Christians disagree on plenty of things.
But every major Christian tradition — Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and other Protestant traditions — shares one central claim.
Everything else grows from this.
The Core Claim
Christian theology stands or falls on one historical assertion:
A man named Jesus of Nazareth lived, was executed, was truly dead and buried — and then, on the third day, was alive again.
Christianity doesn’t begin with rules, ethics, or feelings.
It begins with a claim about something that really happened — or didn’t — in history.
If that event is true → Christianity ultimately makes sense.
If that event is false → Christianity collapses.
This page is not asking you to agree with the claim.
It is simply making clear what Christians are actually staking everything on.
Why Jesus Matters
Christians do not believe Jesus was simply:
- a moral teacher
- a philosopher
- a political reformer
- a spiritual influencer
They believe he was God in human form — the source of goodness stepping into the world.
This is what Christians mean when they use titles such as:
- “Son of God”
- “Word made flesh”
- “God with us” (Emmanuel)
Not metaphor. Not just poetry.
It is a literal, historical, embodied claim about who Jesus was and is.
The Human Problem (as Christians See It)
Christianity says the deepest human problem is not:
- ignorance
- politics
- lack of willpower
- bad habits
The deeper problem is dislocation:
Humans were made for relationship with God.
Something broke.
We cannot fix it ourselves.
This is what Christians mean by “sin” — not just naughty behaviour, but a fractured relationship with the One we were made for.
From this point of view, things like:
- our moral failures
- our shame
- our restlessness
- our longing for goodness
- our fear of death
…are symptoms of that same break in relationship, from a Christian point of view.
What Jesus Claimed About Himself
Even many people who do not accept Christianity agree on this: Jesus made extreme claims about his own identity.
According to the earliest sources, he said that he:
- could forgive sins (something only God could do)
- was the source of life
- would judge the world
- revealed what God is really like (“Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father”)
And he acted as if those claims were true.
Nobody executed him for being “nice”.
He was executed because his claims were explosive — religiously and politically.
The Cross: What Christians Believe Happened
Christians say Jesus’ death was not just a tragic mistake or an unfortunate political clash.
They believe that on the cross:
- Jesus willingly absorbed the cost of that broken relationship
- the injustice and evil of the world “fell” on him
- he offered himself as a bridge back to God
- his death dealt with the separation humans cannot repair on their own
The early Christians summarised it in a short phrase:
“Christ died for our sins.”
In their language:
Sin = separation.
Cross = reconciliation.
The Resurrection: Everything Depends on This
Here is the sharp edge of Christian belief:
If Jesus did not rise from the dead, Christian faith is empty.
This is exactly what the Apostle Paul argued in the first century — it is not a modern twist.
Christians do not mean:
- “Jesus lived on in people’s memories”
- “his teaching still inspires us”
- “his followers kept his spirit alive”
They mean something much more concrete:
A dead man stopped being dead.
This is the claim that launched the Christian movement.
Without it, there is no:
- church
- New Testament
- distinctively Christian ethic
- Christian hope
- Christian anything
Everything hinges on whether this actually happened.
Why the First Christians Believed It
You do not need to accept the claim.
But it is worth understanding why the first Christians thought it was true rather than wishful thinking.
According to their own writings, they believed because:
- large groups of people claimed to have seen Jesus alive after his execution
- the tomb where he had been buried was empty
- hostile authorities, who had every reason to shut the movement down, could not produce a body
- frightened followers became unexpectedly bold, even when threatened with prison or death
- the message spread rapidly in precisely the places it should have been easiest to disprove
- the claim was public and checkable, not a private mystical experience
Whether you find that persuasive is your call.
The point here is simply: Christians believed they had reasons, not just feelings.
What Christianity Offers (If This Claim Is True)
If Jesus really rose from the dead, Christians believe it changes:
- your identity — you are more than your successes and failures
- your dignity — your worth comes from being known and loved by God
- your purpose — your life can be aligned with a larger good
- your future — death is not the final word
- your present — forgiveness, reconciliation, and hope are live possibilities now
Because if Jesus’ claims and his resurrection are true, then:
- God is real
- God is good
- God wants you
- God has come looking for you
- evil and death do not get the final word
This is what Christians mean when they talk about the “gospel” or “good news”.
If You’re Still Unsure
You do not have to leap anywhere.
You are not required to pretend belief.
You are not expected to have answers.
You are not a problem to be fixed.
In most parishes, you will be welcomed and treated with dignity regardless of where you are in your beliefs.
Churches are communities, not recruitment funnels.
People come with certainty, doubt, curiosity, and long histories.
Some will never fully agree — and that’s okay.
For many, the first step is not belief, but simply being in a space where goodness is taken seriously and people try to live up to it.
You are allowed to observe.
You are allowed to question.
You are allowed to take your time.
The next two pages help you take this steadily:
- The Christian Story — the narrative from creation to Jesus to the present
- The Christian Way of Life — how this belief works out in real living
Normally people find:
- “The Story” explains why Christians believe it
- “The Way of Life” explains why it matters
The pace is yours.
Toward The Good 