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Page 1: Christian Denomination

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Christian denomination

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search This article is about the organization and relationships between individual churches. For the

body of all Christian believers in general, see Christian Church. For others, see Christian

Church (disambiguation).

Part of  a series on

Christianity

• Jesus

• Christ

[show]• Jesus in Christianity

• irgin !irth

• "inistry

• Crucifi#ion

• $esurrection

• %i!le

• Foundations

[show]

• &ld 'estament•  (ew 'estament

• )ospel

• Canon

• %ooks

• Church

• Creed

•  (ew Covenant

'heology [show]• *pologetics

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• %aptism

• Catholicism

• Christology

• +istory of theology

• "ission• alvation

• +istory

• 'radition

[show]

• "ary

• *postles

• Peter 

• Paul

• Fathers

• -arly Christianity

• Constantine

• Councils

• *ugustine

• -ast.West chism

• Crusades

• */uinas

• $eformation

• 0uther 

$elated topics[show]

• *rt

• +olidays 1list2

• Criticism

• -cumenism

• 0iturgy

• "usic

• &ther religions• Prayer 

• ermon

• ym!olism

• Denominations

• )roups

[show]

Western

• *dventist

• *na!aptist

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• *nglican

• %aptist

• Calvinist

• Catholic

• Charismatic• -vangelical

• 0utheran

• "ethodist

• Pentecostal

• Protestant

Eastern

• -astern &rthodo#

• -astern Catholic

• &riental &rthodo#

• *ssyrian

Nontrinitarian

• Jehovah3s Witness

• 0atter 4ay aint

• &neness Pentecostal

 Christianity portal

• v

• t

• e

* denomination in Christianity is a distinct religious !ody identified !y traits such as a

common name, structure, leadership and doctrine5 6ndividual !odies, however, may usealternative terms to descri!e themselves, such as church or sometimes fellowship5 4ivisions !etween one group and another are defined !y doctrine and church authority7 issues such asthe nature of Jesus, the authority of apostolic succession, eschatology, and papal primacy often separate one denomination from another5 )roups of denominations often sharing

 !roadly similar !eliefs, practices, and historical ties are known as !ranches of Christianity5

6ndividual Christian groups vary widely in the degree to which they recogni8e one another5everal groups claim to !e the direct and sole authentic successor  of the church founded !yJesus Christ in the 9st century *45 &thers, however, !elieve in denominationalism, wheresome or all Christian groups are legitimate churches of the same religion regardless of their

distinguishing la!els, !eliefs, and practices5 %ecause of this concept, some Christian !odies

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reect the term ;denomination; to descri!e themselves, to avoid implying e/uivalency withother churches or denominations5

'he Catholic Church is the largest Christian denomination with over 95< !illion mem!ers= over half of all Christians worldwide=making it the world3s second largest religious

denomination after unni 6slam5[9] +owever, the Catholic Church does not view itself as adenomination, !ut as the original pre>denominational church5[<] Protestant denominations account for roughly forty percent of Christians worldwide5[?] 'ogether, Catholicism,Protestantism, *nglicanism, and other denominations sharing historical ties compriseWestern Christianity5 Western Christian denominations prevail in Western, (orthern, Central and outhern -urope, u!>aharan *frica, the *mericas and &ceania5

'he -astern &rthodo# Church, with an estimated <<@.?AA million adherents,[B] is the secondlargest Christian organi8ation in the world and also considers itself the original pre>denominational church5 nlike the Catholic Church, the -astern &rthodo# Church is itself acommunion of fully independent autocephalous churches 1or ;urisdictions;2 that mutually

recogni8e each other to the e#clusion of others5 'he -astern &rthodo# Church, together with&riental &rthodo#y and the *ssyrian Church of the -ast, constitutes -astern Christianity5-astern Christian denominations are represented mostly in -astern -urope,  (orth *sia, the"iddle -ast and (ortheast *frica5

Christians have various doctrines a!out the Church, the !ody of faithful that they !elieve wasesta!lished !y Jesus Christ, and how the divine church corresponds to Christiandenominations5 %oth the Catholics and the -astern &rthodo# consider each of themselvessolely to faithfully represent the One oly catholic and !postolic Church to the e#clusion ofthe other5 Protestants separated from the Catholic Church !ecause of  theologies and practices that they considered to !e in violation of their interpretation5 )enerally, mem!ers of thevarious denominations acknowledge each other as Christians, at least to the e#tent that theyhave mutually recogni8ed !aptisms and acknowledge historically orthodo# views includingthe 4ivinity of Jesus and doctrines of sin and salvation, even though doctrinal andecclesiological o!stacles hinder full communion !etween churches5

ince the reforms surrounding atican 66, the Catholic Church has referred to Protestantcommunities as ;denominations;, while reserving the term ;church; for apostolic churches,including the -astern &rthodo# 1see su!sistit in and !ranch theory25 'here are however somenon>denominational Christians who do not follow any particular !ranch, though sometimesregarded as Protestants5[@][D]

Contents

 [hide]

• 9 'erminology

• < "aor !ranches 

o <59 4enominationalism

o <5< 'a#onomy

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• ? +istorical schisms and divisions 

o ?59 *nti/uity

o ?5< "iddle *ges

o ?5? Protestant $eformation 19Dth century2

o ?5B -astern churches

o ?5@ Western churches

o ?5D Christians with Jewish roots

• B "odern history 

o B59 Euakers

o B5< 0atter 4ay aint movement

o B5? econd )reat *wakening

o B5B $ussian sectarianism

o B5@ 6glesia ni Cristo

o B5D (ew 'hought "ovement

o B5 'he Christian Community

o B5G &ther movements

• @ ee also

• D (otes

• $eferences

• G -#ternal links

Terminology[edit]

