A Christian denomination is a distinct
religious body within
Christianity that comprises all
church congregations of the same kind, identifiable by traits such as a name, peculiar 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 a
cult or sect, a denomination is usually seen as part of the
Christian religious mainstream. Most Christian denominations self-describe as ''Churches'', whereas some newer ones tend to use the terms churches, assemblies,
fellowships, etc., interchangeably. Divisions between one group and another are defined by authority and doctrine; issues such as the
nature of Jesus, the authority of
apostolic succession,
biblical hermeneutics,
theology,
ecclesiology,
eschatology, and
papal 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.
Individual
denominations vary widely in the degree to which they recognize one another. Several groups say they are the direct and
sole authentic successor of the church founded by
Jesus Christ in the
1st 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.
The Catholic Church, which has over 1.3 billion members or 50.1% of all Christians worldwide,
does not view itself as a denomination, but as the original pre-denominational Church,
[Olson, Roger E. (1999). ]
The story of Christian theology: twenty centuries of tradition & reform."> The story of Christian theology: twenty centuries of tradition & reform.
' Downer's Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press (652 pages). p. 278 a view rejected by other Christians.
Protestant denominations altogether have an estimated 800 million to 1 billion adherents, which account for approximately 37 to 40 percent of all Christians worldwide.
Together, Roman Catholicism and Protestantism (with major traditions including
Adventism,
Anabaptism,
Anglicanism,
Baptists,
Calvinism,
Lutheranism,
Methodism,
Moravianism, and
Pentecostalism) compose
Western Christianity.
Western Christian denominations prevail in
Western,
Northern,
Central and
Southern Europe,
Sub-Saharan Africa, the
Americas, and
Oceania.
The
Eastern Orthodox Church, with an estimated 230 million adherents,
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; .
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, together with the 23
Eastern Catholic Churches, the
Oriental Orthodox communion, the
Assyrian Church of the East, and the
Ancient Church of the East constitute
Eastern Christianity. There are
Protestant Eastern 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 Roman 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 Roman Catholic doctrines and practices which the
Reformers perceived to be in violation of the Bible. 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.
Restorationism emerged after the
Second Great Awakening and collectively affirms belief in a
Great Apostasy, thus promoting a belief in restoring what they see as primitive Christianity.
It includes
Mormonism,
Christadelphians,
Jehovah's Witnesses, among others.
Since the reforms surrounding the
Second Vatican Council of 1962–1965, the Roman Catholic Church has referred to Protestant Churches as
ecclesial communities, while reserving the term "church" for
apostolic churches, including the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches . But some
non-denominational Christians do not follow any particular branch, though they sometimes are regarded as Protestants.
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.
[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."] "Church" as a synonym, refers to a "particular Christian organization with its own clergy, buildings, and distinctive doctrines"; "church" can also more broadly be defined as the entire body of Christians, the "
Christian Church".
Some traditional and
evangelical Protestants 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. Some evangelical 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. A related concept is
denominationalism, the belief that some or all Christian groups are legitimate churches of the same religion regardless of their distinguishing labels, beliefs, and practices.
(Conversely, "denominationalism" can also refer to "emphasizing of denominational differences to the point of being narrowly exclusive", similar to
sectarianism.)
The views of Protestant leaders differ greatly from those of the leaders of the Roman 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.
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"–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.
Major branches
Christianity can be taxonomically divided into six main groups: the
Church of the East,
Oriental Orthodoxy,
Eastern Orthodoxy,
Roman Catholicism,
Protestantism, and
Restorationism.
Protestantism includes many groups which do not share any ecclesiastical governance and have widely diverging beliefs and practices.
Major Protestant denominations include
Adventism,
Anabaptism,
Anglicanism,
Baptists,
Lutheranism,
Methodism,
Moravianism,
Pentecostalism and
Reformed Christianity.
Reformed Christianity itself includes the
Continental Reformed,
Presbyterian,
Evangelical Anglican,
Congregationalist, and
Reformed Baptist traditions.
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
communion with one another.
There were some movements considered heresies by the
early Church which do not exist today and are not generally referred to as denominations. Examples include the
Gnostics (who had believed in an
esoteric dualism called
gnosis), the
Ebionites (who denied the divinity of Jesus), and the
Arians (who subordinated the
Son to the
Father by denying the
pre-existence of Christ, thus placing
Jesus as a created being),
Bogumilism and
Bosnian Church. The greatest divisions in Christianity today, however, are between the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox, Roman Catholics, and the various denominations formed during and after the
Protestant Reformation. There also exists a number of
non-Trinitarian groups. There also exist some non-traditional groups that the majority of other Christians view as
apostate or
heretical, and not as legitimate versions of Christianity.
