- Baptist
- Episcopalian
- Evangelist
- Methodist
- Presbyterian
- Pentecostal/Charismatic
- Lutheran
- Anglican
- Evangelical
- Assemblies of God
- Christian Reform/Dutch Reform
- Church of the Nazarene
- Disciples of Christ
- United Church of Christ
- Mennonite
- Christian Science
- Quaker
- Seventh-Day Adventist
What are the different types of Christian groups?
Other Christian groups, which make up the remaining 1%, include the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Christian Science Church. (See Defining Christian Traditions .) The Catholic Church has 1.1 billion adherents worldwide, representing half of the global Christian population.
What are the three major denominations of Christianity?
In Christianity the three major belief systems are Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant. By far the largest Christian denomination on earth is the Roman Catholic Church, estimated at well over 1 billion adherents. This is over 10% of the population of the whole world.
What are the 3 main creeds of Christianity?
Christian Creeds. The three major Christian creeds, the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed, together constitute a fairly comprehensive summary of traditional Christian doctrine, expressing the fundamental beliefs of a wide range of Christian churches.
What are the 4 main divisions of Christianity?
The four primary divisions of Christianity are the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodoxy, and Protestantism. : 14 A broader distinction that is sometimes drawn is between Eastern Christianity and Western Christianity, which has its origins in the East–West Schism (Great Schism) of the 11th century.
What are the three branches of Christianity?
They include Jewish Christianity, Pauline Christianity and Gnostic Christianity. All modern Christian denominations are said to have descended from the Jewish and Pauline Christianities, with Gnostic Christianity dying, or being hunted out of existence after the early Christian era and being largely forgotten until discoveries made in the late 19th and early twentieth centuries. There are also other theories on the origin of Christianity.
What is a Christian denomination?
A Christian denomination is a distinct religious body within Christianity, identified by traits such as a name, organization and doctrine. Individual bodies, however, may use alternative terms to describe themselves, such as church, convention, communion, assembly, house, union, network, or sometimes fellowship.
What is ecumenism in the Christian Church?
Ecumenism refers to efforts among Christian bodies to develop better understandings and closer relationships. It also refers to efforts toward visible unity in the Christian Church, though the terms of visible unity vary for each denomination of Christianity; the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church each teach visible unity may only be achieved by converting to their denominational beliefs and structure, citing claims of being the one true church. The largest ecumenical organization in Christianity is the World Council of Churches.
How did Protestantism start?
Protestantism is a movement within Christianity which owes its name to the 1529 Protestation at Speyer, but originated in 1517 when Martin Luther began his dispute with the Roman Catholic Church. This period of time, known as the Reformation, began a series of events resulting over the next 500 years in several newly denominated churches (listed below). Some denominations were started by intentionally dividing themselves from the Roman Catholic Church, such as in the case of the English Reformation while others, such as with Luther's followers, were excommunicated after attempting reform. New denominations and organizations formed through further divisions within Protestant churches since the Reformation began. A denomination labeled "Protestant" subscribes to the fundamental Protestant principles—though not always—that is scripture alone, justification by faith alone, and the universal priesthood of believers.
What are independent sacramental churches?
Independent sacramental churches refer to a loose collection of individuals and Christian denominations who are not part of the historic sacramental Christian denominations (such as the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Orthodox churches) and yet continue to practice the historic sacramental rites independently while utilizing "Old Catholic", "Catholic", or "Autocephalous Orthodox" labels. Many such groups originated from schisms of these larger denominations, and they claim to have preserved the historical episcopate or apostolic succession, though such claims are frequently disputed or rejected outright by the historic churches of Rome, Constantinople, the Old Catholic Union of Utrecht, and Canterbury.
What are Asian churches?
Asian-initiated churches are those arising from Chinese and Japanese regions that were formed during repression in authoritarian eras as responses from government crackdowns of their old Christian denominations which were deemed illegal or unrecognized in their countries' state atheism or religion.
How many members are there in the Catholic Church?
Church of the East, Oriental Orthodox Churches, or Lutheranism ). The largest denomination is the Catholic Church with more than 1.3 billion members. The smallest of these groups may have only a few dozen adherents or an unspecified number of participants in independent churches as described below. As such, specific numbers and a certain size may not define a group as a denomination. However, as a general rule, the larger a group becomes, the more acceptance and legitimacy it gains.
