





Christianity

Sorting the thousands of Christian

denominations into meta-groups:

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Note about terminology:

There are many conflicting definitions about exactly which people and which faith groups are Christian, and which are quasi-Christian, sub-Christian or non-Christian. Many people hold tenaciously to the belief that their own definition is the only true one. The end result is that, depending on the definition of "Christian" used, the percentage of Christians in the U.S. and Canada rages between less than 1% and 75%.

This site accepts as Christian any individual or group who devoutly, thoughtfully, seriously, and prayerfully regards themselves to be Christian. Included are: the Roman Catholic church; the Eastern Orthodox churches, conservative, mainline, and liberal Christian faith groups; The Restorationist churches (including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons); Jehovah's Witnesses and a thousand or so other religious organizations who view themselves as Christian in North America.

Disunity within Christianity:

When Yeshua of Nazareth (Jesus Christ) was executed, in approximately 30 CE, his message continued to be spread by some of his followers. They formed the Jewish Christian movement -- a reform Judaism group -- which was centered in Jerusalem. A few years later, Paul founded a competing Pauline Christian group, which was aimed primarily at converting Gentiles. Finally, a Gnostic Christian movement was formed.

Jewish Christians were killed or scattered by the Roman Army when they destroyed Jerusalem in 70 CE. Pauline Christianity was legalized in the 313 CE and became the official religion of the Empire circa 380 CE. The Gnostics were exterminated by or absorbed into the Church -- the successor to Pauline Christianity.

Strains between the surviving eastern and western regions of the Church reached the breaking point in 1054 CE when the leaders of the two groups excommunicated each other. This formally separated the Roman Catholic church and the Eastern Orthodox churches. Although discussions are currently underway to bring them into unity, little progress has being made.

In 1517, Martin Luther, a Roman Catholic monk, set out to reform the Roman Catholic church by eliminating some of its abuses -- largely involving the church sacraments and the sale of indulgences. A split followed, producing the Protestant Reformation and a series of religious wars which decimated Western Europe. Protestantism subsequently split into many movements which themselves split into families of denominations. The result was the the thousands of individual Protestant denominations and sects that we observe today.

In 1534, the British Parliament passed an Act of Supremacy which declared the country independent of foreign powers, including the pope. This separated the English Church from the pope's authority. The Church of England was created under Edward VI when the Book of Common Prayer was authorized in 1549. Mary I restored the connection to Rome in 1553. But during the reign of Elizabeth I, her successor, a second Act of Supremacy was passed and the Book of Common Prayer reissued. The Church of England has since evolved into a worldwide movement, composed of the Anglican Communion divided int Provinces, Dioceses, and individual congregations.

In 1830 CE. Joseph Smith taught that the true Christian church died out early in the 2nd Century CE, when he believed that religious leaders abandoned many of the original teachings of Jesus Christ, Paul, and the other apostles. Smith founded The Church of Christ. This faith group subsequently divided into over 100 separate denominations and sects which form the LDS Restorationist movement.

Christianity remains in a state of flux today, with new faith groups being created, ceasing to exist, and merging with others. Other denominations have difficulty adapting to change. They have experienced schism over matters like literal interpretation of the Bible, inerrancy of the Bible, criteria for salvation, the morality of human slavery, the roles of women within the family and church, etc. More schisms are expected in the future over equal rights for gays and lesbians, including same-sex marriage.

Sorting Christian denominations today:

Today, there are over 30,000 separate Christian groups in the world. 1

There is a small but growing Gnostic Christian movement who trace their beliefs back to the early Gnostics. They believe that salvation comes from possessing esoteric knowledge.



The vast majority of Christian groups trace their ancestry back to Pauline Christianity as founded by Paul in the 1st century CE and refined through various early church councils and creeds. Most regard Yeshua as a man-god, a member of the Trinity along with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. A few Christians in the liberal wing of the religion view Yeshua as a prophet, not a deity, and definitely not conceived by a virgin.

One way of sorting them is into eight "meta-groups."

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Disagreements over classification of faith groups:

Many theologians combine the Anglican Communion and Protestant faith groups as a single grouping.



Others consider Pentecostalism as being part of Protestantism.



Some in the anti-cult movement and counter-cult movement classify some of the smaller denominations as "cults," "sub-Christians," or "none-Christian." and not as a part of Christianity.



Some Fundamentalists and other Evangelicals do not consider liberal/progressive Christian denominations to be part of Christianity.



The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (a.k.a. LDS & The Mormons) and other LDS restorationist denominations are not considered to be Christian by most conservative and some mainline denominations.

There are probably other disagreements not listed above. From the extensive Emails that we receive, it is obvious that many individuals and groups regard their own classification of faith groups to be the only valid one.

Related essay on this web site:

References used:

The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.

David Barrett et al, "World Christian Encyclopedia: A comparative survey of churches and religions - AD 30 to 2200," Oxford University Press, (2001). Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store J. Gordon Melton, Ed, "The Encyclopedia of American Religions: A Comprehensive Study of the Major Religious Groups in the United States and Canada," 3 volume set, Triumph Books, New York, NY, (1989) Statement by the 1930 Lambeth Conference. Henry Hill, "Light from the East: A symposium on the Oriental Orthodox and Assyrian Churches," Anglican Book Centre, (1988).

Copyright Â© 2003 to 2007 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance

Originally written: 2003-APR-

Latest update: 2007-AUG-10

Author: B.A. Robinson



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