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As of 2004, Christianity is the world's most widely practiced [[religion]], with __NOEDITSECTION__{| border="0" cellspacing="5" cellpadding="8"| colspan="2 [[billion]] adherents (followed by [[Islam]] with 1" style="background-color:#fcfcfc;border:1px solid #ccc;margin-top:.3 billion, [[Hinduism]] with 841 million, and the nonreligious with 774 million). Christianity has many branches, including 1.1 billion [[Roman Catholic Church7em;" |{| style="width:100%;background-color:#fcfcfc;" border="0"| style="width:100%;color:#000" |{|Roman Catholics]], 367 million [[Protestantismstyle="width:100%;border:solid 0px;background:none"|Protestants]] in a number of traditions, 216 million [[Orthodox Christianity- |Orthodox]], 84 million [[Anglicanismstyle="padding-left: 12px;text-align:center;white-space:nowrap;color:#000" |Anglicans]], 414 million Independents (unaffiliated with the major streams of Christianity), and 31<div style="font-size:162%;border:none;margin: 0;padding:.7 million "marginals1em;color:#000" (>[[Jehovah's WitnessesImage:Wooden_cross.jpg|right|40px]], Welcome to [[Latter Day SaintProject:About|WikiChristian]]s ([[Mormon]]s), etc.), these last being denominations which describe themselves as Christian but are not standardly recognized as such by other denominations</div><div style="top:+0.2em;font-size: 110%">

Although Christianity is the largest religion in the world A encyclopedia and there are massive missionary efforts under way, as a whole it is declining in terms of the overall population. While the population of the world grows at roughly 1.25% per year, Christianity is growing at about 1.12% per year. By contrast, Islam is growing at 1.76% per year. The slow growth can be attributed discussion forum for all [[Christians]] to most of the Christian population residing in affluent nations where the share their faith with [[birth rateSpecial:Statistics|{{NUMBEROFPAGES}}]] is quite low. By contrast, Islamic nations have a higher birth rate pages and by effect have over a larger growth percentagemillion edits. [[Statement of Faith]] | [[WikiChristian Vision|Vision]]</div>

Not all people identified as Christians accept all, or even most, of the theological positions held by their particular churches. Like the Jews, Christians in the West were greatly affected by <div style="font-size: 115%">Special Links: [[The EnlightenmentWikiChristian:Bible|Bible Referencing]] in the late [[17th century|17th]] and early [[18th centuryProject:Page Layout|18th]] centuries. Perhaps the most significant change for them was total or effective [[separation of church and statePage Layout & Writing Guide]], thus ending the [[state religion|state-sponsored]] Christianity that existed in so many European countries. Now one could be a free member of society and disagree with one's church on various issues, and one could even be free to leave the church altogether. Many did leave, developing belief systems such as [[Deism]], [[Unitarianism]], and [[Universalism]], or becoming [[AtheismWikiChristian:Senior Editors|atheistsSenior Editors]], [[Agnosticism|agnostics]], or [[HumanismWikiChristian needs your help!|humanistsWikiChristian Needs Your Help!]].</div>

Others created liberal wings of Protestant Christian theology|}{| style="border-spacing:8px;margin:0px -8px"| class="MainPageBG" style="width:55%;border:1px solid #cef2e0;background-color:#f5fffa;vertical-align:top;color:#000" |<h2 style="margin:0;background-color:#cef2e0;font-family:sans-serif;font-size:120%;font-weight:bold;border:1px solid #a3bfb1;text-align:left;color:#000;padding:0. [[Modernist 2em 0.4em;">What is Christianity?{|Modernism]] in the late [[19th century]] encouraged new forms of thought and expression that did not follow traditional lines.width="100%" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="5" style="vertical-align:top;background-color:#f5fffa"

Reaction to |-| style="The Enlightenmentcolor:#000" and Modernism triggered the development of literally thousands of Christian Protestant denominations, [[Catholic traditionalism|traditionalist]] splinter groups of the Catholic Church that do not recognize the legitimacy of many reforms the Catholic Church has undertaken, and the growth of hundreds of [[fundamentalist Christianity|fundamentalist]] groups that interpret the entire Bible in a characteristically literal fashion. {{featuredcontent}}

In the [[United StatesGod|Who is God?]] and [[Europe]], liberalism also led to [[secularism]]. Some Christians have long since stopped participating in traditional religious duties, attending churches only on a few particular holy days per year or not at all. Many of them recall having highly religious grandparents, but grew up in homes where Christian theology was no longer a priority. They have developed ambivalent feelings towards their religious duties. On the one hand they cling to their traditions for identity reasons; on the other hand, the influence of the secular Western mentality, the demands of daily life, and peer pressure tear them away from traditional Christianity. [[Marriage]] between Christians of different denominations, or between a Christian and a nonImage:Love-Of-God-Heart-Christian, was once taboo, but has become commonplace800px. Traditionally Catholic countries such as France have largely become agnostic, also with a large number of followers of [[Islampng|right|250px]], which is growing rapidly, and similar trends are reflected in various degrees in Western Europe.

