'Jesus was a pest to the Romans and a threat to the religious leadership, so they threw him on to the rubbish dump. Little did they realize that it was like trying to put out a fire with petrol. __The whole world exploded.__'  
   
With characteristic style, John Pritchard takes us on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, as he unpacks the five great events that made Christianity – Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension and Pentecost. We explore:  
   
What happened?  
What did it mean?  
What does it mean for us?  
   
Absorbing, immediate and full of stories, this volume offers deeply considered theology, brilliantly communicated to connect with life as we actually experience it.  
   
'Vividly elucidates the familiar but often not-quite-understood beliefs at the centre of the Christian faith.'  
__Dominic Barrington, Dean of Chicago__  
   
Praise for John Pritchard:  
   
__Rowan Williams__ on God Lost and Found: 'Unusually honest . . . superbly well focused.'  
   
__Justin Welby__ on Living Faithfully: 'A very good book by an exceptional leader . . . takes one back to the face of Christ and the realities of Christian discipleship.'

John Pritchard

FIVE EVENTS THAT MADE CHRISTIANITY

1A word at the beginning: what’s happened to Christianity’s core beliefs?

2The birth: what happened?

3The birth: what does it mean?

We know what God is like

We know that God is with us, for us, on our side

We know what it is to be human

The birth of Jesus means that the material world matters

4The birth: what does it mean for us now?

It means that Christmas is the feast of the outsider

As God is radically with us, so we need to be radically with others

The birth of Jesus says that paradox and vulnerability are OK

We are never alone

Jesus grew up, and so must we

5The killing: what happened?

6The killing: what does it mean?

Love as substitute

Love as example

Love as victor

Love as participation in God's great story

7The killing: what does it mean for us now?

The only way is love

I don't have to earn my way into the kingdom

The suffering God is always with us

We are released from our imprisonments

We have a compelling vocation to confront evil

The new way is reconciliation

We need to learn how to die

8The manhunt: what happened?

The empty tomb

The appearances of Jesus

The transformed disciples

The existence of the Church

Lived experience

9The manhunt: what does it mean?

The cross is a victory, not a defeat

In particular, death is defeated

Jesus is vindicated as Messiah

We catch a glimpse of journey's end

Christ is alive, through the Spirit

10The manhunt: what does it mean for us now?

Easter is our touchstone

We have new personal priorities

We have an agenda for change

We can approach death confidently

The Church needs to take on the character of Christ

11The leaver who remained: what happened?

12The leaver who remained: what does it mean?

The hero has returned home

Jesus is Lord, and we're not

Humanity is given its true value

Jesus is present, not absent

'He's got the whole world in his hands'

13The leaver who remained: what does it mean for us now?

We have a friend in high places

We have a clear job description

Before the ascended Christ we're often left speechless

14The promise: what happened?

15The promise: what does it mean?

The Spirit makes Christ present in a new way

The Spirit empowers the life and mission of the Church

Everything has changed

We are introduced to the third person of the Trinity

16The promise: what does it mean for us now?

The Spirit energizes God's people

The Spirit permeates all of life

The Spirit gives us resilience whatever life puts in our path

The Spirit coaches us in Christlikeness

Tying it all together: how the five events made Christianity

The biography of love

The biography of faith

Questions for group discussion or personal reflection

The birth

The killing

The manhunt

The leaver who remained

The promise

Notes

‘Jesus was a pest to the Romans and a threat to the religious leadership, so they threw him on to the rubbish dump. Little did they realize that it was like trying to put out a fire with petrol. The whole world exploded.’  
  
With characteristic style, John Pritchard takes us on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, as he unpacks the five great events that made Christianity – Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension and Pentecost. We explore:  
  
What happened?  
What did it mean?  
What does it mean for us?  
  
Absorbing, immediate and full of stories, this volume offers deeply considered theology, brilliantly communicated to connect with life as we actually experience it.  
  
‘Vividly elucidates the familiar but often not-quite-understood beliefs at the centre of the Christian faith.’  
Dominic Barrington, Dean of Chicago  
  
Praise for John Pritchard:  
  
Rowan Williams on God Lost and Found: ‘Unusually honest . . . superbly well focused.’  
  
Justin Welby on Living Faithfully: ‘A very good book by an exceptional leader . . . takes one back to the face of Christ and the realities of Christian discipleship.’

\["Interested in the foundational events of Christianity?","This book shows how Christianity's five key events connect with daily faith","A great insight that offers practical responses to the Holy Days"\]

‘Vividly elucidates the familiar but often not-quite-understood beliefs at the centre of the Christian faith.’ - Dominic Barrington, Dean of Chicago  
  
Praise for John Pritchard:

Rowan Williams on God Lost and Found: ‘Unusually honest . . . superbly well focused.’

Justin Welby on Living Faithfully: ‘A very good book by an exceptional leader . . . takes one back to the face of Christ and the realities of Christian discipleship.’

Helping you to connect with the key dated of Christianity, this smart read takes a deep look at Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension and Pentecost.

Five Events that Made Christianity

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