"ee also# Christian Church $ %elated concepts

-ach group uses different terminology to discuss their !eliefs5 'his section will discuss the

definitions of several terms used throughout the article, !efore discussing the !eliefsthemselves in detail in following sections5

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* denomination within Christianity can !e defined as a ;recogni8ed autonomous !ranch ofthe Christian Church;7 maor synonyms include ;religious group, sect, Church,; etc5[notes 9][] ;Church; as a synonym, refers to a ;particular Christian organi8ation with its own clergy,

 !uildings, and distinctive doctrines;7[G] ;church; can also more !roadly !e defined as theentire !ody of Christians, the ;Christian Church;5

ome traditional and evangelical Protestants draw a distinction !etween mem!ership in theuniversal church and fellowship within the local church5 %ecoming a !eliever in Christ makesone a mem!er of the universal church7 one then may oin a fellowship of other local

 !elievers5[H] ome evangelical groups descri!e themselves as interdenominational fellowships, partnering with local churches to strengthen evangelical efforts, usually targeting a particulargroup with speciali8ed needs, such as students or ethnic groups5[9A] * related concept is4enominationalism, the !elief that some or all Christian groups are legitimate churches of thesame religion regardless of their distinguishing la!els, !eliefs, and practices5[99] 1Conversely,;denominationalism; can also refer to ;emphasi8ing of denominational differences to the

 point of !eing narrowly e#clusive;, similar to sectarianism25[9<]

Protestants differs greatly from the views of the Catholic Church and the -astern &rthodo#Churches, the two largest Christian denominations, which each teach themselves to !e thee#clusive direct continuation of the Church founded !y Jesus Christ, from whom otherdenominations !roke away5[<] 'hese churches, and a few others, reect denominationalism5

Major branches[edit]

Christianity has denominational families 1or movements2 and also has individualdenominations 1or communions25 'he difference !etween a denomination and a

denominational family is sometimes unclear to outsiders5 ome denominational families can !e considered maor !ranches5 )roups that are mem!ers of a !ranch, while sharing historicalties and similar doctrines, are not necessarily in communion with one another5

Christianity has five maor !ranches:[citation needed ] Catholicism, -astern &rthodo#y, &riental&rthodo#y, *nglicanism, and Protestantism5 1ome groupings include *nglicans amongstProtestants25 'he *ssyrian Church of the -ast is also a distinct Christian !ody, !ut is muchsmaller in adherents and geographic scope now than in the past5 -ach of these si# !rancheshas important su!divisions5 %ecause the Protestant su!divisions do not maintain a commontheology or earthly leadership, they are far more distinct than the su!divisions of the otherfive groupings5

'here were some movements considered heresies !y the early church which do not e#isttoday and are not generally referred to as denominations5 -#amples include the )nostics 1who had !elieved in an esoteric dualism called gnosis2, the -!ionites 1who denied thedivinity of Jesus2, and the *rians 1who su!ordinated the on to the Father   !y denying the  pre>e#istence of Christ, thus placing Jesus as a created !eing2, %ogumilism and %osnian Church5'he greatest divisions in Christianity today, however, are !etween the -astern and &riental&rthodo#, Catholicism, and the various denominations formed during and after the Protestant$eformation5 'here also e#ists a num!er of non>'rinitarian groups5 'here also e#ist somenon>traditional groups that the maority of other Christians view as apostate or heretical, andnot as legitimate versions of Christianity5

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Comparisons !etween denominational churches must !e approached with caution5 Fore#ample, in some churches, congregations are part of a larger church organi8ation, while inother groups, each congregation is an independent autonomous organi8ation5 'his issue isfurther complicated !y the e#istence of groups of congregations with a common heritage thatare officially nondenominational and have no centrali8ed authority or records, !ut which are

identified as denominations !y non>adherents5 tudy of such churches in denominationalterms is therefore a more comple# proposition5

ome groups count mem!ership !ased on adult !elievers and !apti8ed children of !elievers,while others only count adult !apti8ed !elievers5 &thers may count mem!ership !ased onthose adult !elievers who have formally affiliated themselves with the congregation5 6naddition, there may !e political motives of advocates or opponents of a particular group toinflate or deflate mem!ership num!ers through propaganda or outright deception5

Denominationalism[edit]

4enominationalism is the !elief that some or all Christian groups are legitimate churches ofthe same religion regardless of their distinguishing la!els, !eliefs, and practices5[99] 'he ideawas first articulated !y 6ndependents within the Puritan movement5 'hey argued thatdifferences among Christians were inevita!le, !ut that separation !ased on these differenceswas not necessarily schism5 Christians are o!ligated to practice their !eliefs rather thanremain within a church with which they disagree, !ut they must also recogni8e theirimperfect knowledge and not condemn other Christians as apostate over unimportant matters5[9?]

ome Christians view denominationalism as a regretta!le fact5 *s of <A99, divisions are !ecoming less sharp, and there is increasing cooperation !etween denominations5[citation needed ] 'heological denominationalism ultimately denies reality to any apparent doctrinal differencesamong the ;denominations;, reducing all differences to mere matters de nomina 1;of names;25[citation needed ]

* denomination in this sense is created when part of a church no longer feel they can acceptthe leadership of that church as a spiritual leadership due to a different view of doctrine orwhat they see as immoral !ehaviour, !ut the schism does not in any way reflect either groupleaving the Church as a theoretical whole5[citation needed ]

'his particular doctrine is reected !y Catholicism, -astern &rthodo#y and the &riental&rthodo#y5 6n these churches, it is not possi!le to have a separation over doctrinal orleadership issues, and any such attempts automatically are a type of schism5 ome Protestantgroups reect denominationalism as well5[citation needed ]

Taonomy[edit]

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* schematic of Christian denominational ta#onomy5[9B] Protestantism in general, as well as$estorationism in particular, claims a direct connection with -arly Christianity5

"aor !ranches and movements within Protestantism5

!istorical schisms and di"isions[edit]

