Christianity and Catholicism

Paper Summary:

This paper explores the concept "Catholic" in an attempt to see how this term was first used and how it has developed today. It explains that as used in the Nicene Creed, Catholic means "universal" or "all-embracing," thus, Jesus Christ intended his church to embrace all people. It then shows how a century later that the term "Catholic church" was used to distinguish a certain body of Christians from other groups that had broken away from the original church.

From the Paper:

"The hope of Christians hinges on the reality of the resurrection of Jesus as an act of God that reveals that death, sin and Satan have been conquered. Jesus accepted death freely and overcame death when he emerged from the tomb alive on the third day (Schreck 70). Although, no one actually witnessed the resurrection of Jesus, there are variations among the four Gospel accounts of Easter Sunday morning. They all agree on two essential facts: 1) the tomb in which Jesus had been buried was found empty and the entrance stone rolled away; 2) Jesus appeared alive to his followers (Schreck 70). The Catholic church emphasized that the proclamation of God's word, kerygma, or the act of evangelization, must be folowed by an ever fuller instruction in the Christian life that contributes to the person's growth in holiness (Schreck 265). This is the primary mission of the church: "to witness in the power of the Holy Spirit to God's love as revealed in Jesus Christ, so that all people will come to know, love, and serve God, and receive the gift of eternal life" (Schreck 265)."

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