Christian Diversity Reflection

Justin Freeman
Jesus, Paul, and Augustine are often thought to be the three most important figures in the
history of Western Civilization. They certainly are the three most important figures in
Christianity and, because western culture has been so influenced by Christian teachings, are the
three most important figures in the western world.
Jesus of Nazareth was born of the Virgin Mary and is the Son of the Holy Trinity. He
grew up knowing that He would help bring people to God and die for their sins. Throughout His
life, He performed countless miracles (including healing the blind and sick, turning water to
wine, and feeding thousands with only a small amount of fish and bread) to prove that He is the
Son of God and, at the end of His life, He was crucified on the cross so that we could be forgiven
of our sins and live in Heaven with God upon our deaths. Because of His actions throughout His
life, the Christian religion was born. Upon His return to Heaven, Christianity still wasnt really
considered to be its own separate religion. Because of Jesus actions and teachings, gentiles and
other non-Jewish peoples were able to properly worship God. Without Jesus Christ, Christianity
simply would not exist and, without its existence, it wouldnt have been able to help sculpt
western culture and society into what it is today. Without Jesus, there is no Christianity and
without Christianity, the Western World would be an entirely different place.
Paul the Apostle didnt actually take up worshiping Jesus and God until after he had a
religious experience on the road to Damascus. Before, he was called Saul and he actually spent
his time prosecuting Christians. After his transformation, however, he became one of the first
missionaries of Christianity and helped spread the word of God throughout the land and plant
new churches for people to attend. He also wrote several letters to newly formed churches to

help them grow in Gods name and spread the Word. His letters were later adapted into the books
of Romans, First and Second Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, First and Second
Thessalonians, First and Second Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and Hebrews. Needless to say, much
of his work became part of the New Testament, the cornerstone of the Christian faith. In his
letters, he describes how Christians should behave, what they should believe in, and all sorts of
other vital information for both new and experienced Christians. Without Pauls works,
Christians would behave quite differently and Christianity would be a different religion and, if
Christianity changes, so does the Western World.
Saint Augustine, through his writings in Confessions and The City of God, helped create
the modern idea of Christianity and the structure of the church. Our textbook states that after
Jesus and the apostle Paul, probably no other individual in history is more responsible for the
shape of Western Christianity (172). In his lifetime, Augustine was able to spectate and help
guide the Roman Empire from a pagan empire to a Christian one. Augustines writings in The
City of God helped leaders learn how to lead Christian-based entities, including the first pope.
Because the Roman Empire transformed into a Christian entity, thanks in part to Augustine,
Christianity spread as far as the Roman Empire and, even after the collapse of the Roman
Empire, the states that formed from the ashes were also Christian-based and carried their religion
to the four corners of the globe.
In conclusion Jesus, Paul, and Augustine are the three most influential people in the
Western World because Jesus and Paul helped shape Christianity into what it is today, which also
played a large role in the development of the Western World, and Augustine helped spread
Christianity through the conversion of the Roman Empire. Without these three men, the Western
World would be nothing like it is today.