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"ee also# Origins of Christianity

Christianity has not !een a monolithic faith since the first century or  *postolic *ge, if ever,and today there e#ist a large variety of groups that share a common history and traditionwithin and without mainstream Christianity5 Christianity is the largest religion in the world

1making up appro#imately one>third of the population2 and the various divisions havecommonalities and differences in tradition, theology, church government, doctrine, andlanguage5

'he largest schism or division in many classification schemes is !etween the families of-astern and Western Christianity5 *fter these two larger families come distinct !ranches ofChristianity5 "ost classification schemes list si# 1in order of si8e: $oman Catholicism,Protestantism, -astern &rthodo#y, *nglicanism, &riental &rthodo#y, and the Church of the-ast, which was originally referred to as  (estorianism !ut in modern times is em!odied !ythe *ssyrian Church of the -ast25

nlike $oman Catholicism, Protestantism is a general movement that has no universalgoverning authority5 *s such, diverse groups such as *dventists, *na!aptists, %aptists,%initarians, Charismatics, Congregationalists, -vangelicals, +oliness churches, 0utherans, "ethodists, "oravians, Pentecostals, Pres!yterians, $eformed, and nitarians 1depending onone3s classification scheme2 are all a part of the same family !ut have distinct doctrinalvariations within each group5 From these come denominations, which in the West, haveindependence from the others in their doctrine5

'he -astern and $oman Catholic churches, due to their  hierarchical structures, are not said to !e made up of denominations, rather, they include kinds of regional councils and individualcongregations and church !odies, which do not officially differ from one another in doctrine5

#nti$uity[edit]

'he initial differences !etween the -ast and West traditions stem from socio>cultural andethno>linguistic divisions in and !etween the Western $oman and %y8antine -mpires5 incethe West 1that is, Western -urope2 spoke 0atin as its lingua franca and the -ast 1-astern-urope, the "iddle -ast, *sia, and northern *frica2 largely used *ramaic and Ioine )reek  totransmit writings, theological developments were difficult to translate from one !ranch to theother5 6n the course of ecumenical councils 1large gatherings of Christian leaders2, somechurch !odies split from the larger family of Christianity5 "any earlier heretical groups either 

died off for lack of followers andor suppression !y the church at large 1such as*pollinarians, "ontanists, and -!ionites25

'he first significant, lasting split in historic Christianity came from the Church of the -ast, who left following the Christological controversy over (estorianism in B?9 1the *ssyrians in9HHB released a common Christological statement with the $oman Catholic Church25 'oday,the *ssyrian and $oman Catholic Church view this schism as largely linguistic, due to

 pro!lems of translating very delicate and precise terminology from 0atin to *ramaic and viceversa 1see Council of -phesus25

Following the Council of Chalcedon in B@9, the ne#t large split came with the yriac and

Coptic churches dividing themselves, with the dissenting churches !ecoming today3s &riental&rthodo#y5 6n modern times, there have also !een moves towards healing this split, with

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common Christological statements !eing made !etween Pope John Paul 66 and yriac patriarch 6gnatius Kakka 6 6was, as well as !etween representatives of !oth -astern and&riental &rthodo#y5

'here has !een a claim that the Chalcedonian Creed restored (estorianism, however this is

refuted !y maintaining the following distinctions associated with the person of Christ: twohypostases, two natures 1(estorian27 one hypostasis, one nature 1"onophysite27 onehypostasis, two natures 1&rthodo#Catholic25[9@]

Middle #ges[edit]

 &ain article# 'astest "chism

6n Western Christianity, there were a handful of geographically isolated movements that preceded the spirit of the Protestant $eformation5 'he Cathars were a very strong movementin medieval southwestern France, !ut did not survive into modern times5 6n northern 6taly andsoutheastern France, Peter Waldo founded the Waldensians in the 9<th century5 'hismovement has largely !een a!sor!ed !y modern>day Protestant groups5 6n %ohemia, amovement in the early 9@th century !y Jan +us called the +ussites defied $oman Catholicdogma and still e#ists to this day 1alternately known as the "oravian Church25

*lthough the church as a whole did not e#perience any maor divisions for centuriesafterward, the -astern and Western groups drifted until the point where patriarchs from !othfamilies e#communicated one another in a!out 9A@B in what is known as the )reat chism5'he political and theological reasons for the schism are comple#, !ut one maor controversywas the inclusion and acceptance in the West of the filio/ue clause into the (icene Creed,

which the -ast viewed as erroneous5 *nother was the definition of papal primacy5%oth West and -ast agreed that the patriarch of $ome was owed a ;primacy of honour; !ythe other patriarchs 1those of *le#andria, *ntioch, Constantinople and Jerusalem2, !ut theWest also contended that this primacy e#tended to urisdiction, a position reected !y the-astern patriarchs5 arious attempts at dialogue !etween the two groups would occur, !ut itwas only in the 9HDAs, under Pope Paul 6 and Patriarch *thenagoras, that significant steps

 !egan to !e made to mend the relationship !etween the two5

4oor of the "chloss*irche 1castle church2 in Witten!erg to which 0uther is said to have nailedhis H@ 'heses on ?9st &cto!er 9@9, sparking the $eformation5

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%rotestant &eformation '()th century*[edit]

 &ain article# +rotestant %eformation

'he Protestant $eformation !egan with the posting of "artin 0uther 3s inetyFive Theses in

a#ony on &cto!er ?9, 9@9, written as a set of grievances to reform the pre>$eformationWestern Church5 0uther3s writings, com!ined with the work of  wiss theologian +uldrychKwingli and French theologian and politician John Calvin sought to reform e#isting pro!lemsin doctrine and practice5 4ue to the reactions of ecclesiastical office holders at the time of thereformers, the $oman Catholic Church separated from them, instigating a rift in WesternChristianity5