Comparisons between denominational churches must be approached with caution. For example, in some churches, congregations are part of a larger church organization, while in other groups, each congregation is an independent
autonomous organization. This issue is further complicated by the existence of groups of congregations with a common heritage that are officially nondenominational and have no centralized authority or records, but which are identified as denominations by non-adherents. Study of such churches in denominational terms is therefore a more complex proposition.
Some groups count membership based on adult believers and
baptized children of believers, while others only count adult baptized believers. Others may count membership based on those adult believers who have formally affiliated themselves with the congregation. In addition, there may be political motives of advocates or opponents of a particular group to inflate or deflate membership numbers through
propaganda or outright deception.
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.
The idea was first articulated by
Independents within the
Puritan movement. They argued that differences among Christians were inevitable, but that separation based on these differences was not necessarily
schism. 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 as
apostate over unimportant matters.
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.
Theological denominationalism ultimately denies reality to any apparent doctrinal differences among the "denominations", reducing all differences to mere matters ''de nomina'' ("of names").
A denomination in this sense is created when part of a church no longer feel they can accept the leadership of that church as a spiritual leadership due to a different view of doctrine or what they see as immoral behaviour, but the schism does not in any way reflect either group leaving the Church as a theoretical whole.
This particular doctrine is rejected by
Roman Catholicism,
Eastern Orthodoxy and the
Oriental Orthodoxy. In these churches, it is not possible to have a separation over doctrinal or leadership issues, and any such attempts automatically are a type of
schism. Some Protestant groups reject denominationalism as well.
Taxonomy
Historical schisms and divisions
Christianity has not been a monolithic faith since the
first century or
Apostolic Age, if ever, and 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 largest
schism or division in many classification schemes is between the families of
Eastern and
Western Christianity. After these two larger families come distinct branches of Christianity. Most classification schemes list three (in order of size:
Roman Catholicism,
Protestantism, and
Orthodox Christianity), with Orthodox Christianity being divided into
Eastern Orthodoxy,
Oriental Orthodoxy and the Church of the East, which was originally referred to as
Nestorianism but in modern times is embodied by the
Assyrian and
Ancient Churches of the East.
Protestantism includes diverse groups such as
Adventists,
Anabaptists,
Anglicans,
Baptists,
Congregationalists,
Methodists (inclusive of the
Holiness movement),
Moravians,
Pentecostals,
Presbyterians,
Reformed,
and
Unitarians (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.
The
Catholic Church, due to their
hierarchical structures, are not said to be made up of denominations, rather, they 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
Western Roman and
Byzantine empires. Since the West (that is, Western Europe) spoke
Latin as its ''
lingua franca'' and the East (Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and northern Africa) largely used
Aramaic and
Koine Greek to transmit writings, theological developments were difficult to translate from one branch to the other. In the course of
ecumenical councils (large gatherings of Christian leaders), some church bodies split from the larger family of Christianity. Many earlier
heretical groups either died off for lack of followers or suppression by the early
proto-orthodox Church at large (such as
Apollinarians,
Montanists, and
Ebionites).
The first significant, lasting split in historic Christianity came from the
Church of the East, who left following the
Christological controversy over
Nestorianism in 431 (the Assyrians in 1994 released a common Christological statement with the
Catholic Church). Today, the Assyrian and Catholic Church view this schism as largely linguistic, due to problems of translating very delicate and precise terminology from Latin to
Aramaic and vice versa (see
Council of Ephesus).
Following the
Council of Chalcedon in 451, the next large split came with the
Syriac and
Coptic churches dividing themselves, with the dissenting churches becoming today's
Oriental Orthodox. The
Armenian 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 between
Pope John Paul II and Syriac Patriarch
Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, as well as between representatives of both Eastern and Oriental Orthodoxy.
There has been a statement that the
Chalcedonian Creed restored Nestorianism, however this is refuted by maintaining the following distinctions associated with the ''person'' of Christ: two hypostases, two natures (Nestorian); one hypostasis, one nature (Monophysite); one hypostasis, two natures (Orthodox/Catholic).