Liberal Christianity grew rapidly during the early *[[20th centuryGod]] in Europe and North America, by the | [[1960sJesus Christ]] gaining the leadership of many of the larger US and Canadian denominations. However, this trend has reversed. At the turn of the | [[21st centuryHoly Spirit]], though secular society tends to consider the more accommodating liberals as the representatives and spokesmen of Christianity, the "mainline" liberal churches are shrinking. This is partly due to a loss of evangelistic zeal, partly due to drift of their membership to conservative denominations, and partly due to the failure of one generation to pass on Christianity to the next. Among the larger Protestant denominations in the USA, only the conservative | [[Southern Baptist Convention|Southern Baptist]] is growing. Evangelical para-church organizations have grown rapidly in the last half Essence of the 20th century. The liberal [[Christian CenturyChristianity]] magazine has shrunk, while being replaced by its challenger, the rapidly growing evangelical | [[Christianity TodayTrinity]].

Today in *[[Eastern EuropeMatthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary]] and [[Russia]], a renewing trend is taking place. After decades of Communism and [[atheism]], there is widespread interest in Christianity, as well as religion in general. Many Orthodox churches and monasteries are being rebuilt and restored, filled beyond capacity; Protestants of many denominations are pouring in to evangelize and plant churches; and the Catholic church is revealing once secret dioceses and undertaking other steps to support Catholic churches more openly.

In *[[South AmericaIn the News]] and [[Africa]], Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity form rapidly growing movements that are increasingly sending [[missionary|missionaries]] to Europe and North America. This is also true of [[Asia]] where many of the underground house churches intend to send hundreds of thousands of missionaries out over the next decade.

As Modernism developed into *[[Consumerism]] during the second half Video of the [[20th century]] the [[Megachurch]] phenomenon developed &#8211; catering for skeptical non-Christians by providing "seeker sensitive" presentations of Christian belief. The [[Alpha CourseWeek]] can be viewed as an example one such presentation of Christianity.

Since the development of |}| class="MainPageBG" style="width:45%;border:1px solid #cedff2;background-color:#f5faff;vertical-align:top" |<h2 style="margin:0;background-color:#cedff2;font-family:sans-serif;font-size:120%;font-weight:bold;border:1px solid #a3b0bf;text-align:left;color:#000;padding:0.2em 0.4em;">[[PostmodernismWikiChristian:Contents|WikiChristian Contents]] with its rejection of universally accepted belief structures in favour of more personalized and experiential truth, organized Christianity has increasingly found itself at odds with the desire many people have to express faith and spirituality in a way that is authentic to them. What has thus far been known as the - [[Emerging ChurchChristianity]] is a by{| width="100%" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="5" style="vertical-align:top;background-product of this trend, as many people who broadly accept Christianity seek to practice that faith while avoiding established Church institutions.color:#f5faff"

Another reaction of some Christians to |-| style="color:#000" |'''[[PostmodernismBible]] is the advent of what might be called [[Postmodern Christianity]].'''

A large and growing movement within the Christian church, especially in the West and most visible in the United States, is the > '''[[evangelicalOld Testament]] movement. Most mainstream [[protestant]] denominations have a significantly active [[evangelicalism|evangelical]] minority, and, in some cases, a dominant majority (see [[Confessing Movement]]). Evangelicals are "trans-denominational" and are more willing to have formal and informal relationships with evangelicals from outside their denomination than to have the same sort of relationship with non-evangelicals within their denomination. '''