6n -ngland, +enry 666 of -ngland declared himself to !e supreme head of the Church of-ngland with the *ct of upremacy in 9@?9, founding the Church of -ngland, repressing

 !oth 0utheran reformers and those loyal to the pope5 'homas Cranmer  as *rch!ishop ofCanter!ury introduced the $eformation, in a form compromising !etween the Calvinists and0utherans5

'he &ld Catholic Church split from the $oman Catholic Church in the 9GAs !ecause of the promulgation of the dogma of Papal 6nfalli!ility as promoted !y the First atican Council of9GDH.9GA5 'he term 3&ld Catholic3 was first used in 9G@? to descri!e the mem!ers of theee of trecht that were not under Papal authority5 'he &ld Catholic movement grew in*merica !ut has not maintained ties with trecht, although talks are under way !etweenindependent &ld Catholic !ishops and trecht5

'he 0i!eral Catholic Church started in 9H9D via an &ld Catholic !ishop in 0ondon, !ishop

"atthew, who consecrated !ishop James Wedgwood to the -piscopacy5 'his stream has in itsrelatively short e#istence known many splits, which operate worldwide under several names5

Eastern churches[edit]

6n the -astern world, the largest !ody of !elievers in modern times is the -astern &rthodo#Church, sometimes imprecisely called ;)reek &rthodo#; !ecause from the time of Christthrough the %y8antine empire, )reek was its common language5 +owever, the term ;)reek&rthodo#; actually refers to only one portion of the entire -astern &rthodo# Church5 'he-astern &rthodo# Church !elieves itself to !e the continuation of the original ChristianChurch esta!lished !y Jesus Christ, and the *postles5 'he -astern &rthodo# and the $oman

Catholics have !een separated since the 99th century, following the -ast.West chism, witheach of them claiming to represent the original pre>schism Church5

'he -astern &rthodo# consider themselves to !e spiritually one !ody, which isadministratively grouped into several autocephalous urisdictions 1also commonly referred toas ;Churches;, despite !eing parts of one Church25 'hey do not recogni8e any single !ishopas universal church leader, !ut rather each !ishop governs only his own diocese5 'hePatriarch of Constantinople is known as the -cumenical Patriarch, and holds the title ;firstamong e/uals;, meaning only that if a great council is called, the Patriarch sits as president of the council5 +e has no more power than any other !ishop5 Currently, the largest synod withthe most mem!ers is the $ussian &rthodo# Church5 &thers include the ancient Patriarchates

of Constantinople, *le#andria, *ntioch and Jerusalem, the )eorgian, $omanian, er!ian and%ulgarian &rthodo# Churches, and several smaller ones5

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'he second largest -astern Christian communion is &riental &rthodo#y, which is organi8edin a similar manner, with si# national autocephalous groups and two autonomous !odies,although there are greater internal differences than among the -astern &rthodo# 1especially inthe diversity of rites  !eing used25 'he si# autocephalous &riental &rthodo# Churches are theCoptic 1-gyptian2, yriac, *rmenian, "alankara 16ndian2, -thiopian and -ritrean &rthodo#

Churches5 6n the *ramaic>speaking areas of the "iddle -ast, the yriac &rthodo# Church haslong !een dominant5 *lthough the region of modern>day -thiopia and -ritrea has had astrong !ody of !elievers since the infancy of Christianity, these regions only gainedautocephaly in 9HD? and 9HHB respectively5 'he &riental &rthodo# are distinguished from the-astern &rthodo# !y doctrinal differences concerning the union of human and divine naturesin the person of Jesus Christ, and the two communions separated as a conse/uence of theCouncil of Chalcedon in the year B@9, although there have !een recent moves towardsreconciliation5

ince these groups are relatively o!scure in the West, literature on them has sometimesincluded the *ssyrian Church of the -ast as a part of the &riental &rthodo# Communion, !ut

the *ssyrians, after adopting Christianity in the 9st century *4, have maintained theological,cultural, and ecclesiastical independence from all other Christian !odies since B?95

'he *ssyrian Church therefore represents a third -astern Christian communion in its ownright5 6t is administered in a hierarchical model not entirely unlike the Catholic Church, withthe head of the church !eing the Patriarch Catholicos of the *ssyrian Church of the -ast,since 9HD ++ "ar 4inkha 65 4ue to oppression, the church3s head/uarters is in Chicago,6llinois, rather than the ancient *ssyrian homelands in northern 6ra/, northeast yria, southeast 'urkey and northwest 6ran, though the core of !elievers remain there5 -ven withinthe *ssyrian Church, there were two splits, with a num!er of *ssyrians !reaking away in9@@< and later forming the Chaldean Catholic Church, and in the 9HDAs another groupforming the *ncient Church of the -ast, with a rival Catholicos 1Patriarch2 in California5

'here are also the -astern Catholic Churches, which are counterparts of the various Churcheslisted a!ove, in that they preserve the same theological and liturgical traditions as they do5%ut they differ from their &rthodo# mother Churches 1and Church of the -ast2 in that theyrecogni8e the %ishop of $ome as the universal head of the Church5 'hough adherents of-astern Catholicism are fully part of the Catholic communion, most do not to use the term;$oman Catholic; to descri!e themselves, associating that name instead with mem!ers of the0atin Church5 $ather, they prefer to use the name of whichever Church they !elong to= krainian Catholic, Coptic Catholic, *ssyrian>Chaldean Catholic, etc5

Western churches[edit]

Christian denominationsin English+spea,ing countries

6nternational *ssociations[show]

*ustralia [show]

#ustralian Christian bodies 

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  "

 

t

  e

#ustralian -nterchurch [show]

*ustralian -vangelical *lliance Lsite

 (ational Council of Churches

Catholic . #nglican [show]

*nglican Church of *ustralia$oman Catholic Church

!oliness . %ietist [show]

