 | This article includes a list ofgeneral references, butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations. Please help toimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(March 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Part ofa series on |
| Christianity |
|---|
 |
AChristian denomination is a distinctreligious body withinChristianity that comprises allchurch congregations of the same kind, identifiable by traits such as a name, particular history, organization, leadership,theological doctrine, worship style and, sometimes, a founder. It is a secular and neutral term, generally used to denote any established Christian church. Unlike acult or sect, a denomination is usually seen as part of the Christian religious mainstream. Most Christian denominations refer to themselves aschurches, whereas some newer ones tend to interchangeably use the termschurches,assemblies,fellowships, etc. Divisions between one group and another are defined by authority and doctrine; issues such as thenature of Jesus, the authority ofapostolic succession,biblical hermeneutics,theology,ecclesiology,eschatology, andpapal primacy may separate one denomination from another. Groups of denominations—often sharing broadly similar beliefs, practices, and historical ties—are sometimes known as "branches of Christianity". These branches differ in many ways, especially through differences in practices and belief.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
Individualdenominations vary widely in the degree to which they recognize one another. Several groups say they are the direct andsole authentic successor of the church founded byJesus Christ in the1st century AD. Others, however, believe in denominationalism, where some or all Christian groups are legitimate churches of the same religion regardless of their distinguishing labels, beliefs, and practices. Because of this concept, some Christian bodies reject the term "denomination" to describe themselves, to avoid implying equivalence with other churches or denominations.
TheCatholic Church, which has over 1.3 billion members or 50.1% of all Christians worldwide,[8][9] does not view itself as a denomination, but as the original pre-denominational Church.[10] The totalProtestant population has reached around 1.047 billion in 2024, accounting for about 39.8% of all Christians.[11][8][12] Sixteenth-century Protestants separated from the Catholic Church as a result of theReformation, a movement against doctrines and practices which theReformers perceived to be in violation of the Bible.[13][14][15] Together, Catholicism and Protestantism (with major traditions includingAdventism,Anabaptism,Anglicanism,Baptists,Lutheranism,Methodism,Moravianism,Pentecostalism,Plymouth Brethren,Quakerism,Reformed, andWaldensianism) composeWestern Christianity.[16][17] Western Christian denominations prevail inSub-Saharan Africa,Europe (excluding Eastern Europe),North America,Oceania andSouth America.[18]
TheEastern Orthodox Church, with an estimated 230 million adherents,[19][12][20] is the second-largest Christian body in the world and also considers itself the original pre-denominational Church. Orthodox Christians, 80% of whom are Eastern Orthodox and 20% Oriental Orthodox, make up about 11.9% of the global Christian population.[19] The Eastern Orthodox Church is itself acommunion of fully independentautocephalous churches (or "jurisdictions") that recognize each other, for the most part. Similarly, the Catholic Church is a communion ofsui iuris churches, including 23 Eastern ones. The Eastern Orthodox Church, the 23Eastern Catholic Churches, theOriental Orthodox communion, theAssyrian Church of the East, theAncient Church of the East, and theEastern Lutheran Churches constituteEastern Christianity. There are certainEastern Protestant Christians that have adopted Protestant theology but have cultural and historical ties with other Eastern Christians. Eastern Christian denominations are represented mostly inEastern Europe,North Asia, theMiddle East,Northeast Africa, andIndia.
Christians have various doctrines about the Church (the body of the faithful that they believe Jesus Christ established) and about how the divine church corresponds to Christian denominations. The Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Church of the East and Lutheran denominations, each hold that only their own specific organization faithfully represents theone holy catholic and apostolic Church, to theexclusion of all others. Certain denominational traditions teach that they were divinely instituted to propagate a certain doctrine or spiritual experience, for example the raising up ofMethodism by God to propagateentire sanctification (the "second blessing"),[21] or the launch ofPentecostalism to bestow a supernaturalempowerment evidenced byspeaking in tongues on humanity.[22]
Restorationism emerged after theSecond Great Awakening and collectively affirms belief in aGreat Apostasy, thus promoting a belief in restoring what they see as primitive Christianity.[23] It includesMormons,Irvingians,Christadelphians,Swedenborgians,Jehovah's Witnesses, among others, although beliefs between these religions differ greatly.[24][25][26]
Generally, members of the various denominations acknowledge each other as Christians, at least to the extent that they have mutually recognizedbaptisms and acknowledge historicallyorthodox views including thedivinity of Jesus and doctrines ofsin andsalvation, even though doctrinal andecclesiological obstacles hinderfull communion between churches. Since the reforms surrounding theSecond Vatican Council of 1962–1965, the Catholic Church has referred to Protestant churches asecclesial communities, while reserving the term "church" forapostolic churches, including the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches, as well as theAncient andAssyrian Churches of the East(seesubsistit in andbranch theory). But somenon-denominational Christians do not follow any particular branch,[27] though they sometimes are regarded as Protestants.[28][29][30][31]
Each group uses different terminology to discuss their beliefs. This section will discuss the definitions of several terms used throughout the article, before discussing the beliefs themselves in detail in following sections.
