"The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2019."
Examine the nature of the Church, including its mission, sacraments, and relationship with Christ.
Biblical Theology: The study of God's revelation in the Bible.
Historical Theology: The study of the development of Christian theology and beliefs throughout history.
Systematic Theology: The study of the doctrines of the Christian faith.
Ecclesiology: The study of the nature of the church, its structure, and its function.
Eschatology: The study of the end times and the second coming of Jesus Christ.
Christology: The study of the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Soteriology: The study of salvation and how it is attained.
Pneumatology: The study of the Holy Spirit.
Anthropology: The study of human nature and its relationship to God.
Hamartiology: The study of sin.
Apologetics: The defense of the Christian faith against objections and criticisms.
Ethics: The study of moral values and principles, and how they apply to Christian living.
Worship: The study of the principles of worship and its role in the life of the church.
Missiology: The study of the Christian mission, both locally and globally.
Leadership: The study of the principles of leadership and their application in the church.
Evangelism: The study of how to share the gospel with others.
Church History: The study of the history of the Christian church.
Comparative Theology: The study of the similarities and differences between different religious beliefs and practices.
Philosophy of Religion: The study of the nature of religion and religious beliefs.
Spiritual Formation: The study of how to cultivate a deeper relationship with God.
Roman Catholic Church: One of the oldest and most prominent branches of Christianity, this church is headed by the Pope in Rome. It has a hierarchical structure and emphasizes the importance of sacraments in achieving salvation.
Eastern Orthodox Church: Similar to the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church has a hierarchical structure and emphasizes sacraments. However, it differs in terms of use of icons, liturgy and rites.
Protestant Churches: This branch of Christianity encompasses a variety of churches that have parted ways from the Roman Catholic Church. Examples include Lutheranism, Anglicanism, Calvinism, Methodism, Baptism and Pentecostal. Protestant Churches generally reject some aspects of traditional Catholicism, such as the authority of the Pope and sacramental theology.
Anglican Communion: This is a branch of Protestantism that emerged in England in the 16th century. It is based on the teachings of the Church of England and is characterized by its liturgy, sacraments, and episcopal polity.
Lutheran Church: This denomination emerged in the 16th century as a result of Martin Luther's protest against Roman Catholic Church. It emphasizes the importance of faith and grace in achieving salvation and promotes corporate worship through sacraments.
Methodist Church: The Methodist Church emerged in the 18th century as a result of John Wesley's teaching. It emphasizes salvation by faith and incorporates elements of Arminian theology.
Baptist Church: This denomination emphasizes the importance of individual faith and baptism by full immersion. It originated in the 16th century and has various subgroups and denominations.
Pentecostal Church: This denomination emerged in the early 20th century as a result of the pentecostal movement. It emphasizes the importance of the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts such as speaking in tongues, healing and prophecy.
Adventist Church: This denomination emerged in the 19th century and places particular emphasis on the imminent return of Christ, as well as the observance of Saturday as a day of worship.
Seventh-day Adventist Church: This branch of Adventism emphasizes the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath, as well as a holistic approach to health and wellness, including vegetarianism and abstinence from tobacco and alcohol.
"The church consists of 24 sui iuris churches, including the Latin Church and 23 Eastern Catholic Churches."
"The administrative body of the Holy See, the Roman Curia, has its principal offices in Vatican City, a small enclave of the Italian city of Rome, of which the pope is the head of state."
"The core beliefs of Catholicism are found in the Nicene Creed."
"The Catholic Church teaches that its bishops are the successors of Christ's apostles."
"The pope, who is the bishop of Rome, is the chief pastor of the church."
"The pope is the successor to Saint Peter, upon whom primacy was conferred by Jesus Christ."
"It maintains that it practices the original Christian faith taught by the apostles, preserving the faith infallibly through scripture and sacred tradition as authentically interpreted through the magisterium of the church."
"Of its seven sacraments, the Eucharist is the principal one, celebrated liturgically in the Mass."
"The Virgin Mary is venerated as the Perpetual Virgin, Mother of God, and Queen of Heaven; she is honored in dogmas and devotions."
"Catholic social teaching emphasizes voluntary support for the sick, the poor, and the afflicted through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy."
"The Catholic Church operates tens of thousands of Catholic schools, universities and colleges, hospitals, and orphanages around the world, and is the largest non-government provider of education and health care in the world."
"The Catholic Church has profoundly influenced Western philosophy, culture, art, music, and science."
"Since the 20th century, the majority have resided in the Southern Hemisphere, partially due to secularization in Europe and increased persecution in the Middle East."
"The Catholic Church shared communion with the Eastern Orthodox Church until the East–West Schism in 1054, disputing particularly the authority of the pope."
"Before the Council of Ephesus in AD 431, the Church of the East also shared in this communion, as did the Oriental Orthodox Churches before the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451; all separated primarily over differences in Christology."
"The Eastern Catholic Churches, who have a combined membership of approximately 18 million, represent a body of Eastern Christians who returned or remained in communion with the pope during or following these schisms for a variety of historical circumstances."
"In the 16th century, the Reformation led to Protestantism also breaking away."
"From the late 20th century, the Catholic Church has been criticized for its teachings on sexuality, its doctrine against ordaining women, and its handling of sexual abuse cases involving clergy."
"Among its other social services are numerous charitable and humanitarian organizations." Please note that the answers provided are paraphrased and may not match the exact wording in the original paragraph.