Christian and "issionary *llianceChristian &utreach CentreChurch of the (a8arene

alvation *rmy

eventh>day *dventist Church

!istorical %rotestantism [show]

*ustralian Friends*ustralian %aptist "inistries

&pen %rethrenChristian $eformed Churches of 

*ustraliaChurches of Christ

Fellowship of CongregationalChurches

0utheran Church of *ustraliaPres!yterian Church of *ustralia

niting Church in *ustraliaWesleyan "ethodist Church of 

*ustralia

/rthodo [show]

*ntiochian &rthodo# of *ustralia

M (ew K5

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)reek &rthodo# *rchdiocese of *ustralia

er!ian &rthodo# of *ustralia M (ew K5

 (on>Chalcedonic

Coptic &rthodo# Church in*ustralia

%entecostal . &elated [show]

*ustralian Christian Churches1*&)2

Christian City Church 6ntl5C$C Churches 6nternational$evival Centres 6nternationalineyard Churches *ustraliaWorldwide Church of )od

/ther[show]

04 Church

Canada [show]

Canadian Christian bodies 

"

 

t

  e

Canadian -nterchurch [show]

Canadian Council of Churches5 Conference of &rthodo#

%ishops in *merica (orth *m5 Pres!yterian M

$eformed Council

#nabaptist . 0riends [show]

Canadian "ennonite %rethrenChurches

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Canadian Nearly "eeting1Euakers2

"ennonite Church Canada

1aptist . 2tone+Campbell [show]1aptist

*ssociation of $egular %aptistChurches

%aptist )eneral Conference of Canada

Canadian %aptist "inistriesCanadian Convention of outhern

%aptists

Fellowship of -vgcl5 %aptistChurches, Canada

 (orth *merican %aptistConference

2tone+Campbell

&estoration Mo"ement

Christian Church 14isciples of Christ2

-vangelical Christian Church inCanada

Catholic . #nglican [show]

*nglican Church of Canada*nglican Church in (orth *merica

Polish (ational Catholic Church$oman Catholic Church

!oliness . %ietist [show]

Christian and "issionary *lliance,Canada

Church of the (a8arene-vangelical Free Church of 

Canada'he alvation *rmy

Wesleyan Church

3utheran [show]

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-vangelical 0utheran Church inCanada

0utheran Church.CanadaWisconsin -vangelical 0utheran

ynod

Methodist [show]

%ritish "ethodist -piscopalChurch

Free "ethodist Church in Canadanited Church of Canada

/rthodo [show]

*ntiochian &rthodo# *rchdiocese, (5*m5

)reek &rthodo# *rchdiocese of *merica

&rthodo# Church in *merica*merican>Canadian "acedonian

&rthodo# 4iocese$ussian &rthodo# Church &utside

$ussia

krainian &rthodo# Church of Canada

Non+Chalcedonic

*rmenian *postolic 4iocese of *m5

Coptic &rthodo# Church in Canada

%entecostal [show]

*postolic Church of PentecostCanadian *ssem!lies of )odChurch of )od of Prophecy

6ntl5 Fours/uare )ospel, Canada6ntl5 Pentecostal +oliness ChurchPentecostal *ssem!lies of Canada

Pentecostal Church of )od

/neness %entecostal

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nited Pentecostal Church 6ntl5

%resbyterian . &eformed [show]

Canadian and *merican $eformedChurches

Christian $eformed Church in (orth *merica

03Oglise rforme du Eu!ecPres!yterian Church in CanadaPres!yterian Church in *merica$eformed Church in *merica

nited Church of Canada

/ther[show]

"essianic Jewish *lliance of *merica

Plymouth %rethreneventh>day *dventists, (orth

*merica04 Church

ineyard Canada

6reland [show]

-rish Christian bodies 

"

  t

  e

-rish -nterchurch [show]

6rish Council of ChurchesChurches 'ogether in %ritain and

6reland-vangelical *lliance, I 

Church of 6reland 1*nglican2*ssociation of %aptist Churches

$oman Catholicism

*ssem!lies of )od-lim Pentecostal Church

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Pres!yterian Church in 6reland

 (igeria [show]

Nigerian Christian bodies 

"

  t

  e

Nigerian -nterchurch [show]

Christian *ssociation of (igeriaFellowship of Churches of Christ

in (igeria

#frican initiated [show]

Cheru!im and eraphim ociety-ternal acred &rder of Cheru!im

and eraphimChurch of )od "ission

6nternationalChurch of the 0ord 1*ladura2

#nglican [show]

'he *frican ChurchChurch of (igeria

1aptist4 #nabaptist4 DC [show]

Church of the %rethren in (igeriaChurches of Christ in (igeria

"am!ila %aptist Convention of  (igeria

 (igerian %aptist Convention

Catholic [show]

$oman Catholic Church

!oliness . Methodist [show]

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*frican "ethodist -piscopalChurch in (igeria

4eeper Christian 0ife "inistry$edeemed Christian Church of 

)odnited "ethodist Church of 

 (igeria

3utheran [show]

0utheran Church of Christ in (igeria

0utheran Church of (igeria

%entecostal [show]

'he *postolic Church (igeriaChrist *postolic Church

)eneral Council of the *ssem!liesof )od (igeria

)ospel Faith "ission6nternational Church of the

Fours/uare )ospel'he 0ord3s Chosen Charismatic

$evival "ovement (ew *postolic Church in (igeriaWinners3 Chapel

%resbyterian . &eformed [show]

Christian $eformed Church of  (igeria

Church of Christ in (igeriaChurch of Christ in the udan

*mong the 'iv-vangelical $eformed Church of Christ

 (5I55'Pres!yterian Church of (igeria$eformed Church of Christ in

 (igeria

/ther %rotestant[show]

-vangelical Church of West *fricaE6C>nited -vangelical Church

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eventh>day *dventist Church in (igeria