A denomination within Christianity can be defined as a "recognized autonomous branch of the Christian Church"; major synonyms include "religious group, sect, Church," etc.[Note 1][32] "Church" as a synonym, refers to a "particular Christian organization with its own clergy, buildings, and distinctive doctrines";[33] "church" can also more broadly be defined as the entire body of Christians, the "Christian Church".
Some traditional and evangelicalProtestants draw a distinction between membership in the universal church and fellowship within the local church. Becoming a believer in Christ makes one a member of the universal church; one then may join a fellowship of other local believers.[34] Someevangelical groups describe themselves as interdenominational fellowships, partnering with local churches to strengthen evangelical efforts, usually targeting a particular group with specialized needs, such as students or ethnic groups.[35] A related concept isdenominationalism, the belief that some or all Christian groups are legitimate churches of the same religion regardless of their distinguishing labels, beliefs, and practices.[36] (Conversely, "denominationalism" can also refer to "emphasizing of denominational differences to the point of being narrowly exclusive", similar tosectarianism.)[37]
The views of Protestant leaders differ greatly from those of the leaders of the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, the two largest Christian denominations. Each church makes mutually exclusive statements for itself to be the direct continuation of the church founded by Jesus Christ, from whom other denominations later broke away.[10] These churches, and a few others, reject denominationalism. For the purpose of academic study of religion, the main families of Christianity are categorized as a denomination, that is, "an organized body of Christians."[38]
Historically, Catholics wouldlabel members of certain Christian churches (also certain non-Christian religions) by the names of their founders, either actual or purported. Such supposed founders were referred to asheresiarchs. This was done even when the party thus labeled viewed itself as belonging to the one true church. This allowed the Catholic party to say that the other church was founded by the founder, while the Catholic church was founded by Christ. This was done intentionally in order to "produce the appearance of the fragmentation within Christianity"[39] – a problem which the Catholic side would then attempt to remedy on its own terms.
Although Catholics rejectbranch theory,Pope Benedict XVI andPope John Paul II used the "two lungs" concept to relate Catholicism with Eastern Orthodoxy.[40]
Christianity can betaxonomically divided into six main groups: theChurch of the East,Oriental Orthodoxy,Eastern Orthodoxy,Catholicism,Protestantism, andRestorationism.[23][42] Protestantism includes many groups which do not share any ecclesiastical governance and have widely diverging beliefs and practices.[16] Major Protestant branches includeAdventism,Anabaptism,Anglicanism,Baptists,Lutheranism,Methodism,Moravianism,Quakerism,Pentecostalism,Plymouth Brethren,Reformed Christianity, andWaldensianism.[16][17] Reformed Christianity itself includes theContinental Reformed,Presbyterian,Evangelical Anglican,Congregationalist, andReformed Baptist traditions.[43] Anabaptist Christianity itself includes theAmish,Apostolic,Bruderhof,Hutterite,Mennonite,River Brethren, andSchwarzenau Brethren traditions.[44]
Within theRestorationist branch of Christianity, denominations include theIrvingians,Swedenborgians,Christadelphians,Latter Day Saints,Jehovah's Witnesses,La Luz del Mundo, andIglesia ni Cristo.[45][25][26]
Christianity has denominational families (or movements) and also has individual denominations (or communions). The difference between a denomination and a denominational family is sometimes unclear to outsiders. Some denominational families can be considered major branches. Groups that are members of a branch, while sharing historical ties and similar doctrines, are not necessarily incommunion with one another.
There were some movements considered heresies by theearly Church which do not exist today and are not generally referred to as denominations: examples include theGnostics (who had believed in anesotericdualism calledgnosis), theEbionites (who denied the divinity of Jesus), and theArians (who subordinated theSon to theFather by denying thepre-existence of Christ, thus placingJesus as a created being),Bogomilism and theBosnian Church. The greatest divisions in Christianity today, however, are between the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox, Catholics, and the various denominations formed during and after theProtestant Reformation.[46][47][48] There also exists a number ofnon-Trinitarian groups.
