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Welcome to [[WikiChristian]], the free Christian Encyclopedia and Christian wiki community. We are building a Biblical Encylcopedia and an open source wiki amplified [[Bible]] based on the King James Version of the Holy Bible. We are wikifying the [[Public Domain]] Christian Classics enhancing the usability by using free interlinking of the Biblical terms using the easy [[wiki]] technology.  
 
Welcome to [[WikiChristian]], the free Christian Encyclopedia and Christian wiki community. We are building a Biblical Encylcopedia and an open source wiki amplified [[Bible]] based on the King James Version of the Holy Bible. We are wikifying the [[Public Domain]] Christian Classics enhancing the usability by using free interlinking of the Biblical terms using the easy [[wiki]] technology.  
  
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A [[Wiki]] or wiki (pronounced "wicky", "weekee" or "veekee") is a website that allows a user to add content, as on an Internet forum, but also allows that content to be edited by anybody. Wiki wiki comes from the Hawaiian term for "quick" or "super-fast." Since the page history is stored, the pages can be reverted back in case of vandalism. Since its first introduction on March 25, 1995, as [[Portland Pattern Repository]] by [[Ward Cunningham]], [[Wiki Wiki Web]]s became quickly popular, thanks to the revolutionary concept of users being able to edit any page in the wiki by clicking edit the page button. Since the page history is stored, the pages can be reverted back in case of vandalism. The phenomenal success of wikis is exemplified by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page wikipedia], started in January 2001 working on over 433508 articles as of December, 2004.
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[[WikiChristian]] is an open source [[copy left]] free Christian encyclopedia that anyone can edit and contribute to the collective knowledge and understanding on [[Christianity]], [[Bible]] and its [[beleivers]].
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{| cellspacing="2" width="100%"
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|- valign="top"
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|width="50%" class="MainPageBG" style="border: 1px solid #c6c9ee; color: #000; background-color: #e3e3ff"|
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<div style="padding: .4em .9em .9em">
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'''Current Projects'''  <h3>[[Easton's Bible Dictionary]]</h3>
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We are enhancing the all time popular Public Domain [http://www.believerscafe.com/ebd2.html Easton's Bible Dictionary] in the wiki environment. This is an on going project with contributions from users like you helping in wiki amplying the [[Easton's Bible dictionary]]. You can play an important part in this unique project by posting the text from [http://www.believerscafe.com/ebd2.html Believerscafe Easton's Bible Dictionary] and improve the it by wiki linking, additional comments, information and external links. - '''[[Easton's Bible Dictionary]]'''
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|width="50%" class="MainPageBG" style="border: 1px solid #c6ffc9; color: #000000; background-color: #e0ffe0"|
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<div style="padding: .4em .9em .9em">
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<h3>[[Wiki Amplified King James Version]]</h3>
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We are building a [[Biblical Encylcopedia]] and an open source wiki amplified [[Bible]] based on the Public Domain [http://www.believerscafe.com/updatedkjv/index.htm Updated King James Version] of the [[Holy Bible]].
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<h3>[[Christian Classics Wiki Library]]</h3>
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There are more than 31,000 files in the Believerscafe's collection of [http://www.believerscafe.com/modules.php?name=Christian_Classics Christian Classics]. Join us in building the [[Public Domain]] [http://www.believerscafe.com/modules.php?name=Christian_Classics Christian Classics] in the wiki environment thus enhancing the usefulness of the content.
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|}
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'''[[Earth Quake and the Tsunami in Asia 2004]]'''
  
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[[WikiChristian]] is an open source [[copy left]] free Christian encyclopedia that anyone can edit and contribute to the collective knowledge and understanding on [[Christianity]], [[Bible]] and its [[beleivers]].
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We are deeply saddened by the Earth Quake and the Tsunami in Asia! The death toll appears to have exceeded 150,000 people in 12 countries from Malaysia to Somalia. What a horror it left to so many thousands of people who did not have the slightest clue of what is going to happen just a few days ago!  Read more on this killer Tsunami [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Indian_Ocean_earthquake Earth Quake and the Tsunami in Asia 2004]
  
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We are all moved by this tragedy, which might be one of the biggest ever tragedies of the world in the recent the past! Imagine the thousands of people that have lost their bread winner or other family members, thousands that lost everything that they had! If it happens to one of our own, how do we feel about it! As Christians, let us show that we care and that our hearts go out to those that have lost their loved ones!
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*[[Current Projects]]
 
  
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[[Wiki Amplified King James Version]]
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As a responsible community, and as an expression of our solidarity with the earthquake and tsunami victims, let us all come together to help. For those of you that are working, let us donate a day's salary for the victims of the Tsunami and help console some souls! For those that are not working, please donate a minimum of $10.00 or more depening on your finances.  
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We are building a [[Biblical Encylcopedia]] and an open source wiki amplified [[Bible]] based on the Public Domain [[King James Version]] of the [[Holy Bible]].
 