Some evangelicals have been [[schismGenesis]] | [[Exodus]] | [[Leviticus]] | [[Numbers]] | [[Deuteronomy]] | [[Book of Joshua|Joshua]] | [[Book of Judges|Judges]] | [[Book of Ruth|Ruth]] | [[1 Samuel]] | [[2 Samuel]] | [[1 Kings]] | [[2 Kings]] | [[1 Chronicles]] | [[2 Chronicles]] | [[Book of Ezra|Ezra]] | [[Book of Nehemiah|schismaticNehemiah]] within various church organisations, leaving to form their own denominations. More often they are forced out. It was only by dint | [[Book of Esther|Esther]] | [[Book of Job|Job]] | [[Psalms]] | [[Proverbs]] | [[Ecclesiastes]] | [[Song of Solomon]] | [[Book of Isaiah|Isaiah]] | [[Book of Jeremiah|Jeremiah]] | [[Book of Lamentations|Lamentations]] | [[Book of Ezekiel|Ezekiel]] | [[Book of Daniel|Daniel]] | [[Book of Hosea|Hosea]] | [[Book of Joel|Joel]] | [[Book of Amos|Amos]] | [[Book of Obadiah|Obadiah]] | [[Book of Jonah|Jonah]] | [[Book of Micah|Micah]] | [[Book of Nahum|Nahum]] | [[Book of Habakkuk|Habakkuk]] | [[Book of Zephaniah|Zephaniah]] | [[Book of Haggai|Haggai]] | [[Book of Zechariah|Zechariah]] | [[Book of Malachi|Malachi]]  > '''[[New Testament]]'''  [[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] | [[Gospel of Mark|Mark]] | [[Gospel of sheer determination that Luke|Luke]] | [[Gospel of John|John Wesley]], founder | [[Acts of the Apostles|Acts]] | [[Epistle to the Romans|Romans]] | [[First Epistle to the Corinthians|1 Corinthians]] | [[Second Epistle to the Corinthians|2 Corinthians]] | [[Epistle to the Galatians|Galatians]] | [[Epistle to the Ephesians|Ephesians]] | [[Epistle to the Philippians|Philippians]] | [[Epistle to the Colossians|Colossians]] | [[MethodismFirst Epistle to the Thessalonians|1 Thessalonians]], was able | [[Second Epistle to remain an Anglican priest against intense opposition. His followers separated in America, and in England after his death. Some Evangelicals claim that their beliefs are no less than true Christianity itself and that those within the church who differ from them may not be true believers. This attitude has led Thessalonians|2 Thessalonians]] | [[First Epistle to Timothy|1 Timothy]] | [[Second Epistle to Timothy|2 Timothy]] | [[Epistle to Titus|Titus]] | [[Epistle to Philemon|Philemon]] | [[Epistle to much disunity amongst churches, especially those with a large modernist influence. Evangelicals cannot be easily categorised, but almost all will believe in the necessity Hebrews|Hebrews]] | [[Epistle of James|James]] | [[First Epistle of a personal conversion and acceptance Peter|1 Peter]] | [[Second Epistle of Jesus as saviour and Lord, the eventual literal Peter|2 Peter]] | [[ParousiaFirst Epistle of John|1 John]] |return [[Second Epistle of ChristJohn|2 John]], a more conservative understanding | [[Third Epistle of the Bible and a belief in the miraculous. There are many different types John|3 John]] | [[Epistle of Evangelicals including Jude|Jude]] | [[DispensationalismBook of Revelation|DispensationistsRevelation]] *[[Christian literature, art, music and media]] | [[Reformed theologyChristian Songs Index]]*[[Church]] | [[Church history]] |Reformed [[Denominations]]*People: [[Famous Christians]], | [[:Category:Media Workers|Media Workers and Volunteers]] [[Image:Seek-The-Truth-800px.png|right|300px]] *[[Christian doctrine and debates]] | [[PentecostalismGrace]] |Pentecostals[[Love]], *[[CharismaticCurrent issues]] |Charismatics[[News]] *[[Science and Technology]]*[[Fundamentalist ChristiansOther religions]]*[[Places]] | [[Mission]] |Fundamentalists[[World-wide church directory]] |} |} <!-- DAILY'S DEVOTION -->{| id="mp-lower" style="margin:4px 0 0 0; width:100%; background:none; border-spacing: 0px;"| class="MainPageBG" style="width:100%; border:1px solid #ddcef2; background:#faf5ff; vertical-align:top; color:#000;" |{| id="mp-bottom" style="width:100%; vertical-align:top; background:#faf5ff; color:#000;"| style="padding:2px;" |<h2 id="mp-tfp-h2" style="margin:3px; background:#ddcef2; font-family:inherit; font-size:120%; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #afa3bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em">Devotion Of The Day</h2>|-| style="color:#000; padding:2px;" |<div id="mp-tfp">{{Template:DOD protected}}</div>|}|} __NOTOC__|}|}