Denominationalism is the belief that some or all Christian groups are legitimate churches of the same religion regardless of their distinguishing labels, beliefs, and practices.[36] The idea was first articulated byIndependents within thePuritan movement. They argued that differences among Christians were inevitable, but that separation based on these differences was not necessarilyschism. Christians are obligated to practice their beliefs rather than remain within a church with which they disagree, but they must also recognize their imperfect knowledge and not condemn other Christians asapostate over unimportant matters.[49]
Some Christians view denominationalism as a regrettable fact. As of 2011, divisions are becoming less sharp, and there is increasing cooperation between denominations, which is known asecumenism. Many denominations participate in theWorld Council of Churches.[50]
Christianity has not been a monolithic faith since thefirst century orApostolic Age, though Christians were largely in communion with each other. Today there exist a large variety of groups that share a common history and tradition within and without mainstream Christianity. Christianity is the largest religion in the world (making up approximately one-third of the population) and the various divisions have commonalities and differences in tradition,theology,church government, doctrine, and language.
The largestschism or division in many classification schemes is between the families ofEastern andWestern Christianity. After these two larger families come distinct branches of Christianity. Most classification schemes list Roman Catholicism,Protestantism, andOrthodox Christianity, with Orthodox Christianity being divided intoEastern Orthodoxy,Oriental Orthodoxy and theChurch of the East. However Roman Catholicism is to be seen as a distinct denomination within Western Christianity.[51][52] Protestantism includes diverse groups such asAdventists,Anabaptists,Anglicans,Baptists,Congregationalists,Methodists (inclusive of theHoliness movement),Moravians,Pentecostals,Presbyterians,Reformed,[51][16][17] andUnitarians (depending on one's classification scheme) are all a part of the same family but have distinct doctrinal variations within each group—Lutherans see themselves not to be a part of the rest of what they call "Reformed Protestantism" due to radical differences in sacramental theology and historical approach to the Reformation itself (both Reformed and Lutherans see their reformation in the sixteenth century to be a 'reforming' of the Catholic Church, not a rejection of it entirely). From these come denominations, which in the West, have independence from the others in their doctrine.
TheCatholic Church, due to itshierarchical structures, is not said to be made up of denominations, rather, it is a single denomination that include kinds of regional councils and individual congregations and church bodies, which do not officially differ from one another in doctrine.
The initial differences between the East and West traditions stem from socio-cultural and ethno-linguistic divisions in and between theWestern Roman andByzantine empires. Since the West (that is, Western Europe) spokeLatin as itslingua franca and the East (Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and northern Africa) largely usedAramaic andKoine Greek to transmit writings, theological developments were difficult to translate from one branch to the other. In the course ofecumenical councils (large gatherings of Christian leaders), some church bodies split from the larger family of Christianity. Many earlierheretical groups either died off for lack of followers or suppression by the earlyproto-orthodox Church at large (such asApollinarians,Montanists, andEbionites).
Following theCouncil of Chalcedon in 451, the next large split came with theSyriac andCoptic churches dividing themselves, with some churches becoming today'sOriental Orthodox. TheArmenian Apostolic Church, whose representatives were not able to attend the council did not accept new dogmas and now is also seen as an Oriental Orthodox church. In modern times, there have also been moves towards healing this split, with common Christological statements being made betweenPope John Paul II and Syriac PatriarchIgnatius Zakka I Iwas, as well as between representatives of both Eastern and Oriental Orthodoxy.
There has been a statement that theChalcedonian Creed restored Nestorianism, however this is refuted by maintaining the following distinctions associated with theperson of Christ: two hypostases, two natures (Nestorian); one hypostasis, one nature (Monophysite); one hypostasis, two natures (Eastern Orthodox/Roman Catholic).[53]
 | This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(March 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
In Western Christianity, a handful of geographically isolated movements preceded the spirit of theProtestant Reformation. TheCathars were a very strong movement in medieval southwestern France, but did not survive into modern times. In northernItaly and southeasternFrance,Peter Waldo founded theWaldensians in the 12th century. This movement has largely been absorbed by modern-day Protestant groups. InBohemia, a movement in the early 15th century byJan Hus called theHussites defied Catholicdogma, creating the still-extantMoravian Church, a major Protestant denomination.
Although the church as a whole did not experience any major divisions for centuries afterward, the Eastern and Western groups drifted until the point where patriarchs from both familiesexcommunicated one another in about 1054 in what is known as theGreat Schism. The political and theological reasons for the schism are complex, but one major controversy was the inclusion and acceptance in the West of thefilioque clause into theNicene Creed, which the East viewed as erroneous. Another was the definition ofpapal primacy.