Middle Ages
In Western Christianity, there were a handful of geographically isolated movements that preceded the spirit of the
Protestant Reformation. The
Cathars were a very strong movement in medieval southwestern France, but did not survive into modern times. In northern
Italy and southeastern
France,
Peter Waldo founded the
Waldensians in the 12th century. This movement has largely been absorbed by modern-day Protestant groups. In
Bohemia, a movement in the early 15th century by
Jan Hus called the
Hussites defied Catholic
dogma and still exists to this day (alternately known as the
Moravian Church).
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
excommunicated one another in about 1054 in what is known as the
Great Schism. The political and theological reasons for the schism are complex, but one major controversy was the inclusion and acceptance in the West of the
filioque clause into the
Nicene Creed, which the East viewed as erroneous. Another was the definition of
papal primacy.
Both West and East agreed that the Patriarch of Rome was owed a "primacy of honour" by the other patriarchs (those of
Alexandria,
Antioch,
Constantinople and
Jerusalem), 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 Pope
Paul VI and
Patriarch Athenagoras, that significant steps began to be made to mend the relationship between the two.
Protestant Reformation (16th century)
The Protestant Reformation began with the posting of
Martin Luther's ''
Ninety-Five Theses'' in
Saxony on October 31, 1517, written as a set of grievances to reform the pre-Reformation Western Church.
Luther's writings, combined with the work of
Swiss theologian
Huldrych Zwingli and French theologian and politician
John 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 in
Western Christianity.
In
England,
Henry VIII of England declared himself to be supreme head of the
Church of England with the
Act of Supremacy in 1531, founding the Church of England, repressing both Lutheran reformers and those loyal to the pope.
Thomas Cranmer as
Archbishop of Canterbury introduced the Reformation, in a form compromising between the Calvinists and Lutherans.
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
Eastern 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 by
Jesus Christ, and the
Apostles. The Orthodox and Catholics have been separated since the 11th century, following the
East–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 several
autocephalous 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 own
diocese. The
Patriarch 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 largest
synod with the most members is the
Russian Orthodox Church. Others include the ancient Patriarchates of
Constantinople,
Alexandria,
Antioch and
Jerusalem, the
Georgian,
Romanian,
Serbian and
Bulgarian Orthodox churches, and several smaller ones.

The second largest Eastern Christian communion is
Oriental 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 of
rites being used). The six autocephalous Oriental Orthodox churches are the
Coptic (Egyptian),
Syriac,
Armenian,
Malankara (Indian),
Ethiopian and
Eritrean Orthodox churches. In the Aramaic-speaking areas of the
Middle East, the Syriac Orthodox Church has long been dominant. Although the region of modern-day
Ethiopia and
Eritrea 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 the
Council 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 the
Church 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 the
Council of Ephesus of 431.
Largely
aniconic, 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 the
Baghdad-based
Chaldean Catholic Church formed from groups that entered communion with Rome at different times, beginning in 1552. The second-largest is what since 1976 is officially called the
Assyrian Church of the East and which from 1933 to 2015 was headquartered first in
Cyprus and then in the
United States, but whose present Catholicos-Patriarch,
Gewargis III, elected in 2015, lives in
Erbil,
Iraq. The third is the
Ancient Church of the East, distinct since 1964 and headed by
Addai II Giwargis, resident in Baghdad.
There are also the
Eastern 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 the
Bishop of Rome as the
universal head of the Church. They are fully part of the
Catholic communion, on the same level juridically as the
Latin 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.
And finally the smallest Eastern Christian group founded in early 20th century is
Byzantine Rite Lutheranism where accept Byzantine Rite as Church's liturgy while retaining their Lutheran traditions like
Ukrainian Lutheran Church. It is considered part of
Eastern Protestant denominational movement.
Western Christianity
The
Latin portion of the
Catholic Church, along with
Protestantism, comprise the three major divisions of
Christianity in the Western world. Catholics do not describe themselves as a denomination but rather as the original Church; which all other branches broke off from in
schism. The
Baptist,
Methodist, and
Lutheran churches are generally considered to be Protestant denominations, although strictly speaking, of these three, only the Lutherans took part in the official
Protestation at Speyer after the decree of the
Second Diet of Speyer mandated the burning of Luther's works and the end of the
Protestant Reformation. Anglicanism is generally classified as Protestant,
being originally seen as a ''via media'', or middle way between Lutheranism and Reformed Christianity, and since the
Oxford Movement of the 19th century, some Anglican writers of Anglo-Catholic churchmanship emphasize a more
catholic understanding of the church and characterize it as being ''both'' Protestant and Catholic.