What is a Christian Denomination Anyway?
A Christian denomination is any Christian group distinguished by a particular structure, or statement of beliefs (or ‘creeds’) that do not violate any foundational Christian beliefs.
When was the first division of Christianity?
Before the protestant Reformation however, the first great division of Christianity occurred in 1054 and is known as ‘The Great Schism’; also known as the ‘East-West Schism’, or the ‘Schism of 1054 ’.
What is the largest religious body in the world?
Christian denominations are a defining feature of Christianity, the worlds largest religious body by a huge margin.
Why are non-denominational churches so attractive?
Due to their more energetic style of worship and living, non-denominational Churches are also often very attractive to individuals who lean more toward a charismatic/pentecostal faith, with the large, concert style worship sessions being an opportunity for those seeking a more experiential style of worship.
How did the Catholic Church evolve?
The Evolution of the Catholic Church. Over time the Church evolved. The power of the Pope began to increase both in the Church and in the politics of the Empire. As the centuries went by the Catholic Church adopted a number of beliefs and practices in particular which some in the Church took issue with.
Which is the most well known Orthodox Church?
The Eastern Orthodoxy is made up of a number of Churches which are, more or less, distinguished by their geographical region of influence, perhaps the most well-known (in the West) is the Greek Orthodox Church .
Is the Eastern Orthodox Church a government?
The Eastern Orthodox Church comprises a number of mostly independent, autocephalous (governmentally independent from one another) traditions all descending more or less from the Greek tradition which was brewing in Byzantium up to and following the Great Schism of 1054.
What are the three major Christian creeds?
Christian Creeds. The three major Christian creeds, the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed, together constitute a fairly comprehensive summary of traditional Christian doctrine, expressing the fundamental beliefs of a wide range of Christian churches. However, many churches reject the practice of professing creeds, ...
How many in one is God?
God is three in one or a Trinity; God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; John 14:16-17; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Acts 2:32-33, John 10:30,17:11, 21; 1 Peter 1:2).
When will Christians be raised from the dead?
Christians will be raised from the dead when the Lord returns (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17). There will be a final judgment (Hebrews 9:27; 2 Peter 3:7). Satan will be thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10). God will create a new heaven and a new earth (2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1).
Do churches accept the Nicene Creed?
However, many churches reject the practice of professing creeds, even though they may agree with the content of the creeds. They refuse to accept or acknowledge the creeds in a desire to follow no text except that which is written in the Bible . First Council of Nicaea with church fathers holding the Nicene Creed.
Do some faith groups not accept Christianity?
A small number of faith groups that consider themselves to be within the framework of Christianity do not accept some of these beliefs. It should also be understood that slight variances, exceptions, and additions to these doctrines exist within certain faith groups that fall under the broad umbrella of Christianity.
Is Christianity a religion?
Thus, within the broad umbrella of Christianity as a religion, Christian beliefs vary widely as each denomination subscribes to its own set of doctrines and practices.
What are the divisions of the Bible?
Gill is a Latinist, writer, and teacher of ancient history and Latin. She has been featured by NPR and National Geographic for her ancient history expertise. The Christian Bible is divided into the Old Testament and the New Testament. In general terms, the Old Testament of Christians corresponds with ...
What is the Bible divided into?
In general terms, the Old Testament of Christians corresponds with the Bible of Jews. This Bible of the Jews, which is also known as the Hebrew Bible, is divided into three main sections, the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings.
How many parts are there in the Tanakh?
Although it is not immediately obvious, the Tanakh is divided into 24 parts, which is accomplished by combining the Minor Prophets as one and combining Ezra with Nehemiah. Also, parts I and II of, for instance, Kings, are not counted separately. According to the Jewish Virtual Library, the name "Torah" means "teaching" or "instruction.".
What are the writings of Ketuvim?
The Writings ( Ketuvim) consist of homilies, poems, prayers, proverbs, and psalms of the people of Israel.
Is the Bible the same as the Old Testament?
Although the Bible to the Jews and the Old Testament to Christians are close to the same, in a slightly different order, the Biblical books accepted by the different Christian churches vary, even beyond the Septuagint. Within the Christian religion, Protestants accept different books from those accepted by Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches and the canons of eastern and western churches also vary.