Both West and East agreed that the Patriarch of Rome was owed a "primacy of honour" by the other patriarchs (those ofAlexandria,Antioch,Constantinople andJerusalem), but the West also contended that this primacy extended to jurisdiction, a position rejected by the Eastern patriarchs. Various attempts at dialogue between the two groups would occur, but it was only in the 1960s, under PopePaul VI andPatriarch Athenagoras, that significant steps began to be made to mend the relationship between the two.
The Protestant Reformation began with the posting ofMartin Luther'sNinety-Five Theses inSaxony on October 31, 1517, written as a set of grievances to reform the pre-Reformation Western Church.Luther's writings, combined with the work ofSwiss theologianHuldrych Zwingli and French theologian and politicianJohn Calvin sought to reform existing problems in doctrine and practice. Due to the reactions of ecclesiastical office holders at the time of the reformers, these reformers separated from the Catholic Church, instigating a rift inWestern Christianity.
InEngland,Henry VIII of England declared himself to be supreme head of theChurch of England with theAct of Supremacy in 1534, founding the Church of England, repressing both Lutheran reformers and those loyal to the pope.Thomas Cranmer asArchbishop of Canterbury introduced the Reformation, in a form compromising between the Calvinists and Lutherans.
TheOld Catholic Church split from theCatholic Church in the 1870s because of the promulgation of thedogma ofpapal infallibility as promoted by theFirst Vatican Council of 1869–1870. The term 'Old Catholic' was first used in 1853 to describe the members of the See of Utrecht that were not under Papal authority. The Old Catholic movement grew in America but has not maintained ties with Utrecht, although talks are under way between independent Old Catholic bishops and Utrecht.
TheLiberal Catholic Church started in 1916 via an Old Catholic bishop in London, bishop Matthew, who consecrated bishop James Wedgwood to the Episcopacy. This stream has in its relatively short existence known many splits, which operate worldwide under several names.
In the Eastern world, the largest body of believers in modern times is theEastern Orthodox Church, sometimes imprecisely called "Greek Orthodox" because from the time of Christ through the Byzantine empire, Greek was its common language. However, the term "Greek Orthodox" actually refers to only one portion of the entire Eastern Orthodox Church. The Eastern Orthodox Church believes itself to be the continuation of the original Christian Church established byJesus Christ, and theApostles. The Orthodox and Catholics have been separated since the 11th century, following theEast–West Schism, with each of them saying they represent the original pre-schism Church.
The Eastern Orthodox consider themselves to be spiritually one body, which is administratively grouped into severalautocephalous jurisdictions (also commonly referred to as "churches", despite being parts of one Church). They do not recognize any single bishop as universal church leader, but rather each bishop governs only his owndiocese. ThePatriarch of Constantinople is known as the Ecumenical Patriarch, and holds the title "first among equals", meaning only that if a great council is called, the patriarch sits as president of the council. He has no more power than any other bishop. Currently, the largestsynod with the most members is theRussian Orthodox Church. Others include the ancient Patriarchates ofConstantinople,Alexandria,Antioch andJerusalem, theGeorgian,Romanian,Serbian andBulgarian Orthodox churches, and several smaller ones.
The second largest Eastern Christian communion isOriental Orthodoxy, which is organized in a similar manner, with six national autocephalous groups and two autonomous bodies, although there are greater internal differences than among the Eastern Orthodox (especially in the diversity ofrites being used). The six autocephalous Oriental Orthodox churches are theCoptic (Egyptian),Syriac,Armenian,Malankara (Indian),Ethiopian andEritrean Orthodox churches. In the Aramaic-speaking areas of theMiddle East, the Syriac Orthodox Church has long been dominant. Although the region of modern-dayEthiopia andEritrea has had a strong body of believers since the infancy of Christianity, these regions only gained autocephaly in 1963 and 1994 respectively. The Oriental Orthodox are distinguished from the Eastern Orthodox by doctrinal differences concerning the union of human and divine natures in the person of Jesus Christ, and the two communions separated as a consequence of theCouncil of Chalcedon in the year 451, although there have been recent moves towards reconciliation. Since these groups are relatively obscure in the West, literature on them has sometimes included theChurch of the East, which, like the Oriental Orthodox, originated in the 1st century A.D., but has not been in communion with them since before theCouncil of Ephesus of 431.