  
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==[[Christian Classics Wiki Library]]==
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'''How should we donate?'''
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We are also [[wikifying]] the [[Public Domain]] [http://www.believerscafe.com/modules.php?name=Christian_Classics Christian Classics] enhancing the usefulness of the content by interlinking all the key words using.
 
  
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==[[Wiki Amplified Easton's Bible Dictionary]]==
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We will not collect directly but will provide you with reliable organizations and information on how to contribute to them by posting their details here. You will contibute directly to the people who are involved in helping. Some of the places to donate:
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We are enhancing the all time popular Public Domain [http://www.believerscafe.com/ebd2.html Easton's Bible Dictionary] in the wiki environment. This is an on going project with users like you contributing by wiki amplying the Bible dictionary. You can play a part by editing the text and contributing with additional comments, information and world wide web links.
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Here is a wiki organized list of sites accepting donations for the Indian Ocean Earth Quake and Tsunami
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*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donations_for_victims_of_the_2004_Indian_Ocean_earthquake
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*Medecins Sans Frontieres http://www.msf.org/
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*Oxfam http://www.oxfam.org.uk/index.htm
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*UNICEF http://www.unicef.org/
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*Network of Good http://www.networkforgood.org/topics/international/earthquake/tsunami122604.aspx?source=GOOG&cmpgn=EATSU
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*Donate to American Red Cross via Amazon http://s1.amazon.com/exec/varzea/ts/my-pay-page/PX3BEL97U9A4I/104-2867334-2853546
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*Direct Relief International http://www.directrelief.org/index.html  
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*Sarvodaya http://www.sarvodaya.org/
  
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[[Easton's Bible Dictionary]]
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I would personally contribute one day of my salary to this cause and urge all of you to do the same. We believe that "If you cast your bread on the waters with good hope, it will one day return to you with butter on top of it!" Let us do something that will give hope to those that have lost everything!
  
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Oh, God, help the people that are affected, comfort them and provide for them! May God bless the victims and their families!
 
==Christianity today==
 
==Christianity today==
  
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Although Christianity is the largest religion in the world and there are massive missionary efforts under way, as a whole it is declining in terms of the overall population. While the population of the world grows at roughly 1.25% per year, Christianity is growing at about 1.12% per year. By contrast, Islam is growing at 1.76% per year. The slow growth can be attributed to most of the Christian population residing in affluent nations where the [[birth rate]] is quite low. By contrast, Islamic nations have a higher birth rate and by effect have a larger growth percentage.
 
Although Christianity is the largest religion in the world and there are massive missionary efforts under way, as a whole it is declining in terms of the overall population. While the population of the world grows at roughly 1.25% per year, Christianity is growing at about 1.12% per year. By contrast, Islam is growing at 1.76% per year. The slow growth can be attributed to most of the Christian population residing in affluent nations where the [[birth rate]] is quite low. By contrast, Islamic nations have a higher birth rate and by effect have a larger growth percentage.
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==New to Wiki?==
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Not all people identified as Christians accept all, or even most, of the theological positions held by their particular churches. Like the Jews, Christians in the West were greatly affected by [[The Enlightenment]] in the late [[17th century|17th]] and early [[18th century|18th]] centuries. Perhaps the most significant change for them was total or effective [[separation of church and state]], thus ending the [[state religion|state-sponsored]] Christianity that existed in so many European countries.  Now one could be a free member of society and disagree with one's church on various issues, and one could even be free to leave the church altogether. Many did leave, developing belief systems such as [[Deism]], [[Unitarianism]], and [[Universalism]], or becoming [[Atheism|atheists]], [[Agnosticism|agnostics]], or [[Humanism|humanists]].
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A [[Wiki]] or wiki (pronounced "wicky", "weekee" or "veekee") is a website that allows a user to add content, as on an Internet forum, but also allows that content to be edited by anybody. Wiki wiki comes from the Hawaiian term for "quick" or "super-fast." Since the page history is stored, the pages can be reverted back in case of vandalism. Since its first introduction on March 25, 1995, as [[Portland Pattern Repository]] by [[Ward Cunningham]], [[Wiki Wiki Web]]s became quickly popular, thanks to the revolutionary concept of users editing any page in the wiki. Since the page history is stored, the pages can be reverted back in case of vandalism. The phenomenal success of wikis is exemplified by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page wikipedia], started in January 2001 working on over 433508 articles as of December, 2004.
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Others created liberal wings of Protestant Christian theology. [[Modernist Christianity|Modernism]] in the late [[19th century]] encouraged new forms of thought and expression that did not follow traditional lines.
 
