Christianity is the name given to that definite system of religious belief and practice which was taught by Jesus Christ in the country of Palestine, during the reign of the Roman Emperor, Tiberius, and was promulgated, after its Founder's death, for the acceptance of the whole world, by certain chosen men among His followers. According to the accepted chronology, these began their mission on the day of Pentecost, A.D. 29, which day is regarded, accordingly, as the birthday of the Christian Church.
::::::::::::::
Christian
As a noun, Christian is an appellation and moniker deriving from the appellation "Christ", which many people associate exclusively with Jesus of Nazareth, when in fact the followers of Serapis were also called Christians (see quote below.) The first known usage of this term can be found in the New Testament of the Bible, in Acts 11:26: "The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch." (Gr. Χριστιανός and variant Χρηστιανός, Strong's G5546). The term was first used to denote those known or perceived to be disciples of Christ.
The term "Christian" is used by various groups with diverse beliefs to describe themselves. Some people, including many born-again Christians, use a fairly specific definition of "Christian". They believe that in order to be a Christian, one must follow Jesus, and that the proof of this is found in agreeing to and following the doctrines set forth in their interpretation of the Bible.
In some areas of the world, the term "Christian" is not necessarily a person who believes in Jesus Christ at all, but is seen as an ethnic group, as the term Jew does not necessarily mean an adherent to the religion of Judaism. This point of view is most popularly held in the Arab Muslim world.