Did Christianity's emphasis change from how you live to what happens when you die?

I don't see where Jesus talked about the afterlife a lot. He did, sure, but not a lot. He spent most of his time teaching talking about life in the here and now.



Now it's all about when you die, meeting your maker, heaven or hell, etc. If living now gets talked about, it's usually as a means to an end--the afterlife. Was there a change in emphasis? If there was, how and why did that happen?Did Christianity's emphasis change from how you live to what happens when you die?
You're very right in noticing that Jesus spends most of his time in the Gospels on how to live here and now. He was teaching his followers how to live in God's Kingdom NOW. However, the gospels claimed that Jesus rose from the dead, and that kind of claim will naturally cause a shift in perspective.



As Christianity went down through the centuries, the infiltration of Greek philosophy, in large part, led to a misinterpretation of the New Testament concept of resurrection to mean disembodiment of the soul, which goes to heaven to be with God. This has led to all sorts of borderline-orthodox (I'm being generous here) practical theology, such as the "just-passin'-through" theology so prevalent in America's history. But in the New Testament resurrection means resurrection of the body, something that will happen here in our present world. Christianity would do well to focus less on heaven and more on this world now.



This is a obviously a very big topic, but I hope this is a helpful start.



For a great effort in reclaiming the vital doctrine of Resurrection for orthodox Christianity, see NT Wright's "Surprised by Hope," by one of the world's leading NT scholars.Did Christianity's emphasis change from how you live to what happens when you die?
Yes, I have see this happen in non-Catholic Christian churches. the focus of the Catholic Church is still how we should live and how to build up the Kingdom of God.



The emphasis changed because non-Catholic Christian churches focus on the rewards awaiting them in order to get converts. What do you think will get you more converts - promises of an everlasting life or a telling people they need to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give drink to the thirsty, etc? The first approach caters to mankind's greed. the second approach tells people they need to think of others rather than themselves.Did Christianity's emphasis change from how you live to what happens when you die?
For those of The True Christian Faith(the True Church) how one lives is based upon The teaching of Jesus The Christ concerning The Word of God... For those of The True Church, what happens when we end this mortal life is already determined( in the instant of our Salvation)