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Reaction to "The Enlightenment" and Modernism triggered the development of literally thousands of Christian Protestant denominations, [[Catholic traditionalism|traditionalist]] splinter groups of the Catholic Church that do not recognize the legitimacy of many reforms the Catholic Church has undertaken, and the growth of hundreds of [[fundamentalist Christianity|fundamentalist]] groups that interpret the entire Bible in a characteristically literal fashion.
 
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In the [[United States]] and [[Europe]], liberalism also led to [[secularism]]. Some Christians have long since stopped participating in traditional religious duties, attending churches only on a few particular holy days per year or not at all. Many of them recall having highly religious grandparents, but grew up in homes where Christian theology was no longer a priority. They have developed ambivalent feelings towards their religious duties. On the one hand they cling to their traditions for identity reasons; on the other hand, the influence of the secular Western mentality, the demands of daily life, and peer pressure tear them away from traditional Christianity. [[Marriage]] between Christians of different denominations, or between a Christian and a non-Christian, was once taboo, but has become commonplace. Traditionally Catholic countries such as France have largely become agnostic, also with a large number of followers of [[Islam]], which is growing rapidly, and similar trends are reflected in various degrees in Western Europe.
 
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Liberal Christianity grew rapidly during the early [[20th century]] in Europe and North America, by the [[1960s]] gaining the leadership of many of the larger US and Canadian denominations. However, this trend has reversed. At the turn of the [[21st century]], though secular society tends to consider the more accommodating liberals as the representatives and spokesmen of Christianity, the "mainline" liberal churches are shrinking. This is partly due to a loss of evangelistic zeal, partly due to drift of their membership to conservative denominations, and partly due to the failure of one generation to pass on Christianity to the next. Among the larger Protestant denominations in the USA, only the conservative [[Southern Baptist Convention|Southern Baptist]] is growing. Evangelical para-church organizations have grown rapidly in the last half of the 20th century. The liberal [[Christian Century]] magazine has shrunk, while being replaced by its challenger, the rapidly growing evangelical [[Christianity Today]].
 
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The Enlightenment had much less impact on the Eastern Churches of Eastern and Oriental Orthodoxy. Having to face a much more hostile secular society, especially during the rise of [[Communism]], the church clung to ancient beliefs, even as its membership eroded.
 
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Today in [[Eastern Europe]] and [[Russia]], a renewing trend is taking place. After decades of Communism and [[atheism]], there is widespread interest in Christianity, as well as religion in general. Many Orthodox churches and monasteries are being rebuilt and restored, filled beyond capacity; Protestants of many denominations are pouring in to evangelize and plant churches; and the Catholic church is revealing once secret dioceses and undertaking other steps to support Catholic churches more openly.
 
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In [[South America]] and [[Africa]], Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity form rapidly growing movements that are increasingly sending [[missionary|missionaries]] to Europe and North America. This is also true of [[Asia]] where many of the underground house churches intend to send hundreds of thousands of missionaries out over the next decade.
 
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As Modernism developed into [[Consumerism]] during the second half of the [[20th century]] the [[Megachurch]] phenomenon developed &#8211; catering for skeptical non-Christians by providing "seeker sensitive" presentations of Christian belief. The [[Alpha Course]] can be viewed as an example one such presentation of Christianity.
 
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Since the development of [[Postmodernism]] with its rejection of universally accepted belief structures in favour of more personalized and experiential truth, organized Christianity has increasingly found itself at odds with the desire many people have to express faith and spirituality in a way that is authentic to them. What has thus far been known as the [[Emerging Church]] is a by-product of this trend, as many people who broadly accept Christianity seek to practice that faith while avoiding established Church institutions.
 
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Another reaction of some Christians to [[Postmodernism]] is the advent of what might be called [[Postmodern Christianity]].
 
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A large and growing movement within the Christian church, especially in the West and most visible in the United States, is the [[evangelical]] movement. Most mainstream [[protestant]] denominations have a significantly active [[evangelicalism|evangelical]] minority, and, in some cases, a dominant majority (see [[Confessing Movement]]). Evangelicals are "trans-denominational" and are more willing to have formal and informal relationships with evangelicals from outside their denomination than to have the same sort of relationship with non-evangelicals within their denomination.
 
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Some evangelicals have been [[schism|schismatic]] within various church organisations, leaving to form their own denominations. More often they are forced out. It was only by dint of sheer determination that [[John Wesley]], founder of [[Methodism]], was able to remain an Anglican priest against intense opposition. His followers separated in America, and in England after his death. Some Evangelicals claim that their beliefs are no less than true Christianity itself and that those within the church who differ from them may not be true believers. This attitude has led to much disunity amongst churches, especially those with a large modernist influence. Evangelicals cannot be easily categorised, but almost all will believe in the necessity of a personal conversion and acceptance of Jesus as saviour and Lord, the eventual literal [[Parousia|return of Christ]], a more conservative understanding of the Bible and a belief in the miraculous. There are many different types of Evangelicals including [[Dispensationalism|Dispensationists]], [[Reformed theology|Reformed Christians]], [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostals]], [[Charismatic|Charismatics]] and [[Fundamentalist Christians|Fundamentalists]].
 