Word of Faith "inistries

outh *frica [show]

2outh #frican Christian bodies 

"

  t

  e

2outh #frican -nterchurch [show]

outh *frican Council of Churches

Catholic . #nglican [show]

*nglican Church$eformed -vangelical *nglican

Church$oman Catholicism

!oliness . #-C [show]

4ie +eilsleQr Kion Christian Church

%entecostal [show]

%rotestantism4 /ther [show]

%aptist nion-vangelical 0utheran Church

"ethodist Church

&eformed [show]

4utch $eformed: ()I 4utch $eformed: (+I 

-vangelical Pres!yterian Church

Pres!yterian Church of *frica$eformed Church in *frica

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$eformed Churches: )I*nited Congregational Churchniting Pres!yterian Church

niting $eformed Church

nited Iingdom [show]

Christian bodies of  the 56 

  "

  t

  e

I 6nterchurch [show]

*nglican [show]

%aptist [show]

Catholic [show]

+oliness M Pietist [show]

0utheran [show]

"ethodist M Wesleyan [show]

 (ew Church "ovement [show]

&rthodo# [show]

Pentecostal [show]

Pres!yterian M $eformed [show]

&ther [show]

nited tates [show]

Christian bodies of  the 52 

"

  t

  e

52# -nterchurch [show]

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•  (ational *ssociation of -vangelicals

 (ational Council of Churches

• Churches niting in Christ

#nabaptist and 0riends [show]

• Church of the %rethren

• "ennonite Church *

• *mish

1aptist [show]

• *lliance of %aptists

• *merican %aptist*ssociation

• *merican %aptistChurches

• %aptist %i!leFellowship

6nternational

• %aptist )eneralConference

%aptist "issionary*ssociation of *merica

• Conservative%aptist *ssociation

of *merica

• )eneral *ssociationof $egular %aptist

Churches

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•  (ational*ssociation of Free

Will %aptists

•  (ational Primitive%aptist Convention

of the 55*5

•  (orth *merican%aptist Conference

• outhern %aptistConvention

•  !frican!merican -aptist 

•  (ational %aptistConvention of 

*merica

•  (ational %aptistConvention, *,

6nc5

•  (ational "issionary%aptist Conventionof *merica

• Progressive (ational %aptist

Convention

Catholic and #nglican [show]

• *nglican Church in (orth*merica

• -piscopal Church

• $oman Catholic Church

Eastern [show]

• *ntiochian

&rthodo# Christian

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*rchdiocese

• )reek &rthodo#*rchdiocese of 

*merica

• &rthodo# Church in*merica

• $ussian &rthodo#Church &utside

$ussia

• er!ian &rthodo#

Church

•  onChalcedonian

• *rmenian *postolic4iocese of *m5

• Coptic &rthodo#Church

• yriac &rthodo#Church

!oliness . %ietist [show]

• Christian and "issionary*lliance

• Church of )od 1*nderson,6ndiana2

• -vangelical CovenantChurch

• -vangelical Free Church of *merica

• Church of the (a8arene

• 'he alvation *rmy

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• eventh>day *dventistChurch

Wesleyan Church

3utheran [show]

• -vangelical 0utheranChurch in *merica

• 0utheran Church."issouriynod

 (orth *merican 0utheranChurch

• Wisconsin -vangelical0utheran ynod

Methodist [show]

• *frican "ethodist-piscopal Church

• *frican "ethodist-piscopal Kion Church

• Christian "ethodist-piscopal Church

• Free "ethodist Church

• nited "ethodist Church

%entecostal [show]

• *ssem!lies of )od

• Church of )od 1Cleveland,'ennessee2

• Church of )od in Christ

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• Church of )od of Prophecy

• Church on the $ock 

6nternational

• Full )ospel Fellowship

• 6nternational Church of theFours/uare )ospel

• 6nternational Pentecostal+oliness Church

• Pentecostal Church of )od

• Oneness +entecostal 

• Pentecostal*ssem!lies of the

World

• nited PentecostalChurch 6ntl5

%resbyterian . &eformed [show]

• Christian $eformed Churchin (orth *merica

• ConservativeCongregational Christian

Conference

• Cum!erland Pres!yterian

Church

• -vangelical Pres!yterianChurch

• Iorean Pres!yterianChurch in *merica

• 6nternational Council of Community Churches

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•  (ational *sso5 of Congregational Christian

Churches

•  (ational *ssociation of Congregational Christian

Churches

• Pres!yterian Church155*52

• Pres!yterian Church in*merica

• $eformed Church in*merica

• nited Church of Christ

• $eformed Church in*merica

2tone+Campbell [show]

• Christian Church 14isciplesof Christ2

• Christian churches andchurches of Christ

• Churches of Christ

• 6nternational Churches of Christ

/ther[show]

• 04 Church

• Community of Christ

• )race )ospel Fellowship

• 6ndependent Fundamental

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Churches of *merica

• Jehovah3s Witnesses

• "essianic Jewish *llianceof *merica

• Plymouth %rethren

• ineyard *

v

• t

• e

'he 0atin portion of the Catholic Church, along with *nglicanism and Protestantism, comprise the three maor divisions of Christianity in the Western world5 $oman Catholics donot descri!e themselves as a denomination !ut rather as the original +oly and niversal

Church7 which all other !ranches !roke off from in schism5 'he %aptist, "ethodist, and0utheran churches are generally considered to !e Protestant denominations, although strictlyspeaking, of these three, only the 0utherans took part in the official Protestation at peyer  after the decree of the econd 4iet of peyer  mandated the !urning of 0uther3s works and theend of the Protestant $eformation5