A case is sometimes also made to regard Lutheranism in a similar way, considering the catholic character of its foundational documents (the
Augsburg Confession and other documents contained in the
Book of Concord) and its existence prior to the Anglican, Anabaptist, and
Reformed churches, from which nearly all other Protestant denominations derive.
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
apostolic succession. "Apostle" means "one who is sent out". Jesus commissioned the first
twelve apostles (see
Biblical Figures for the list of the Twelve), 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 the
Pope has authority which can be traced directly to the apostle
Peter whom they hold to be the original head of and first Pope of the
Church. There are smaller churches, such as the
Old Catholic Church which rejected the definition of
Papal Infallibility at the
First Vatican Council, as well as
Evangelical Catholics and
Anglo-Catholics, who are Lutherans and Anglicans that believe that Lutheranism and Anglicanism, respectively, are a continuation of historical
Catholicism and who incorporate many Catholic beliefs and practices.
The Catholic Church refers to itself simply by the terms ''Catholic'' and ''Catholicism'' (which mean universal).
Sometimes, Catholics, based on a strict interpretation of ''
extra ecclesiam nulla salus'' ("Outside the Church, there is no salvation"), rejected any notion those outside its communion could be regarded as part of any true Catholic Christian faith, an attitude rejected by the
Second Vatican Council (19621965).
[«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.Â]
Second Vatican Council, Decree on Ecumenism ''Unitatis Redintegratio'', n.3
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 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
Anabaptist tradition, made up of the
Amish,
Hutterites, and
Mennonites, rejected the Roman Catholic and Lutheran doctrines of
infant baptism; this tradition is also noted for its belief in
pacifism. Many Anabaptists do not see themselves as Protestant, but a separate tradition altogether.
Some denominations which arose alongside the Western Christian tradition consider themselves Christian, but neither Catholic nor wholly Protestant, such as the
Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). Quakerism began as an evangelical Christian movement in 17th century
England, eschewing priests and all formal Anglican or
Catholic sacraments in their worship, including many of those practices that remained among the stridently Protestant
Puritans 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 in
Restorationism 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; the
Churches of Christ are one example;
African Initiated Churches, like
Kimbanguism, 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 the
ecumenical movement in the 20th century and overarching Christian bodies such as the
World Council of Churches.
Christians with Jewish roots
Messianic Jews maintain a Jewish identity while accepting Jesus as the
Messiah and the
New Testament as authoritative. After the founding of the church, the
disciples of Jesus generally retained their ethnic origins while accepting the
Gospel message. The
first church council was called in Jerusalem to address just this issue, and the deciding opinion was written by
James 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. Data from the
Pew Research Center has it that, as of 2013, about 1.6 million adult
American Jews identify themselves as
Christians, most as
Protestants.
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.
Modern history
Unitarianism
Within Italy, Poland, Lithuania, Transylvania, Hungary and Romania
Unitarian Churches emerged out of the
Reformed tradition in the 16th century. They adopted the
Anabaptist doctrine of
credobaptism.
The
Unitarian Church of Transylvania is an example such a denomination that arose in this era and is represented in the
Protestant Theological Institute of Cluj. Due to their rejection of the
Athanasian Creed which contains the doctrine of the
Trinity, many
mainstream Christian Churches do not recognize Unitarians as Christians.
Restorationism
Second Great Awakening
The Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement began on the American frontier during the
Second 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."
[Rubel Shelly, ''I Just Want to Be a Christian'', 20th Century Christian, Nashville, Tennessee 1984, ] Members do not identify as
Protestant but simply as Christian.
[Batsell Barrett Baxter and Carroll Ellis, ''Neither Catholic, Protestant nor Jew'', tract, Church of Christ (1960) ASIN: B00073CQPM. According to Richard Thomas Hughes in ''Reviving the Ancient Faith: The Story of Churches of Christ in America,'' Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1996 (, ), this is "arguably the most widely distributed tract ever published by the Churches of Christ or anyone associated with that tradition."][Samuel S. Hill, Charles H. Lippy, Charles Reagan Wilson, ''Encyclopedia of Religion in the South'', Mercer University Press, 2005, (, ) 854 pages]
The Restoration Movement developed from several independent efforts to return to
apostolic Christianity, but two groups, which independently developed similar approaches to the Christian faith, were particularly important.
