Most of the non-Christian world fails to understand what is the driving and central force behind Christianity. This is partially because of the media's attention on aspects of Christianity, and not the whole, and the fact that most Christians don't do a very good job of describing their faith.
To the average non-Christian, our faith appears to be a set of rules and rites, tossed in with a sprinkling of morality tales and myths for good flavor. Most people can tell you that Christians believe the Ten commandments should be on every Courthouse (not actually true) and that Christians are against evolution (again not true) but cannot describe what it is that makes a Christian a Christian.
The Gospel is the central point of the Christian faith. No matter what our differences amongst one another, no matter what our styles of worship, no matter what our appearances, the thing we call the Gospel, is what unites us and what defines us as Christians.
The Gospel actually comes from a Greek word euangelion which means "Good News". The Good News we speak of comes down to this. We believe that all men have become stained with sin before God. We believe that all men do evil, and are worthy of punishment for that evil. However, God in His Infinite Mercy, has offered us a way to escape this punishment, by cleansing us. He came down, in the flesh as the man Jesus Christ, to be come a pure and sinless sacrifice, to pay the penalty we deserve. Thus through that Sacrifice He offers us Forgiveness of Sins.
THAT is Christianity.
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