RELG 402 - World's Living Religions
Christian Denominations
- Amish, or Amish Mennonites
- The Amish, called "The Plain People" or "Old Order Amish", originated in Switzerland about l525, after secession from the Zurich state church. They came from a division of the Mennonites or Anabaptists (Re-baptizers).
The followers of Jacob Ammann broke from the other Mennonites in Switzerland and Alsace in 1693.
Most Amish Mennonites emigrated to Pennsylvania in the eighteen century, but others rejoined the main Mennonite group.
The Bible is the sole rule of faith. Beliefs are outlined in the Dordrecht Confession of Faith (1632)
Mennonites shun worldly ways and modern innovations such as education and technology.
The sacraments are adult baptism and communion. They opposed the union of church and state, and infant baptism.
The Amish come from an impressive list of martyrs. In Europe they were put into sacks and thrown into rivers. There are no longer any Amish left in Europe. The Amish were saved from extinction by William Penn who granted them a haven from religious persecution in America. - Anabaptist - Mennonites
- At the beginning of the Reformation, in the 1520s, in Zurich (Switzerland), the church leaders sought to restore the church based on New Testament principles. These Bible Christians were soon tagged with the Anabaptist name because they re-baptized those who had been baptized as infants.
Because of this the state persecuted them and put them to death under a Roman law of A.D. 529.
Later they were called Mennonites after their beloved leader in this restored church, Menno Simons. He was the only early leader who died a natural death. All the other important early leaders were martyred - Apostolic Christian Church of America
- The Apostolic Christian Church of America consists of approximately eighty congregations in twenty states. This includes two small churches in Canada and two in Japan. The total number of members is approximately 11,000.
Children and unbaptized adults (called "friends of the truth") constitute another 9,000.
About 20,000 persons are associated with the Apostolic Christian Church. - Assemblies of God
- Currently the Assemblies of God USA and Assemblies of God organizations around the world make up the world's largest Pentecostal denomination with some 32 million members and adherents.
The Assemblies of God believe in the God of the Bible, and believe He is moving in today's world. - Baptists
- Founded by John Smyth in England in 1609 and Roger Williams in Rhode Island in 1638.
About 31 million members. No creed. Authority stems from the Bible. Most Baptists oppose the use of alcohol and tobacco. Baptism is by total immersion. - Church of the Brethren
- Alexander Mack and other Pietists set out to form a church as nearly like the First Century Church as possible, almost two centuries ago.
They took the New Testament as their rule of faith and practice.
Most of the Brethren migrated to America from Germany in the 1720s.
In basic orientation and background, the Brethren are Anabaptist (they reject infant baptism) and Pietist (they emphasize holy living).
Brethren have historically accepted the basic Christian doctrines along with practices sometimes neglected by major groups of Christians. These include a commitment to peace and reconciliation, an emphasis on simple living, an opposition to taking oaths, the maintenance of a strong and wholesome family life, service to neighbors, and the practice of outward symbols taught in the New Testament (such as foot-washing and the sisters' veiling). - The Church of Christ
- Organized by Presbyterians in Kentucky in 1804 and in Pennsylvania in 1809.
The New Testament is the rule, and what is written in the Bible is followed without elaboration. Rites are simple. Baptism is of adults. - The Church of England - The Anglican Church
- At the time of the Reformation King Henry VIII of England broke with the Roman Catholic Church. Parliament issued the Act of Supremacy in 1534, which declared the king of England to be the head of the Church of England.
Scripture, Tradition, and Reason are the main guides. Emphasis is on the essential Christian doctrines and creeds. A Book of Common Prayer is used.
The Church of England is part of the Anglican Communion, which is represented in the United States mainly by the Episcopal Church. - The Episcopal Church
- The U.S. offshoot of the Church of England. It installed Samuel Seabury as its first bishop in 1784 and held its first General Convention in 1789.
Worship is based on the Book of Common Prayer. Services range from spartan to ornate.
Beliefs are based on the Bible, with a modified version of the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (basic beliefs, originally agreed upon by the Church of England in 1563).
