Christian faith in the context of "List of Byzantine inventions"

The Christian mission can be understood as the conviction that all believers are called to spread the Christian gospel to the whole world, in accordance, for example, with the Great Commission set out by Jesus Christ and recorded in Matthew 28:16-20. More specifically, a Christian Mission is an organized effort to carry on evangelism, in the name of the Christian faith, or a location established for this purpose. Missions involve sending individuals and groups across boundaries, most commonly geographical boundaries. Sometimes individuals are sent and are called missionaries, and historically may have been based in mission stations. When groups are sent, they are often called mission teams and they undertake mission trips. There are a few different kinds of mission trips: short-term, long-term, relational and those that simply help people in need. Some people choose to dedicate their whole lives to mission.

Missionaries preach the Christian faith and sometimes administer the sacraments, and provide humanitarian aid or services. Christian doctrines (such as the "Doctrine of Love" professed by many missions) permit the provision of aid without requiring religious conversion. Nonetheless, the provision of help has always been closely tied to evangelization efforts.

The cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is also termed a saltire in heraldic terminology. Throughout centuries the cross in its various shapes and forms was a symbol of various beliefs.

The cross has been widely taken as an official symbol of the Christian faith exclusively from an early period in that religion's history to present. In pre-Christian times, it was used as a religious or cultural symbol throughout Europe, in west and south Asia (the latter, in the form of the original swastika); and in Ancient Egypt, where the Ankh was a hieroglyph that represented "life" and was used in the worship of the god Aten. It often appeared in conjunction with the female-genital circle or oval to signify the sacred marriage, as in the Egyptian amulet Nefer, which features the male cross and female orb, considered an amulet of blessedness and a charm of sexual harmony.

Christian rock is a genre of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith, often with an emphasis on Jesus. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands. Many bands who perform Christian rock have ties to the contemporary Christian music labels, media outlets, and festivals, while other bands are independent.

In the 1990s and 2000s, Tooth & Nail Records became a catalyst in legitimizing Christian rock as a notable subgenre of alternative rock. Signing acts like Starflyer 59 and MxPx, Tooth & Nail helped make alternative rock immediately accessible within evangelical church communities throughout the United States, and subsequently the wider Western world with the advent of music streaming.