Largelyaniconic, the Church of the East represents a third Eastern Christian tradition in its own right. In recent centuries, it has split into three Churches. The largest (since the early 20th century) is theBaghdad-basedChaldean Catholic Church formed from groups that entered communion with Rome at different times, beginning in 1552. The second-largest is what since 1976[54] is officially called theAssyrian Church of the East and which from 1933 to 2015 was headquartered first inCyprus and then in theUnited States, but whose present Catholicos-Patriarch,Gewargis III, elected in 2015, lives inErbil,Iraq. The third is theAncient Church of the East, distinct since 1964 and headed byAddai II Giwargis, resident in Baghdad.
There are also theEastern Catholic Churches, most of which are counterparts of those listed above, sharing with them the same theological and liturgical traditions, but differing from them in that they recognize theBishop of Rome as theuniversal head of the Church. They are fully part of theCatholic communion, on the same level juridically as theLatin Church. Most of their members do not describe themselves as "Roman Catholics", a term they associate with membership of the Latin Church, and speak of themselves in relation to whichever Church they belong to:Maronites,Melkites,Ukrainian Catholics,Coptic Catholics,Chaldean Catholics, etc.[55]
And finally the smallest Eastern Christian group founded in early 20th century isByzantine Rite Lutheranism where accept Byzantine Rite as Church's liturgy while retaining their Lutheran traditions likeUkrainian Lutheran Church. It is considered part ofEastern Protestant denominational movement.
TheLatin portion of theCatholic Church, along withProtestantism, comprise the three major divisions ofChristianity in the Western world. Catholics do not describe themselves as a denomination but rather as the original Church, from which all other branches broke off inschism. TheBaptist,Methodist, andLutheran churches are generally considered to be Protestant denominations, although strictly speaking, of these three, only the Lutherans took part in the officialProtestation at Speyer after the decree of theSecond Diet of Speyer mandated the burning of Luther's works and the end of theProtestant Reformation. Anglicanism is generally classified as Protestant,[16][17][56] being originally seen as avia media, or middle way between Lutheranism and Reformed Christianity, and since theOxford Movement of the 19th century, some Anglican writers of Anglo-Catholic churchmanship emphasize a morecatholic understanding of the church and characterize it as beingboth Protestant and Catholic.[57] A case is sometimes also made to regard Lutheranism in a similar way, considering the catholic character of its foundational documents (theAugsburg Confession and other documents contained in theBook of Concord) and its existence prior to the Anglican, Anabaptist, andReformed churches, from which nearly all other Protestant denominations derive.[58]
One central tenet of Catholicism (which is a common point between Catholic, Scandinavian Lutheran, Anglican, Moravian, Orthodox, and some other Churches), is its practice ofapostolic succession. "Apostle" means "one who is sent out". Jesus commissioned the firsttwelve apostles, and they, in turn laid hands on subsequent church leaders to ordain (commission) them for ministry. In this manner, Catholics and Anglicans trace their ordained ministers all the way back to the original Twelve.
Catholics believe that thePope has authority which can be traced directly to the apostlePeter whom they hold to be the original head of and first Pope of theChurch. There are smaller churches, such as theOld Catholic Church which rejected the definition ofPapal Infallibility at theFirst Vatican Council, as well asEvangelical Catholics andAnglo-Catholics, who are Lutherans and Anglicans that believe that Lutheranism and Anglicanism, respectively, are a continuation of historicalCatholicism and who incorporate many Catholic beliefs and practices.[58] The Catholic Church refers to itself simply by the termsCatholic andCatholicism (which mean universal).
Some Catholics, based on a strict interpretation ofextra ecclesiam nulla salus ("Outside the Church, there is no salvation"), reject any notion those outside its communion could be regarded as part of any true Catholic Christian faith. This is calledFeeneyism, which is considered a heresy by the Catholic Church, and was rejected by theSecond Vatican Council (1962–1965).[59] Catholicism has a hierarchical structure in which supreme authority for matters of faith and practice are the exclusive domain of the Pope, who sits on the Throne of Peter, and the bishops when acting in union with him.
Each Protestant movement has developed freely, and many have split over theological issues. For instance, a number of movements grew out of spiritualrevivals, such asPentecostalism. Doctrinal issues and matters ofconscience have also divided Protestants. Still others formed out of administrative issues;Methodism branched off as its own group of denominations when theAmerican Revolutionary War complicated the movement's ability to ordain ministers (it had begun as a movement within the Church of England). In Methodism's case, it has undergone a number of administrative schisms and mergers with other denominations (especially those associated with theholiness movement in the 20th century).
