Christianity: Edit history

Definition and Name

Christianity is the religion centered on faith in Jesus of Nazareth as the Christ. "Christ" is a Greek word meaning "anointed one" and translates the Hebrew "Messiah" (John 1:41). Most Christians believe that God exists as the Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and that sins are forgiven through Jesus Christ.

Biblical and Historical Background

The scripture of Christianity is the Bible, which consists of the Old Testament and the New Testament. Christianity arose in first-century Judea out of Judaism, and Acts 11:26 records that the disciples were first called "Christians" in Antioch. In the eleventh century, the Eastern and Western churches separated, dividing the Orthodox and Roman Catholic traditions. Then, in the sixteenth century, the Reformation within the Western church gave rise to Protestantism. These three are regarded as the major branches of Christianity.

Usage in Korea

• Use of the name: In Korea, it has become established practice to call Protestantism Gidokgyo ("Christianity") and Catholicism Cheonjugyo. The word Gidokgyo also appears in the names of Protestant denominations such as the Korean Methodist Church and the Korea Baptist Convention. The Catholic Church in Korea holds that, because Catholics also belong to Christianity, it is incorrect to apply the term to Protestantism alone, and it now more often uses the alternative term Geuriseudogyo. Korean Protestant media have likewise explained that, when a distinction from Catholicism is being drawn, the accurate term is Gaesingyo ("Protestantism").
• Introduction to Korea: Catholicism entered Korea before the arrival of missionaries, as part of Seohak, or "Western learning." Korean Protestants commemorate as the starting point of Protestantism in Korea the arrival at Jemulpo on Easter Sunday, April 5, 1885, of Horace Underwood, a missionary of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (Northern Presbyterian), and Henry Appenzeller, a Methodist missionary.
• Number of adherents: In the sample tabulation of Statistics Korea's 2015 Population and Housing Census, Protestants numbered 9,676,000 (19.7 percent) and Catholics 3,890,000 (7.9 percent). In that census, Protestantism surpassed Buddhism for the first time to become the religion with the most adherents in South Korea. However, some observers noted that this Protestant figure also included members of certain groups that Korean Protestant bodies have designated as heretical.