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When Columbus sailed to the New World in 1492, Christianity was almost entirely European. Since that time, missionary work and colonial activities have completely altered the religious face of Russia, Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and today almost one third of the world’s population claims to be Christian. In this panoramic view of Christianity, David Chidester examines the key doctrines and developments of this now global religion. He examines the origins of Christianity and moves through historical transitions of the medieval and Byzantine eras to the challenges of twenty-first century consumerism that bring the story up to the present day. Giving personal histories of important philosophers, mystics, saints and visionaries from Justin and Augustine to Gandhi and Martin Luther King, this meticulous and wide-ranging work explores the ideas that have inspired Christians of all races and sects through two millennia of Christian belief.