TheAnabaptist tradition, made up of theAmish,Hutterites, andMennonites, rejected the Roman Catholic and Lutheran doctrines ofinfant baptism; this tradition is also noted for its belief inpacifism. Many Anabaptists do not see themselves as Protestant, but a separate tradition altogether.[60][61]
Some denominations which arose alongside the Western Christian tradition consider themselves Christian, but neither Catholic nor wholly Protestant, such as theReligious Society of Friends (Quakers). Quakerism began as an evangelical Christian movement in 17th centuryEngland, eschewing priests and all formal Anglican orCatholic sacraments in their worship, including many of those practices that remained among the stridently ProtestantPuritans such as baptism with water. They were known in America for helping with the Underground Railroad, and like the Mennonites, Quakers traditionally refrain from participation in war.
Many churches with roots inRestorationism reject being identified as Protestant or even as a denomination at all, as they use only the Bible and not creeds, and model the church after what they feel is the first-century church found in scripture; theChurches of Christ are one example;African Initiated Churches, likeKimbanguism, mostly fall within Protestantism, with varying degrees of syncretism. The measure of mutual acceptance between the denominations and movements varies, but is growing largely due to theecumenical movement in the 20th century and overarching Christian bodies such as theWorld Council of Churches.
Messianic Jews maintain a Jewish identity while accepting Jesus as theMessiah and theNew Testament as authoritative. After the founding of the church, thedisciples of Jesus generally retained their ethnic origins while accepting theGospel message. Thefirst church council was called in Jerusalem to address just this issue, and the deciding opinion was written byJames the Just, the first bishop of Jerusalem and a pivotal figure in the Christian movement. The history of Messianic Judaism includes many movements and groups and defies any simple classification scheme.
The 19th century saw at least 250,000 Jews convert to Christianity according to existing records of various societies.[62] Data from thePew Research Center has it that, as of 2013, about 1.6 million adultAmerican Jews identify themselves asChristians, most asProtestants.[63][64][65] According to the same data, most of the Jews who identify themselves as some sort of Christian (1.6 million) were raised as Jews or are Jews by ancestry.[64]
Within Italy, Poland, Lithuania, Transylvania, Hungary and RomaniaUnitarian Churches emerged from theReformed tradition in the 16th century.[66][67] They adopted theAnabaptist doctrine ofcredobaptism.[68] TheUnitarian Church of Transylvania is an example of such a denomination that arose in this era and is represented in theProtestant Theological Institute of Cluj. Due to their rejection of theAthanasian Creed which contains the doctrine of theTrinity, manymainstream Christian Churches do not recognize Unitarians as Christians.[69]
The Stone–CampbellRestoration Movement began on the American frontier during theSecond Great Awakening (1790–1870) of the early 19th century. The movement sought to restore the church and "the unification of all Christians in a single body patterned after the church of the New Testament."[70]: 54 Members do not identify asProtestant but simply as Christian.[71][72][73]: 213
The Restoration Movement developed from several independent efforts to return toapostolic Christianity, but two groups, which independently developed similar approaches to the Christian faith, were particularly important.[74]: 27–32 The first, led byBarton W. Stone, began atCane Ridge, Kentucky and called themselves simply as "Christians". The second began in western Pennsylvania and Virginia (now West Virginia) and was led byThomas Campbell and his son,Alexander Campbell; they used the name "Disciples of Christ". Both groups sought to restore the whole Christian church on the pattern set forth in theNew Testament, and both believed thatcreeds kept Christianity divided. In 1832 they joined in fellowship with a handshake.
Among other things, they were united in the belief thatJesus is the Christ, theSon of God; that Christians should celebrate theLord's Supper on thefirst day of each week; and thatbaptism of adult believers byimmersion in water is a necessary condition forsalvation. Because the founders wanted to abandon all denominational labels, they used the biblical names for the followers of Jesus.[75]: 27 Both groups promoted a return to the purposes of the1st-century churches as described in the New Testament. One historian of the movement has argued that it was primarily a unity movement, with the restoration motif playing a subordinate role.[76]: 8
The Restoration Movement has since divided into multiple separate groups. There are three main branches in the US: theChurches of Christ, theChristian churches and churches of Christ, and theChristian Church (Disciples of Christ). Other U.S.-based groups affiliated with the movement are theInternational Churches of Christ and theInternational Christian Churches. Non-U.S. groups include theChurches of Christ in Australia, theEvangelical Christian Church in Canada, theChurches of Christ in Europe. ThePlymouth Brethren are a similar though historically unrelated group which originated in the United Kingdom. Some churches, such asChurches of Christ or thePlymouth Brethren reject formal ties with other churches within the movement.