[Monroe E. Hawley, ''Redigging the Wells: Seeking Undenominational Christianity'', Quality Publications, Abilene, Texas, 1976, (paper), (cloth)] The first, led by
Barton W. Stone, began at
Cane Ridge, Kentucky and called themselves simply as "
Christians". The second began in western Pennsylvania and Virginia (now West Virginia) and was led by
Thomas 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 the
New Testament, and both believed that
creeds kept Christianity divided. In 1832 they joined in fellowship with a handshake.
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.
[McAlister, Lester G. and Tucker, William E. (1975), ''Journey in Faith: A History of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)'', St. Louis, MO: Chalice Press, ] 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.
[Leroy Garrett, ''The Stone-Campbell Movement: The Story of the American Restoration Movement'', College Press, 2002, , , 573 pages]
The Restoration Movement has since divided into multiple separate groups. There are three main branches in the US: the
Churches of Christ, the
Christian churches and churches of Christ, and the
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Other U.S.-based groups affiliated with the movement are the
International Churches of Christ and the
International Christian Churches. Non-U.S. groups include the
Churches of Christ in Australia, the
Evangelical Christian Church in Canada, the
Churches of Christ in Europe. The
Plymouth Brethren are a similar though historically unrelated group which originated in the United Kingdom. Some churches, such as
Churches of Christ or the
Plymouth Brethren reject formal ties with other churches within the movement.
Other Christian groups originating during the Second Great Awakening including the
Adventist movement, the
Jehovah's Witnesses, and
Christian Science, founded within fifty years of one another, all consider themselves to be restorative of primitive Christianity and the early church. Some Baptist churches with
Landmarkist views have similar beliefs concerning their connection with primitive Christianity.
Latter Day Saint movement
Most Latter Day Saint denominations are derived from the
Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints) established by
Joseph Smith in 1830, which is categorized as a
Restorationist denomination.
The largest worldwide denomination is
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often referred to as
Mormonism. 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 practicing
plural marriage after the
1890 Manifesto. Most of the "Prairie Saint" denominations (see below) were established after
Smith's death by the remnants of the Latter Day Saints who did not go west with
Brigham 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 a
prophet or acceptance of the
Book of Mormon as
scripture.
Mormons generally consider themselves to be
restorationist, believing that Smith, as
prophet, 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 being
nontrinitarian or even non-Christian, but the Latter Day Saints are predominantly in disagreement with these statements. Mormons see themselves as believing in a
Godhead comprising the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost as separate personages united in purpose. Mormons regard traditional definitions of the
Trinity as aberrations of true doctrine and emblematic of the
Great Apostasy but they do not accept certain trinitarian definitions in the
post-apostolic creeds, such as the
Athanasian Creed.
Spiritual Christianity
Spiritual Christianity, inclusive of the
Molokans and
Doukhobors emerged in Russia, each containing a unique tradition.
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.
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
Fourth Great Awakening took place during the 1960s to 1980s and resulted in phenomena such as the
Charismatic Movement, the
Jesus movement, and a great number of
parachurch organizations based in
Evangelicalism.
Many independent churches and movements considered themselves to be
non-denominational, but may vary greatly in doctrine. Many of these, like the
local churches movement, reflect the core teachings of traditional Christianity. Others however, such as
The Way International, have been denounced as cults by the
Christian anti-cult movement.
Two movements, which are entirely unrelated in their founding, but share a common element of an additional Messiah (or incarnation of Christ) are the
Unification Church and the
Rastafari movement. These movements fall outside of traditional
taxonomies 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 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
Christian anarchists - often those of a Protestant background - believe that the
original teachings of Jesus were corrupted by Roman statism (compare
Early Christianity and
State 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 advocate
nonviolence. The Russian novelist
Leo Tolstoy wrote ''
The Kingdom of God Is Within You'',
Leo Tolstoy - The Kingdom of God is Within You
. Kingdomnow.org. Retrieved on 2010-11-03. and was a Christian anarchist.
See also
* Christian tradition
* Great Church
* List of Christian denominations
* List of Christian denominations by number of members
Notes
References
External links
Christian Denominations
History, profiles and comparison charts of major Christian denominations
Denominational links
from the Ecumenism in Canada site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christian Denomination
Denomination
Denomination
Category:Religious denominations