Revision as of 15:16, 16 January 2005

Welcome to WikiChristian, the free Christian Encyclopedia and Christian wiki community. We are building a Biblical Encylcopedia and an open source wiki amplified Bible based on the King James Version of the Holy Bible. We are wikifying the Public Domain Christian Classics enhancing the usability by using free interlinking of the Biblical terms using the easy wiki technology.

WikiChristian is an open source copy left free Christian encyclopedia that anyone can edit and contribute to the collective knowledge and understanding on Christianity, Bible and its beleivers.

Current Projects

Easton's Bible Dictionary

We are enhancing the all time popular Public Domain Easton's Bible Dictionary in the wiki environment. This is an on going project with contributions from users like you helping in wiki amplying the Easton's Bible dictionary. You can play an important part in this unique project by posting the text from Believerscafe Easton's Bible Dictionary and improve the it by wiki linking, additional comments, information and external links. - Easton's Bible Dictionary

Wiki Amplified King James Version

We are building a Biblical Encylcopedia and an open source wiki amplified Bible based on the Public Domain Updated King James Version of the Holy Bible.

Christian Classics Wiki Library

There are more than 31,000 files in the Believerscafe's collection of Christian Classics. Join us in building the Public Domain Christian Classics in the wiki environment thus enhancing the usefulness of the content.

Earth Quake and the Tsunami in Asia 2004

We are deeply saddened by the Earth Quake and the Tsunami in Asia! The death toll appears to have exceeded 150,000 people in 12 countries from Malaysia to Somalia. What a horror it left to so many thousands of people who did not have the slightest clue of what is going to happen just a few days ago! Read more on this killer Tsunami Earth Quake and the Tsunami in Asia 2004

We are all moved by this tragedy, which might be one of the biggest ever tragedies of the world in the recent the past! Imagine the thousands of people that have lost their bread winner or other family members, thousands that lost everything that they had! If it happens to one of our own, how do we feel about it! As Christians, let us show that we care and that our hearts go out to those that have lost their loved ones!

As a responsible community, and as an expression of our solidarity with the earthquake and tsunami victims, let us all come together to help. For those of you that are working, let us donate a day's salary for the victims of the Tsunami and help console some souls! For those that are not working, please donate a minimum of $10.00 or more depening on your finances.

How should we donate?

We will not collect directly but will provide you with reliable organizations and information on how to contribute to them by posting their details here. You will contibute directly to the people who are involved in helping. Some of the places to donate: Here is a wiki organized list of sites accepting donations for the Indian Ocean Earth Quake and Tsunami

I would personally contribute one day of my salary to this cause and urge all of you to do the same. We believe that "If you cast your bread on the waters with good hope, it will one day return to you with butter on top of it!" Let us do something that will give hope to those that have lost everything!

Oh, God, help the people that are affected, comfort them and provide for them! May God bless the victims and their families!

Christianity today

As of 2004, Christianity is the world's most widely practiced religion, with 2 billion adherents (followed by Islam with 1.3 billion, Hinduism with 841 million, and the nonreligious with 774 million). Christianity has many branches, including 1.1 billion Roman Catholics, 367 million Protestants in a number of traditions, 216 million Orthodox, 84 million Anglicans, 414 million Independents (unaffiliated with the major streams of Christianity), and 31.7 million "marginals" (Jehovah's Witnesses, Latter Day Saints (Mormons), etc.), these last being denominations which describe themselves as Christian but are not standardly recognized as such by other denominations.

Although Christianity is the largest religion in the world and there are massive missionary efforts under way, as a whole it is declining in terms of the overall population. While the population of the world grows at roughly 1.25% per year, Christianity is growing at about 1.12% per year. By contrast, Islam is growing at 1.76% per year. The slow growth can be attributed to most of the Christian population residing in affluent nations where the birth rate is quite low. By contrast, Islamic nations have a higher birth rate and by effect have a larger growth percentage.

New to Wiki?

A Wiki or wiki (pronounced "wicky", "weekee" or "veekee") is a website that allows a user to add content, as on an Internet forum, but also allows that content to be edited by anybody. Wiki wiki comes from the Hawaiian term for "quick" or "super-fast." Since the page history is stored, the pages can be reverted back in case of vandalism. Since its first introduction on March 25, 1995, as Portland Pattern Repository by Ward Cunningham, Wiki Wiki Webs became quickly popular, thanks to the revolutionary concept of users editing any page in the wiki. Since the page history is stored, the pages can be reverted back in case of vandalism. The phenomenal success of wikis is exemplified by wikipedia, started in January 2001 working on over 433508 articles as of December, 2004.

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