Other Christian groups originating during the Second Great Awakening including theAdventist movement,[77] theJehovah's Witnesses,[78] andChristian Science,[79] founded within fifty years of one another, all consider themselves to be restorative of primitive Christianity and the early church. Some Baptist churches withLandmarkist views have similar beliefs concerning their connection with primitive Christianity.[80]
Most Latter Day Saint denominations are derived from theChurch of Christ (Latter Day Saints) established byJoseph Smith in 1830, which is categorized as aRestorationist denomination.[24] The largest worldwide denomination isthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, colloquially referred to asMormonism. Various considerably smaller sects broke from this movement after its relocation to the Rocky Mountains in the mid-1800s. Several of these broke away over the abandonment of practicingplural marriage after the1890 Manifesto. Most of the "Prairie Saint" denominations (see below) were established afterSmith's death by the remnants of the Latter Day Saints who did not go west withBrigham Young. Many of these opposed some of the 1840s theological developments in favor of 1830s theological understandings and practices. Other denominations are defined by either a belief in Joseph Smith as aprophet or acceptance of theBook of Mormon asscripture.Mormons generally consider themselves to berestorationist, believing that Smith, asprophet, seer, and revelator, restored the original and true Church of Christ to the earth. Some Latter Day Saint denominations are regarded by other Christians as beingnontrinitarian or even non-Christian, but the Latter Day Saints are predominantly in disagreement with these statements. Latter Day Saints see themselves as believing in aGodhead comprising the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost as separate personages united in purpose. Latter Day Saints regard traditional definitions of theTrinity as aberrations of true doctrine and emblematic of theGreat Apostasy[81] but they do not accept certain trinitarian definitions in thepost-apostolic creeds, such as theAthanasian Creed.
Spiritual Christianity, inclusive of theMolokans,Dukh-i-zhizniki,Doukhobors, and numerous tribal faiths, emerged in Russia, each containing a unique tradition.[82] The Doukhobor have maintained close association withMennonite Anabaptist Christians andQuaker Christians due to analogous religious practices; all of these groups are furthermore collectively considered to bepeace churches due to their belief inpacifism.[83][84][85]
Protestant denominations have shown a strong tendency towards diversification and fragmentation, giving rise to numerous churches and movements, especially in Anglo-American religious history, where the process is cast in terms of a series of "Great Awakenings".
The most recent wave of diversification, known as theFourth Great Awakening took place during the 1960s to 1980s and resulted in phenomena such as theCharismatic Movement, theJesus movement, and a number ofparachurch organizations based inEvangelicalism.
Many independent churches and movements consider themselves to benon-denominational, but may vary greatly in doctrine. Many of these, like thelocal churches movement, reflect the core teachings of traditional Christianity. Others however, such asThe Way International, have been denounced as cults by theChristian anti-cult movement. Further, others may have similar doctrine to mainline churches but incorporate a multi-faith and ecumenical model such as the Interfaith-Ecumenical Church (IEC) that is based entirely in a virtual and international model.
Two movements, which are entirely unrelated in their founding, but share a common element of an additional Messiah (or incarnation of Christ) are theUnification Church and theRastafari movement. These movements fall outside of traditionaltaxonomies of Christian groups, though both cite the Christian Bible as a basis for their beliefs.
Syncretism of Christian beliefs with local and tribal religions is a phenomenon that occurs throughout the world. An example of this is theNative American Church. The ceremonies of this group are strongly tied to the use ofpeyote. (Parallels may be drawn here with the Rastafarispiritual use ofcannabis.) While traditions vary from tribe to tribe, they often include a belief in Jesus as a Native American cultural hero, an intercessor for man, or a spiritual guardian; belief in the Bible; and an association of Jesus with peyote.
There are also some Christians that reject organized religion altogether. SomeChristian anarchists—often those of a Protestant background—believe that theoriginal teachings of Jesus were corrupted by Roman statism (compareEarly Christianity andState church of the Roman Empire), and that earthly authority such as government, or indeed the established Church, do not and should not have power over them. Following "The Golden Rule", many oppose the use of physical force in any circumstance, and advocatenonviolence. The Russian novelistLeo Tolstoy wroteThe Kingdom of God Is Within You,[86] and was a Christian anarchist.
Amid all this diversity, however, it is possible to define Protestantism formally as non-Roman Western Christianity and to divide most of Protestantism into four major confessions or confessional families – Lutheran, Anglican, Reformed, and Free Church.