What is the agent of Christianity?
The agent of Christianity is the church, the community of people who make up the body of believers. To say that Christianity “focuses” on Jesus Christ is to say that somehow it brings together its beliefs and practices and other traditions in reference to a historical figure.
What is the second element of Christianity?
A second element of the faith tradition of Christianity, with rare exceptions, is a plan of salvation or redemption. That is to say, the believers in the church picture themselves as in a plight from which they need rescue. For whatever reason, they have been distanced from God and need to be saved.
Why is Christianity based on a particular experience or scheme directed to the act of saving?
Christianity is based on a particular experience or scheme directed to the act of saving—that is, of bringing or “buying back,” which is part of what redemption means, these creatures of God to their source in God.
What is the largest religion in the world?
Christianity, major religion stemming from the life, teachings, and death of Jesus of Nazareth (the Christ, or the Anointed One of God) in the 1st century ce. It has become the largest of the world’s religions and, geographically, the most widely diffused of all faiths. It has a constituency of more than two billion believers.
Is Christianity a tradition?
As a tradition, Christianity is more than a system of religious belief. It also has generated a culture, a set of ideas and ways of life, practices, and artifacts that have been handed down from generation to generation since Jesus first became the object of faith.
Do Christians believe in Jesus Christ?
Although their faith tradition is historical—i.e., they believe that transactions with the divine do not occur in the realm of timeless ideas but among ordinary humans through the ages—the vast majority of Christians focus their faith in Jesus Christ as someone who is also a present reality.
What are the core beliefs of Christianity?
In order to become a Christian, a person must fully accept as part of his or her own personal worldview the following core beliefs: • Jesus is the Son of God and is equal with God ( John 1:1, 49; Luke 22:70; Mark 3:11; Philippians 2:5–11) • Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life ( Hebrews 4:15; John 8:29)
What does it mean to be a Christian?
Biblically speaking, Christians are those who are forgiven of their sins and who have entered a personal relationship with Almighty God through faith in Jesus Christ ( Ephesians 2:8–9; Romans 10:9–10 ). In order to become a Christian, a person must fully accept as part of his or her own personal worldview the following core beliefs:
Is Christianity a religious system?
Answer. The term Christianity seems to imply a religious system in the same way that Islam and Buddhism are religious systems. Within religious systems are core beliefs, along with codes, rules, and standards that must be mastered in order to achieve a desired end.
Did Jesus come into the world to start another religion?
Jesus did not come into the world to start another religion. There were already plenty of religions (see Acts 17:22–23 ), including Judaism, which had begun as a relationship with Almighty God ( Leviticus 20:12) but had deteriorated into another religious system on par with idol worship ( Matthew 15:8 ). Jesus came to bear witness ...
Is the inerrancy of God's Word a core belief of Christianity?
It could be argued that belief in the inerrancy of God’s Word is also a core belief of Christianity because, if the Bible’s veracity is suspect, then all we know about God is in doubt. Saving faith is inextricably linked to the Word of God: “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ” ...
Which religions are similar to Christianity?
Other religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Shinto, Rastafarianism, Wiccan, and Neo-Paganism feature categorically similar threads. Nevertheless, while many of the world’s religions have similar features, biblical Christianity differs radically from them all.
Which religions have salvation paths?
The world religions propose a myriad of salvation-paths. For example, in Buddhism, one must practice the Noble Eightfold Path to reach nirvana. In Hinduism, to attain moksha, the liberation from samsara and karma, one must exert themselves in the paths of yogas.
What is the meaning of salvation in Christianity?
Generally, “salvation” describes the way in which a human being experiences saving from what is wrong. When it comes to the salvation of the creature, there is a colossal chasm that exists between Christianity and all other religions.
What religions have fallen men?
Historically, fallen men can always be traced to the origin of the major world religions. However, with Christianity, God has been the one initiating, working, founding, and continuing. Men never kept the true worship of God going. God always kept it going.
What is Christ's primary objective?
Instead, Christ’s primary objective is to render himself an acceptable substitute offering on behalf of the recipients of salvation. Christ is, in nature, and practices, in deed, completely impeccable. He does so because God’s own requirements for acceptance are a righteousness which matches his own.
Can Christianity be spread by force?
