80 The Pentecostal Understanding of Salvation 85 Pentecostal History 87 Institutional and Social Structure of Pentecostalism 91 6 Becoming Global 95 Catholic Globalization 96 Protestant Globalization 101 The Bigger Picture: From Eurocentrism to World Christianity 105 7 The Contemporary Geography of Christianity 111 Mapping Christianity's Regional Differences 111 The Middle East and North Africa 113 Eastern Europe 115 Western Europe 116 India and Central Asia 117 Sub-Saharan Africa 118 East Asia 120 Latin America 121 North America 122 Oceania 124 Christian Interactions Today 125 8 Common Threads and Shared Challenges 128 Common Threads in the Early Christian Movement 128 The Modern Search for Christian Unity 131 Christian Commonalities Today 134 Contemporary Challenges 137 Conclusion: What Is Christianity Today? 145 Index 149.