Spread of Christianity Among People Groups

Spread of Christianity Among People Groups

From the very beginning times of Christianity, its message has identified with and transformed communities of people. Christianity itself grew out of a people group who had an identity that stretches back in time thousands of years. The worship of Yahweh, geographically born in ancient Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq) has spread through history to the farthest islands of the seas.

Born into the people of Israel, Jesus gathered a small group of followers living and working with them until his ascension to heaven. From these few, the Christian faith spread to other Jews in Israel and the further reaches of the Roman Empire, including parts of southern Europe and Southwest Asia. As Christianity was later adopted by the Roman Empire, much of Europe became the focus of conquest for Roman Christianity, though much of this was due in part to the fall of Western Rome.

Rome and beyond

Justo L. Gonzalez documents this spread of Christianity into Europe through the avenue of Rome’s influence. He quotes from a Roman Citizen, Paulus Orosius who condenses this historical phenomenon into his own words. He thoughtfully writes, "If only to this end have the barbarians been sent within Roman borders,…that the church of Christ might be filled with Huns and Suevi, with Vandals and Burgundians, with diverse and innumerable peoples of believers, then let God’s mercy be praised…even if this has taken place through our own destruction."(1, p231)

The various people groups documented by Gonzalez are primarily groups who claim a common ethnic and political identity in the form of a kingdom. These were at times conversions of coercion through political structures and at times conversions of conveni...

... middle of paper ...

...cepted the gospel. Some of these groups have either made the mistake of claiming the Christian religion as their own, while others have sought to make it their own. Rather, the truth is that the gospel becomes yours when you share it with another. (3)

Works Cited:

1. Gonzalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity. San Francisco: Harper Publishing, 1984.

2. Winter, Ralph D.; Hawthorne, Steven. Perspectives on the World Christian Movement. Pasadena, CA: The Paternoster Press LTD, 1992.

3. Coptic church, http://pharos.bu.edu/cn/, (5/6/99)

4. Frumentius, http://www.catholic.org/saints/saints/frumentius.html, (5/6/99)

5. Vikings, http://www.csn.net/advent/cathen/11115b.htm, (5/6/99)

6. Crusades, http://orb.rhodes.edu/encyclop/religion/crusades/Crusade.html, (5/6/99)

7. St. Patrick, http://wilstar.com/holidays/patrick.htm, (5/6/99)