More than two billion people in the world claim some sort of relationship to Christianity. Despite the wide diversity represented in the New Testament literature and the wide diversity of practice, there is a basic gospel and proclamation that even ante-dates the written texts of the New Testament. As Paul expresses it "I handed on to you, as of first importance, what I in turn had received that Christ died for our sins. in accordance with the scriptures and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures ... Whether then it was I or they, so we...