Biblical Christianity cannot be spread by external force. Whether political force, violent force, economic or social force – not one person in history has ever experienced conversion by the power of man.
Who is the creator of Christianity?
1. The Creator God is the founder of biblical Christianity. Christianity is not really a religion that was started. Rather, it is the God and Creator of the universe continuing his self-crafted plan of providing the way for fallen humanity to be reconciled into permanently right relationship with him.
Overview
Early Christian
Early Christianity is often divided into three different branches that differ in theology and traditions, which all appeared in the 1st century AD/CE. They include Jewish Christianity, Pauline Christianity and Gnostic Christianity. All modern Christian denominations are said to have descended from the Jewish and Pauline Christianities, with Gnostic Christianity dying, or being hunted out of existence after the early Christian era and being largely forgotten until discoveries …
Terminology and qualification
Some bodies included on this list do not consider themselves denominations. For example, the Catholic Church considers itself the one true church and the Holy See as pre-denominational. The Eastern Orthodox Church also considers itself the original Christian Church and pre-denominational. To express further the complexity involved, the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches w…
Late ancient and Medieval Christian
The following are groups of Christians appearing between the First Council of Nicaea, the East-West Schism and proto-Protestantism.
• Agonoclita
• Apostolic Brethren
• Arnoldists
Church of the East
The Church of the East split from the Roman-recognized state church of Rome during the Sasanian Period. It is also called the Nestorian Church or the Church of Persia. Declaring itself separate from the state church in 424–427, liturgically, it adhered to the East Syriac Rite. Theologically, it adopted the dyophysite doctrine of Nestorianism, which emphasizes the separateness of the divine and human natures of Jesus, and addresses Mary as Christotokos instead of Theotokos; the Churc…
Oriental Orthodox Churches
The Oriental Orthodox Churches are the Christian churches adhering to Miaphysite christology and theology, with a combined global membership of 62 million as of 2019 . These churches reject the Council of Chalcedon in 451 and those after it. They departed from the state church of the Roman Empire after the Chalcedonian Council. Other denominations, such as the Eastern Orthodox Church and bodies in Old and True Orthodoxy, often label the Oriental Orthodox Churches as "Mon…
Eastern Orthodox
The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, claims continuity (based upon apostolic succession) with the early Church as part of the state church of Rome. Though it considers itself pre-denominational, being the original Church of Christ before 1054, some scholars suggest the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic churches began after the East–West Schism. The Eastern Orthodox Church had about 230 million members as of 2019 , making it the second …
Catholic
The Catholic Church, or Roman Catholic Church, is composed of 24 autonomous sui iuris particular churches: the Latin Church and the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches. It considers itself the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church that Christ founded, and which Saint Peter initiated along with the missionary work of Saint Paul and others. As such, the Catholic Church does not consider itself a denomination, but rather considers itself pre-denominational, the original Church of Christ. Conti…
Catholic
Protestant
- The world’s 801 million Protestants, as broadly defined in this report (see Defining Christian Traditions), make up 37% of the global Christian population. The Protestant Reformation, which split Western Christianity and gave birth to Protestantism, took place in Europe in the 16th century. Today, however, only two of the 10 countries with the largest Protestant populations ar…
Orthodox Christian
- There are about 260 million Orthodox Christians, making up 12% of the global Christian population. Nearly four-in-ten Orthodox Christians worldwide (39%) reside in Russia, the country with the largest number of Orthodox. Ethiopia has the second-largest number of Orthodox Christians and more than three times as many Orthodox as Greece. Although Turkey is the seat …
Other Christian Traditions
- There are about 28 million Christians in the world who do not belong to the three largest Christian traditions. Those belonging to other Christian groups make up slightly more than 1% of the global Christian population. Many of the other Christian groups, including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Jehovah’s Witnesses, began in the United States. Today, the United States …
Defining Christian Traditions
- Catholic
The Catholic Church includes the international body of churches in full communion with the bishop of Rome, the pope. These churches include the Western (or Latin) church and 22 Eastern Catholic churches.1 Each of these churches has a distinct hierarchy and traditional liturgy, praye… - Protestant
Protestants are broadly defined in this report to include three groups.6 The first group is made up of historic Protestants who belong to churches originating (or reformulated) at the time of the 16th-century Protestant Reformation in Europe, as well as other denominations that came later, …