*nglicanism was generally classified as Protestant, !ut since the ;'ractarian; or &#ford"ovement of the 9Hth century, led !y John +enry (ewman, *nglican writers emphasi8e amore catholic understanding of the church and characteri8e it as more properly understood asits own tradition=a via media 1;middle way;2, both Protestant and Catholic5 'he *merican

 province of the *nglican Communion, the -piscopal Church *, descri!es itself as a

modern via media church in this tradition5 * case is sometimes also made to regard0utheranism in a similar way, considering the catholic character of its foundationaldocuments 1the *ugs!urg Confession and other documents contained in the %ook ofConcord2 and its e#istence prior to the *nglican, *na!aptist, and $eformed churches, fromwhich nearly all other Protestant denominations derive5

&ne central tenet of Catholicism 1which is a common point !etween $oman Catholic,*nglican, -astern &rthodo#, and some other Churches2, is its practice of apostolicsuccession5 ;*postle; means ;one who is sent out;5 Jesus commissioned the first twelveapostles 1see %i!lical Figures for the list of the 'welve2, and they, in turn laid hands onsu!se/uent church leaders to ordain 1commission2 them for ministry5 6n this manner, $oman

Catholics and *nglicans trace their ordained ministers all the way !ack to the original'welve5

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$oman Catholics !elieve that the Pope has authority which can !e traced directly to theapostle Peter  whom they hold to !e the original head of and first Pope of the Church5 'hereare smaller churches, such as the &ld Catholic Church which reected the definition of Papal6nfalli!ility at the First atican Council, and *nglo>Catholics, *nglicans who !elieve that*nglicanism is a continuation of historical Catholicism and who incorporate many Catholic

 !eliefs and practices5 'he Catholic Church refers to itself simply !y the terms Catholic andCatholicism 1which mean universal25

'he Catholic Church had traditionally reected any notion that those outside its communioncould !e regarded as part of any true Catholic Christian faith5 'his attitude changed since theecond atican Council 19HD<>9HD@25[9D] Catholicism has a hierarchical structure in whichsupreme authority for matters of faith and practice are the e#clusive domain of the Pope, whosits on the 'hrone of Peter, and the !ishops when acting in union with him5 "ost Catholicsare unaware of the e#istence of  &ld Catholicism which represents a relatively recent splitfrom the Catholic Church and is particularly vocal in reecting their use of the term Catholic5

-ach Protestant movement has developed freely, and many have split over theological issues5For instance, a num!er of movements grew out of spiritual revivals, like "ethodism andPentecostalism5 4octrinal issues and matters of  conscience have also divided Protestants5 'he*na!aptist tradition, made up of the *mish, +utterites, and "ennonites, reected the $omanCatholic and 0utheran doctrines of infant !aptism7 this tradition is also noted for its !elief in

 pacifism5

"any churches with roots in $estorationism reect !eing identified as Protestant or even as adenomination at all, as they use only the %i!le and not creeds, and model the church afterwhat they feel is the first>century church found in scripture7 the Churches of Christ are onee#ample7 *frican 6nitiated Churches, like Iim!anguism, mostly fall within Protestantism,with varying degrees of syncretism5 'he measure of mutual acceptance !etween thedenominations and movements varies, !ut is growing largely due to the ecumenicalmovement in the <Ath century and overarching Christian !odies such as the World Council ofChurches5

Christians with 7ewish roots[edit]

"essianic Jews maintain a Jewish identity while accepting Jesus as the "essiah and the (ew'estament as authoritative5 *fter the founding of the church, the disciples of Jesus generallyretained their ethnic origins while accepting the )ospel message5 'he first church council

was called in Jerusalem to address ust this issue, and the deciding opinion was written !yJames the Just, the first !ishop of Jerusalem and a pivotal figure in the Christian movement5'he history of "essianic Judaism includes many movements and groups and defies anysimple classification scheme5

'he (asrani or yrian "ala!ar (asrani community in Ierala, 6ndia is conscious of theirJewish origins5 +owever, they have lost many of their Jewish traditions due to westerninfluences5 'he (asrani are also known as yrian Christians or t5 'homas Christians5 'his is

 !ecause they follow the traditions of yriac Christianity and are descendants of the earlyconverts !y t5 'homas the *postle5 'oday, they !elong to various denominations ofChristianity !ut they have kept their uni/ue identity within each of these denominations5[9]

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*n e#isting community that still maintain their Jewish traditions is the Inanaya5 'hey are anendogamous su!>ethnic group among the yrian "ala!ar (asrani and are the descendants ofearly Jewish Christian settlers who arrived in Ierala in *54 ?B@5 *lthough affiliated with avariety of $oman Catholic and &riental &rthodo# denominations, they have remained acohesive community, shunning intermarriage with outsiders 1!ut not with fellow>Inanaya of

other denominations25

Modern history[edit]

8ua,ers[edit]

ome denominations which arose alongside the Western Christian tradition considerthemselves Christian, !ut neither $oman Catholic nor wholly Protestant, such as the$eligious ociety of Friends 1Euakers25 Euakerism !egan as an evangelical Christianmovement in 9th century -ngland, eschewing priests and all formal *nglican or $oman

Catholic sacraments in their worship, including many of those practices that remained amongthe stridently Protestant Puritans such as !aptism with water5 'hey were known in *mericafor helping with the nderground $ailroad, and like the "ennonites, Euakers traditionallyrefrain from participation in war5

3atter Day 2aint mo"ement[edit]

 &ain articles# atter /ay "aint movement  and &ormonism

"ee also# ist of sects in the atter /ay "aint movement  and &ormonism and Christianity

