Church
Overview
Jewish Christians
Jewish Christians is a term which appears in historical texts contrasting Christians of Jewish origin with Gentile Christians, both in discussion of the New Testament church and the second and following centuries....
met in synagogues, such as the Cenacle
Cenacle
The Cenacle , also known as the "Upper Room", is the term used for the site of The Last Supper. The word is a derivative of the Latin word cena, which means dinner....
, and in one another's homes, known as house churches. As Christianity grew and became more accepted by governments, notably with the Edict of Milan
Edict of Milan
The Edict of Milan was a letter signed by emperors Constantine I and Licinius that proclaimed religious toleration in the Roman Empire...
, rooms and, eventually, entire buildings were set aside for the explicit purpose of Christian worship
Worship
Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity. The word is derived from the Old English worthscipe, meaning worthiness or worth-ship — to give, at its simplest, worth to something, for example, Christian worship.Evelyn Underhill defines worship thus: "The absolute...
, such as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Church of the Holy Sepulchre
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also called the Church of the Resurrection by Eastern Christians, is a church within the walled Old City of Jerusalem. It is a few steps away from the Muristan....
.
Traditional church buildings are often in the shape of a cross and frequently have a tower or dome.
Quotations
Είς μίαν, αγίαν, καθολικήν καί αποστολικήν Έκκλησίαν. (Original: Greek)
Translaiton: [We believe] In one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
"If you consider yourself a black church or a white church, you've missed it, said.God wants us to be all things to all People'- Archbishop LeRoy Bailey Jr., Senior Pastor The First Cathedral|The First Cathedral in an intervierw printed in The Hartford Courant; March 5th, 2005
There is no family in America without a clock, and consequently there is no fair pretext for the usual Sunday medley of dreadful sounds that issues from our steeples. ~ Mark Twain