Western Christianity is a term used to include the Latin Church of the Catholic Church and groups historically derivative thereof, including the churches of the Anglican, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and other Protestant traditions that share common attributes that can be traced back to their medieval heritage. The term is used in contrast to Eastern Christianity. Western Christianity makes up about 90% of Christians worldwide.
Western Christianity developed and came to be predominant in most of Western, Northern, Central, Southern and parts of Eastern Europe, ancient Northern Africa, Southern Africa, and throughout Australia and the Western Hemisphere. When used of historical periods since the 16th century, 'Western Christianity' refers collectively to Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, especially in referral to aspects shared (for example ritually, doctrinally, historically and politically) rather than aspects differing between them. Today, the geographical distinction between Western and Eastern Christianity is not nearly as absolute, especially after the spread of missionaries.
Read more about Western Christianity: Western Denominations, History of Western Christianity
Famous quotes containing the words western and/or christianity:
“Signal smokes, war drums, feathered bonnets against the western sky. New messiahs, young leaders are ready to hurl the finest light cavalry in the world against Fort Stark. In the Kiowa village, the beat of drums echoes in the pulsebeat of the young braves. Fighters under a common banner, old quarrels forgotten, Comanche rides with Arapaho, Apache with Cheyenne. All chant of war. War to drive the white man forever from the red man’s hunting ground.”
—Frank S. Nugent (1908–1965)
“He who begins by loving Christianity better than truth, will proceed by loving his own sect or church better than Christianity, and end in loving himself better than all.”
—Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834)