Views and positions range from liberal to conservative.
Infants or adults may be baptized. - The Lutheran Church
- Based on the writings of Martin Luther, who broke (1517-21) with the Roman Catholic Church and led the Protestant Reformation in Germany
The first Lutheran congregation in North America was founded in 1638 in Wilmington, Delaware. The first North American regional synod was founded in 1748 by Heinrich Melchior Muhlenberg.
Beliefs are based on the Bible and the Augsburg Confession (written in 1530). Salvation comes through faith alone. Services include the Lord's Supper (communion)
Lutherans are mostly conservative in religious and social ethics. Infants may be baptized. The church is organized in synods.
the two largest synods in the USA are the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. - Methodists
- John Wesley began evangelistic preaching within the Church of England in 1738, and remained an Anglican clergyman all his life.
A separate Wesleyan Methodist Church was established in 1791
The Methodist Episcopal Church was founded in the USA in 1784.
The name derives from the founders' desire to study religion "by rule and method" and to follow the Bible interpreted by tradition and reason.
Worship varies by denomination within Methodism (the United Methodist Church is the largest group). The church is perfectionist in social dealings.
Communion and the baptism of infants and adults are practiced. - Eastern Orthodox Churches
- With 158 million followers, the Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest Christian community in the world.
The schism (split) between the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches began in the fifth century; the break was finalized in 1054.
The members of the Orthodox Churches are in fact members of many different national churches, including the Church of Greece, the Church of Cyprus, and the Russian Orthodox church.
Orthodoxy holds Biblical Scripture and tradition, guided by the Holy Spirit as expressed in the consciousness of the entire Orthodox community, to be the source of Christian truth.
It rejects doctrines developed by the Western churches. Doctrine was established by seven ecumenical councils held between AD 325 and AD 787 and amended by other councils in the late Byzantine period. Relations between the Orthodox churches and Roman Catholicism have improved since Vatican Council II (1962-65). - Pentecostal churches
- The churches grew out of the "holiness movement" that developed among Methodists and other Protestants in the first decade of the twentieth century.
Baptism in the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, faith healing, and the second coming of Jesus are tenets of the faith.
A perfectionist attitude toward secular affairs is common.
Services feature enthusiastic sermons and hymns. Adult baptism and communion are practiced.
Of the various Pentecostal churches, the Assemblies of God is the largest. - The Presbyterian Church
- The Presbyterian Church grew out of the Calvinistic churches of Switzerland and France.
John Knox founded the first Presbyterian church in Scotland in 1557.
The first presbytery in North America was established by Irish missionary Francis Makemie in 1706.
The Bible is the guide for belief. The sacraments are communion and baptism (infant and adult).
Services are simple, with emphasis on the sermon.
The church is organized as a system of courts in which clergy (presbyters and lay members participate at local, regional, and national levels. - The United Church of Christ
- Formed in 1957 by the union of the General Council of Congregational Christian Churches with the Evangelical and Reformed Churches.
The Bible is the basis for belief, guided by the Statement of Faith (written in 1959).
The church is organized by congregations, which are represented at a general synod that sets policy.
Services are simple, with emphasis on the sermon. Communion and baptism (infant and adult) are practiced. - Roman Catholicism
- The Roman Catholic Church, with 980 million members, is the largest Christian church in the world.
It claims direct historical descent from the church founded by the apostle Peter. The Pope in Rome is the spiritual leader of all Roman Catholics. He administers church affairs through bishops and priests.
Members accept the gospel of Jesus Christ and the teachings of the Bible, as well as the church's interpretations of these.
God's grace is conveyed through the seven sacraments, especially the Eucharist or communion that is celebrated at mass, the regular service of worship.
The other six sacraments are baptism, confirmation, penance, holy orders, matrimony, and anointing of the sick.
Redemption through Jesus Christ is professed as the sole method of obtaining salvation, which is necessary to ensure a place in heaven after life on earth.
Copyright © 1999 Shirley J. Rollinson, all Rights Reserved
