Western Christianity
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
Illustration: Triumph of Christianity (detail) by Tommaso Laureti (1530-1602.)
|
Related e |
|
Featured: |
Western Christianity constitutes the Latin Church of the Catholic Church and those denominations historically derived from it, including the Anglican Communion, Lutheranism, Presbyterianism, Methodism, and other Protestant traditions. The term is used in contrast to Eastern Christianity. Western Christianity makes up about 80% of Christians worldwide.
Western Christianity has played a prominent role in the shaping of Western civilization. With the expansion of European colonialism from the Early Modern era, the Latin Church, in time along with its Protestant secessions, spread throughout the Americas, much of the Philippines, Southern Africa, pockets of West Africa, and throughout Australia and New Zealand. Thus, when used for historical periods after the 16th century, the term "Western Christianity" does not refer to a particular geographical area but is used as a collective term for all these.
Today, the geographical distinction between Western and Eastern Christianity is not nearly as absolute as in Antiquity or the Middle Ages, due to the spread of Christian missionaries, migrations, and globalisation. As such, the adjectives "Western Christianity" and "Eastern Christianity" are typically used to refer to historical origins and differences in theology and liturgy rather than present geographical locations.
See also
- Holy Roman Empire
- Western Orthodoxy
- List of Christian denominations
- Lutheranism
- Protestant Reformation
- Western churches
- Western religion