Most narrowly, it denotes a movement that began within the Roman Catholic Church in Europe in the 16th century and the churches that come directly out of it. In this narrow sense, Protestantism would include the Lutheran, Reformed or Presbyterian, and Anglican (Church of England) churches, and by extension the churches of the British Puritan movement, which sought to bring the Church of England into the Reformed/Presbyterian camp. Most recently, scholars have argued quite effectively that the churches of the radical phase of the 16th-century Reformation, the Anabaptist and Mennonite groups, also belong within this more narrow usage.
However, Swedenborg claimed to receive visions and revelations of heavenly things and a 'New Church', and the new church which was founded upon his writings was a Restorationist Church. The three nineteenth-century churches are all examples of Restorationist Churches, which believed they were refounding the Apostolic Church, and preparing for the Second Coming of Christ.
For example, Christianity comprises six major groups: Church of the East, Oriental Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism and Restorationism.Gao and Sawatsky refer toEllwood, Robert S.,The Encyclopedia of World Religions, New York: Infobase Publishing (2008) as their source for this taxonomy.
The Second Great Awakening (1790-1840) spurred a renewed interest in primitive Christianity. What is known as the Restoration Movement of the nineteenth century gave birth to an array of groups: Mormons (The Latter Day Saint Movement), the Churches of Christ, Adventists, and Jehovah's Witnesses. Though these groups demonstrate a breathtaking diversity on the continuum of Christianity they share an intense restorationist impulse. Picasso and Stravinsky reflect a primitivism that came to the fore around the turn of the twentieth century that more broadly has been characterized as a "retreat from the industrialized world."
About one-third of the world's population is considered Christian and can be divided into three main branches: (1) Catholicism (the largest coherent group, representing over one billion baptized members); (2) Orthodox Christianity (including Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy); and (3) Protestantism (comprising many denominations and schools of thought, including Anglicanism, Reformed, Presbyterianism, Lutheranism, Methodism, Evangelicalism, and Pentecostalism).
Orthodox Churches represent one of te three major branches of Christianity, along with Catholicism and Protestantism.
The designation Protestant includes Lutherans and Anglicans, although some Anglicans do not like the word. Methodism arrived in Asia both from Britain and via America, but with distinct traditions. Both owed a debt to Moravian Lutheranism, as did the Protestant missionary movement generally. Evangelicals have long included many Anglicans, and by 1967 Anglican evangelicalism was defining the movement in Britain.
Others had made similar observations, Patrick McGrath commenting that the Church of England was not a middle way between Roman Catholic and Protestant, but "between different forms of Protestantism," and William Monter describing the Church of England as "a unique style of Protestantism, a via media between the Reformed and Lutheran traditions." MacCulloch has described Cranmer as seeking a middle way between Zurich and Wittenberg but elsewhere remarks that the Church of England was "nearer Zurich and Geneva than Wittenberg.
When the Lutherans presented the Augsburg Confession before Emperor Charles V in 1530, they carefully showed that each article of faith and practice was true first of all to Holy Scripture, and then also to the teaching of the church fathers and the councils and even the canon law of the Church of Rome. They boldly claim, "This is about the Sum of our Doctrine, in which, as can be seen, there is nothing that varies from the Scriptures, or from the Church Catholic, or from the Church of Rome as known from its writers" (AC XXI Conclusion 1). The underlying thesis of the Augsburg Confession is that the faith as confessed by Luther and his followers is nothing new, but the true catholic faith, and that their churches represent the true catholic or universal church. In fact, it is actually the Church of Rome that has departed from the ancient faith and practice of the catholic church (see AC XXIII 13, XXVIII 72 and other places).
It remains true that all who have been justified by faith in Baptism are members of Christ's body, and have a right to be called Christian, and so are correctly accepted as brothers by the children of the Catholic Church.
The English Quakers, who had made contact with the Doukhobors earlier, as well as the Philadelphia Society of Friends, also determined to help with their emigration from Russia to some other country—the only action which seemed possible.
The only contact with Mennonites was the period 1802–1841 when they lived in the Molotschna, where Johann Cornies (q.v.) rendered them considerable assistance.
| Major branches (members) |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Movements | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bible (Scriptures) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foundations | |||||||||
| History (timeline) (spread) |
| ||||||||
| Denominations (list,members) |
| ||||||||
| Theology |
| ||||||||
| Philosophy | |||||||||
| Other features |
| ||||||||
Definitions from Wiktionary
Media from Commons
Texts from Wikisource
Resources from Wikiversity
Data from Wikidata| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
