Introduction:

"The story of the growth and spread of Christianity is an amazing story. It is a story that portrays the assurance, command and promise that was made to the disciples by the founder of the church himself. According to Mathew: …… and Jesus came and said to them, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.1 In the previous chapter we looked at Christ and the church he founded. We traced the story of the primitive church up to the Apostolic Council of Jerusalem. In this chapter we want to look at the church and the Roman world, medieval Christianity, the crisis of the Reformation and Christianity in the modern world. It is important to note that the ground covered by this chapter is very wide. What you have here will be a summary of the key issues involved. The chapter will look at:

1. The spread of Christianity into the other parts of the Roman Empire and the relationship between that empire and the Christianity church; 1 Matthew 28: 18–20. 254
2. Circumstances that led to Christianity becoming the religion of the Roman Empire;
3. Medieval Christianity and the rise of the crusades;
4. The internal problems of the church that led to Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter-Reformation;
5. Nineteenth century missionary zeal and the rise of modern Christianity;
6. Christian unity in diversity and the role of ecumenical movements." (From Mugambi, J.N.K. (2010) A Comparative Study of Religions, Chapter 34)

Readings:

Mugambi, J.N.K. (2010) A Comparative Study of Religions. (2nd Edition), Oxford, UK: African Books Collective, Chapter 34.

Video:

Does Christianity Have a Place in Modern Europe; The Rise of Christianity (A&E)

Study Questions:

1. Explain why Christianity spread rapidly in the Roman world.
2. What is the Reformation? Explain why some Christian denominations are called Protestant.
3. Why was Christianity brought to Africa?