Christian denomination
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A Christian denomination is a distinct
Individual
The
The Eastern Orthodox Church, with an estimated 230 million adherents,[15][11][16] 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.[15] The Eastern Orthodox Church is itself a communion of fully independent autocephalous churches (or "jurisdictions") that recognize each other, for the most part. Similarly, the Catholic Church is a communion of sui iuris churches, including 23 Eastern ones. The Eastern Orthodox Church, the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches, the Oriental Orthodox communion, the Assyrian Church of the East, the Ancient Church of the East, and the Eastern Lutheran Churches constitute Eastern Christianity. There are certain Eastern Protestant Christians that have adopted Protestant theology but have cultural and historical ties with other Eastern Christians. Eastern Christian denominations are represented mostly in Eastern Europe, North Asia, the Middle East, Northeast Africa, and India (especially South India).
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 and Church of the East denominations, each hold that only their own specific organization faithfully represents the one holy catholic and apostolic Church, to the exclusion of all others. Sixteenth-century Protestants separated from the Catholic Church as a result of the Reformation, a movement against Catholic doctrines and practices which the Reformers perceived to be in violation of the Bible.[17][18][19] Generally, members of the various denominations acknowledge each other as Christians, at least to the extent that they have mutually recognized baptisms and acknowledge historically orthodox views including the divinity of Jesus and doctrines of sin and salvation, even though doctrinal and ecclesiological obstacles hinder full communion between churches.
Since the reforms surrounding the
Terminology
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][29] "Church" as a synonym, refers to a "particular Christian organization with its own clergy, buildings, and distinctive doctrines";[30] "church" can also more broadly be defined as the entire body of Christians, the "Christian Church".
Some traditional and evangelical
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.
Historically, Catholics would label 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 as heresiarchs. 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"[35] – a problem which the Catholic side would then attempt to remedy on its own terms.
Although Catholics reject branch theory, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II used the "two lungs" concept to relate Catholicism with Eastern Orthodoxy.[36]
Major branches
Christianity can be taxonomically divided into six main groups: the
Within the Restorationist branch of Christianity, denominations include the Irvingians, Swedenborgians, Christadelphians, Latter Day Saints, Jehovah's Witnesses, La Luz del Mundo, and Iglesia ni Cristo.[41][22][23][42]
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 in
There were some movements considered heresies by the
Denominationalism
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.
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 as ecumenism. Many denominations participate in the World Council of Churches.[47]
Taxonomy
- (Not shown are non-Nicene, nontrinitarian, and some restorationist denominations.)
Historical schisms and divisions
Christianity has not been a monolithic faith since the
The largest
The Catholic Church, due to its hierarchical 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.
Antiquity
The initial differences between the East and West traditions stem from socio-cultural and ethno-linguistic divisions in and between the
Following the
There has been a statement that the
Middle Ages
In Western Christianity, a handful of geographically isolated movements preceded the spirit of the
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 families
Both West and East agreed that the Patriarch of Rome was owed a "
Protestant Reformation (16th century)
The Protestant Reformation began with the posting of
In
Old and Liberal Catholic Churches (19th–20th centuries)
The Old Catholic Church split from the Catholic Church in the 1870s because of the promulgation of the dogma of papal infallibility as promoted by the First 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.
The Liberal 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.
Eastern Christianity
In the Eastern world, the largest body of believers in modern times is the
The Eastern Orthodox consider themselves to be spiritually one body, which is administratively grouped into several
Orthodox churches, and several smaller ones.The second largest Eastern Christian communion is
Largely
There are also the
And finally the smallest Eastern Christian group founded in early 20th century is
Western Christianity
Christian denominations in the English-speaking world |
---|
The
One central tenet of Catholicism (which is a common point between Catholic, Scandinavian Lutheran, Anglican, Moravian, Orthodox, and some other Churches), is its practice of
Catholics believe that the
Sometimes, Catholics, based on a strict interpretation of
Each Protestant movement has developed freely, and many have split over theological issues. For instance, a number of movements grew out of spiritual revivals, such as Pentecostalism. Doctrinal issues and matters of conscience have also divided Protestants. Still others formed out of administrative issues; Methodism branched off as its own group of denominations when the American 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 the holiness movement in the 20th century).
The
Some denominations which arose alongside the Western Christian tradition consider themselves Christian, but neither Catholic nor wholly Protestant, such as the
Many churches with roots in
Christians with Jewish roots
The 19th century saw at least 250,000 Jews convert to Christianity according to existing records of various societies.
