George D. Chryssides is Honorary Research Fellow in Contemporary Religion at the University of Birmingham. Margaret Z. Wilkins is a freelance writer and researcher. She has taught Religious Studies at the University of Wolverhampton and has co-edited A Reader in New Religious Movements with George Chryssides.

'Teaching Christianity within a 'Religious studies' degree, I have found it difficult to find textbooks that present Christianity within a 'religious studies' approach rather than a theological or historical one. Chryssides and Wilkins have produced an very useful resource for undergraduate students from all faiths and none, seeking an academic overview of the Christian tradition which acknowledges diversity, and focuses on the lived practice of Christians today, including the presence of Christianity in popular culture.' Denise Cush, Professor of Religion and Education, Bath Spa University

• Preface 1. Studying Christianity 2. Christianity’s Many Faces 3. Jesus 4. Paul’s Contribution to the Christian Faith 5. The Bible 6. Christian Belief 7. The Church 8. Christian Worship 9. The Roman Catholic Church 10. Eastern Orthodoxy 11. Protestants 12. Challenges to Christianity 13. Ethics and Lifestyle 14. Mission and Ecumenism 15. Christianity in the Developing World 16. Christianity as a Folk Religion 17. Christianity at the Edges 18. Recent Movements Glossary