The Impact of Christianity on Western Civilization

In 1900 many assumed the twentieth century would be a Christian century because Western “Christian empires” ruled most of the world. What happened instead is that Christianity in the West declined dramatically, the empires collapsed, and Christianity’s center moved to Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific. (Logos) In the beginning of “The Unexpected Christian Century,” Sunquist is mentioning the fast paced overview of Christian missionary expansion, starting with the effort of the apostles described in Acts, describing the difference of the royal church and the transformation of “tribal Europe,” and ending with both Catholic and Protestant works of the late early modern period.

Natural law- the idea that principles of morals and rights are inherent in nature and not human made; such laws are discovered by reason but exist apart from humankind. Positive law-human made law.

I chose to write my paper about Christianity because it has changed the world more than anything else that has ever existed. Christianity has changed the world in so many ways including the countless wars that have been fought in the name of God and how it changed Rome one of the biggest civilizations in the world at it’s time into a place where God and Jesus Christ were the main deities of the city after they transitioned from the gods of old. I believe that every christian around the world has heard about the christian crusades and the way that the crusaders swept through the world killing non believers and acting under the word of God to spread his word. The reasons I have chose to write about christianity are hope, Christianity has given

Stark, Rodney. The Rise of Christianity: A Sociologist Reconsiders History. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1996.

The document that is known as Magna Carta or The Great Charter as it is known in English is arguably the most influential legal document ever written and it has great bearing upon the United states constitution and government even to this very day. The document was created in England during the year of twelve fifteen. It was made in response to the actions of King John who had committed actions such as starving political adversaries, murdering his nephew and having placed high taxes on his barons who were forced to pay at the threat of having their property taken in order to pay for his expensive foreign wars. These actions of the king had created much animosity toward the church and the barons who served under the king and put him in danger

The spread of Christianity in Western Europe was both similar and different to the spread of Islam. The rise of Islam starts with the Prophet Muhammad, believed by Muslims (followers of Islam) to be the last in a line of prophets that includes Moses and Jesus. Because Muhammad was the chosen one to be the messenger of the word of God, Muslims from all around the world work to follow the example he set. For Muslims after the Qur 'an (their bible), the sayings and teachings of Muhammad and the descriptions of his way of life are the most important Muslim texts. On the other hand, Christianity developed out of Judaism in the 1st century C.E. “It is founded on the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and those who follow him are called Christians.” “Christianity has many different branches that accompany a variety of beliefs and practices.” The three major branches of Christianity are Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism, all of which have several smaller categories within each of these branches. Both of these religions share several views and ideas, but they also have their differences.

The Magna Carta (Latin for ‘Great Charter’) was a defining legal document, consisting of a preamble and 63 clauses , which came about as a result of King John – who, in the early 13th century, was deeply unpopular throughout his Kingdom – losing power as his Barons were unhappy with his tyrannical rule. In a desperate effort to maintain the throne, the King agreed to meet with his Barons and signed an agreement that would allow him to keep his throne at the cost of some of his previously almost limitless power. This agreement is known as the Magna Carta.

For numerous reasons, Christianity spread rapidly throughout the Roman Empire, which inevitably aided in sustaining the longevity of the empire. Firstly, the assurance of life after death, as well as the support of equality that Christianity provides, was one contributing factor. “The positive promise of life after death, the sense of equality the new faith offered, and the sheer morality of new converts to the religion provide only a partial answer to the question of why Christianity spread so quickly,” (Graham, 209). This helped strengthen relationships between citizens, as the Romans were not known for being egalitarian. Moreover, Christianity had a well - understood structure that made it easier to be accepted. “The Christian religion had

     Christianity is becoming extinct. In order for it to continue on it must modernize its beliefs. The average Christian is white, middle class and is from Europe or America. The religion of Islam is expanding quickly and will soon dominate Christianity. These are all common claims made about Christianity that many people believe, yet Philip Jenkins claims and proves them untrue in his book, The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity.

The role of Christianity has been intricately linked by its relationship of Church-state and its historical distinction in Western society, but that all changed as Christianity expanded beyond the Mediterranean basin. Building on the institutions of the sixteenth century, the Church-state represented a period in which ancient tradition of religious and political observances were rhetorical and ritualistic from its conception up until this time. Sometime after the Jewish spiritual activist Jesus Christ was put to death by the Roman rulers, the religion that he inspired was then adopted by the Roman empire as it’s “state religion.” Throughout Europe, the Church-state relationship was fused in a community that remained in power for a thousand

From a young age, Americans are encouraged by media that they can change the world. This idea has filtered into American churches and is championed by leading Christian colleges. However, some doubt whether Christians can change the world. Thus, this paper argues that Christians can change their culture. First, this paper examines Crouch’s stance on Christian’s influence on the world and how it compares to Schmidt’s view. The second section shows how Daniel impacted the world in Daniel Chapter 1 and how Paul did the same in Acts 17:16-33. This paper concludes with practical principles that can be derived from the lives of Daniel and Paul.

As one of the largest religions in the world, Christianity played a prominent role in shaping western civilization in the late Roman and early medieval periods. It is generally known that the development of any religion is not smooth or through a single channel. Based on the case of Christianity, from its establishment in the mid-first century until the early fourth century, it was persecuted for three hundred years. Despite this, the conversion eventually happened at different times in different regions of Europe. In 313, the so-called Edict of Milan was issued to mark when Constantine (306-337), the emperor of the Western Roman Empire, recognized Christianity’s legitimacy and then in 392, Theodosius I (379-95) officially determined

Before the rise of Christianity as a major religion in the European area, Paganism was a belief that was common among all people across Europe. Paganism involved polytheistic beliefs with ritualistic tradition and animal sacrifice. This belief was common in the Anglo-Saxon tradition, which is from where the epic poem Beowulf is thought to have originated circa 550 AD. Due to the origins of Beowulf being surrounded by Pagan tradition and culture and reliance on the method of oral recitation of the story, the poem holds Pagan influences. Examples of these influences include the monsters that Beowulf faces in the story, idol worship, and burning the dead among many other elements. Also around the time of Beowulf, the rise of the Jesus Movement, which eventually became Christianity, was spreading rapidly around Europe. This also served an influence, as populations in Europe were quick to convert from Paganism to Christianity. Consequently, the story would have Christian ideals inserted within during more recounts of the story orally, where Christian monks would transcribe the originally Anglo-Saxon text into language that upheld Christian values more than it did the Pagan values. The rise of Christianity was effective in bringing the epic story of Beowulf into the spotlight, but at the cost of some historic traditions that were associated with the text. Even though this is the case, Beowulf still retains some of its Pagan elements, in conjunction with its Christian elements.

Universal peace in times of globalization has become an ever sincerer concern for many organizations, countries, and nations. If all communities would concentrate on slightest contributions together, it would be a remarkable milestone for the human race. All religions, but especially Christianity, was brought upon pure bloodshed. Every Christian I have this argument with notes the same reason fairly always, “Christianity is nonviolent, but has suffered from a confusion of loyalties.” I always counter with my small but effective knowledge. Christians used to torture and threaten numerous groups

This would evolve into how we see Christianity today. Another man, Paul of Tarsus, played a very important role in the finding and developing of Christianity. As Paul felt a part of both the Romans and the Jews, he would write letters of advice to all of those who came to him. The Roman Empire could spread its belief and power quickly. The empire in their minds was also universal and so Christians combined the ideas of Universalism (McKay,