Modern history
Unitarianism
Within Italy, Poland, Lithuania, Transylvania, Hungary and Romania
Restorationism
Second Great Awakening
The Stone-Campbell
: 213The Restoration Movement developed from several independent efforts to return to
Among other things, they were united in the belief that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; that Christians should celebrate the Lord's Supper on the first day of each week; and that baptism of adult believers by immersion in water is a necessary condition for salvation. Because the founders wanted to abandon all denominational labels, they used the biblical names for the followers of Jesus.[72]: 27 Both groups promoted a return to the purposes of the 1st-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.[73]: 8
The Restoration Movement has since divided into multiple separate groups. There are three main branches in the US: the
Other Christian groups originating during the Second Great Awakening including the
Latter Day Saint movement
Most Latter Day Saint denominations are derived from the
Spiritual Christianity
Spiritual Christianity, inclusive of the Molokans and Doukhobors emerged in Russia, each containing a unique tradition.[79] The Doukhobor have maintained close association with Mennonite Anabaptist Christians and Quaker Christians due to analogous religious practices; all of these groups are furthermore collectively considered to be peace churches due to their belief in pacifism.[80][81][82]
Other movements
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 the
Many independent churches and movements consider themselves to be
Two movements, which are entirely unrelated in their founding, but share a common element of an additional Messiah (or incarnation of Christ) are the
Syncretism of Christian beliefs with local and tribal religions is a phenomenon that occurs throughout the world. An example of this is the Native American Church. The ceremonies of this group are strongly tied to the use of peyote. (Parallels may be drawn here with the Rastafari spiritual use of cannabis.) 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. Some
See also
- Christian tradition
- Great Church
- List of Christian denominations
- List of Christian denominations by number of members
Notes
- ^ The Oxford Dictionary's full list of synonyms for "denomination" includes: "religious group, sect, Church, cult, movement, faith community, body, persuasion, religious persuasion, communion, order, fraternity, brotherhood, sisterhood, school; faith, creed, belief, religious belief, religion. rare: sodality."
References
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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.
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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.
- ^ "Western Christianity". www.philtar.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
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- ^ a b "The Restorationist denominations in Christianity". Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. 2012. Archived from the original on 11 May 2008. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
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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.
- ^ "Nondenominational & Independent Congregations". Hartford Institute for Religion Research. Hartford Seminary, Hartford Institute for Religion Research. 2015. Archived from the original on 2016-04-23. Retrieved 2016-05-09.
- ^ Shellnutt, Kate. "The Rise of the Nons: Protestants Keep Ditching Denominations". News & Reporting. Archived from the original on 2020-05-20. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
- ^ "What Are Non-Denominational Churches? Meaning & Examples". Christianity.com. Archived from the original on 28 July 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
- ^ says, An Ethnographical Study of Saint Francis United Methodist Church-NCSU Studies in Religion (8 August 2017). "What Does the Growth of Nondenominationalism Mean?". Facts & Trends. Archived from the original on 24 July 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
- ^ "Gallup: Non-denominational Protestants on the rise". Baptist Press. 21 July 2017. Archived from the original on 28 July 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
- ^ "Denomination". Oxford Dictionaries: English. Archived from the original on 23 February 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
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- ^ Hill, Alec (1 July 2003). "Church". Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. Archived from the original on 1 June 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ^ a b Jackson, Wayne. "Denominationalism – Permissible or Reprehensible?". Christian Courier. Archived from the original on 6 June 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
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- ^ Gao, Ronnie Chuang-Rang; Sawatsky, Kevin (7 February 2023). "Motivations in Faith-Based Organizations". Houston Christian University. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
For example, Christianity comprises six major groups: Church of the East, Oriental Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism and Restorationism.
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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."
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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."
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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).
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Orthodox Churches represent one of te three major branches of Christianity, along with Catholicism and Protestantism.
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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.
- ^ Anglican and Episcopal History. Historical Society of the Episcopal Church. 2003. p. 15.
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.
- ^ The Lutheran Witness.
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).
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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.
- ^ Klaasen, Walter (2004). "Anabaptism: Neither Catholic Nor Protestant". Archived from the original on 28 July 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
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- ^ J. Gordon Melton, Encyclopedia of Protestantism, 2005, p. 543: "Unitarianism – The word unitarian [italics] means one who believes in the oneness of God; historically it refers to those in the Christian community who rejected the doctrine of the Trinity (one God expressed in three persons). Non-Trinitarian Protestant churches emerged in the 16th century in ITALY, POLAND, and TRANSYLVANIA."
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- ^ Cameron, Archibald Alexander (1872). Protestantism and Its Relation to the Moral, Intellectual and Spiritual Developments of Modern Times: A Lecture Delivered in the Baptist Chapel, Ottawa, on Sunday Evening, Jan. 21st, 1872. Joseph Loveday. p. 12.
- ISBN 0-89098-021-7
- ^ "The church of Jesus Christ is non-denominational. It is neither Catholic, Jewish nor Protestant. It was not founded in 'protest' of any institution, and it is not the product of the 'Restoration' or 'Reformation.' It is the product of the seed of the kingdom (Luke 8:11ff) grown in the hearts of men." V. E. Howard, What Is the Church of Christ? 4th Edition (Revised), 1971, page 29
- ISBN 978-0-8028-4086-8), this is "arguably the most widely distributed tract ever published by the Churches of Christ or anyone associated with that tradition."
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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.
- ^ Dyck, Cornelius J.; Martin, Dennis D. The Mennonite Encyclopedia. Mennonite Brethren Publishing House. p. 107.
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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.
- ^ Leo Tolstoy – The Kingdom of God is Within You Archived 2012-02-05 at the Wayback Machine. Kingdomnow.org. Retrieved on 2010-11-03.
Further reading
- Denominational links from the Ecumenism in Canada site