"ost 0atter 4ay aint denominations are derived from the Church of Christ 10atter 4ayaints2 esta!lished !y Joseph mith in 9G?A5 'he largest worldwide denomination, and theone pu!licly recogni8ed as "ormonism, is 'he Church of Jesus Christ of 0atter>day aints,although there are various considera!ly smaller sects that !roke from it after its relocation tothe $ocky "ountains in the mid>9GAAs5 everal of these !roke away over the a!andonmentof practicing plural marriage after the 9GHA "anifesto5 "ost of the ;Prairie aint;denominations 1see !elow2 were esta!lished after mith3s death !y the remnants of the 0atter4ay aints who did not go west with %righam Noung5 "any of these opposed some of the9GBAs theological developments in favor of 9G?As theological understandings and practices5&ther denominations are defined !y either a !elief in Joseph mith as a  prophet or acceptanceof the %ook of "ormon as scripture5 "ormons generally consider themselves to !e

restorationist, !elieving that mith, as prophet, seer, and revelator , restored the original andtrue Church of Christ to the earth5 ome 0atter 4ay aint denominations are regarded !yother Christians as !eing nontrinitarian or even non>Christian, !ut the 0atter 4ay aints are

 predominantly in disagreement with these claims5 "ormons see themselves as !elieving in a)odhead comprising the Father, on, and +oly )host as separate personages united in

 purpose5 "ormons regard traditional definitions of the 'rinity as a!errations of true doctrineand em!lematic of the )reat *postasy[9G] !ut they do not accept certain trinitarian definitionsin the post>apostolic creeds, such as the *thanasian Creed5

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2econd 9reat #wa,ening[edit]

 &ain articles# "econd 0reat !wa*ening  , %estorationism and   %estoration &ovement 

'he tone>Camp!ell $estoration "ovement !egan on the *merican frontier during theecond )reat *wakening 19HA.9GA2 of the early 9Hth century5 'he movement sought torestore the church and ;the unification of all Christians in a single !ody patterned after thechurch of the (ew 'estament5;[9H]:@B "em!ers do not identify as Protestant !ut simply asChristian5[<A][<9][<<]:<9?

'he $estoration "ovement developed from several independent efforts to return to apostolicChristianity, !ut two groups, which independently developed similar approaches to theChristian faith, were particularly important5[<?]:<.?< 'he first, led !y %arton W5 tone, !egan atCane $idge, Ientucky and called themselves simply as ;Christians;5 'he second !egan inwestern Pennsylvania and irginia 1now West irginia2 and was led !y 'homas Camp!ell and his son, *le#ander Camp!ell7 they used the name ;4isciples of Christ;5 %oth groupssought to restore the whole Christian church on the pattern set forth in the (ew 'estament,and !oth !elieved that creeds kept Christianity divided5 6n 9G?< they oined in fellowshipwith a handshake5

*mong other things, they were united in the !elief that Jesus is the Christ, the on of )od7that Christians should cele!rate the 0ord3s upper  on the first day of each week 7 and that

 !aptism of adult !elievers  !y immersion in water  is a necessary condition for salvation5 %ecause the founders wanted to a!andon all denominational la!els, they used the !i!lical

names for the followers of Jesus5[<B]:<

 %oth groups promoted a return to the purposes of the9st>century churches as descri!ed in the (ew 'estament5 &ne historian of the movement hasargued that it was primarily a unity movement, with the restoration motif playing asu!ordinate role5[<@]:G

'he $estoration "ovement has since divided into multiple separate groups5 'here are threemain !ranches in the : the Churches of Christ, the Christian churches and churches ofChrist, and the Christian Church 14isciples of Christ25 &ther 55 !ased groups affiliated withthe movement are the 6nternational Churches of Christ and the 6nternational ChristianChurches5 (on>55 groups include the Churches of Christ in *ustralia, the -vangelicalChristian Church in Canada, the Churches of Christ in -urope5 'he Plymouth %rethren are a

similar though historically unrelated group which originated in the nited Iingdom5 omechurches, such as Churches of Christ or the Plymouth %rethren reect formal ties with otherchurches within the movement5

&ther groups originating during the econd )reat *wakening include the *dventist movement, the Jehovah3s Witnesses and Christian cience 1which had roots inCongregationalism, !ut regarded itself as restorative25 -ach of these groups, founded withinfifty years of one another, originally claimed to !e an unprecedented, late restoration of the

 primitive Christian church5 ome %aptist churches with 0andmarkist views have similar !eliefs concerning their connection with primitive Christianity5

&ussian sectarianism[edit]

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'he $ussian &rthodo# Church has a long history of opposing heresies, !eginning with%ogomilism and the &ld %elievers, a sect opposing the reforms introduced in 'sarist $ussia under Patriarch (ikon in 9DDD5

6n 9Gth to 9Hth century 6mperial $ussia, there arose a new type of denominational schism

grouped as piritual Christianity 1RSTUVUX TYZ\Z\VU25 'raditionally, the following sectsare considered ;spiritual Christians;: "olokans, 4ukho!ors, Ihlysts, koptsy, and6kono!ortsy 1;6conoclasts;25 'hese sects often have radically divergent notions of spirituality5'heir common denominator is that they sought )od in ;pirit and 'ruth;, 1)ospel of John B:<B2 rather than in the Church of official &rthodo#y or ancient rites of &ld %elievers5$eecting the official church, they considered their religious organi8ation as a homogeneouscommunity, without division into laymen and clergy5

6n the 9G?As, 6van )rigorev Ianygin founded religious communities with communal practices in the (ovou8ensk  region5 'hey called themselves Communists or "ethodists, !utfrom the 9GAs !ecame known as ;"ormons;, !y comparison with the contemporaneous

*merican movement5 *n unrelated community known as ;amara "ormons; developed near the olga city of  amara5 'hey avoided alcohol, to!acco, and swearing, cooperated incommercial enterprises, and governed themselves !y ;apostles; and ;prophets;5

* more recent charismatic movement in $ussia is the ;Church of the 0ast 'estament;, whichesta!lished a su!stantial settlement in the i!erian 'aiga in the 9HHAs5

-glesia ni Cristo[edit]

4ue to a num!er of similarities, some Protestant writers descri!e the doctrines of the

Philippines originating 6glesia ni Cristo as restorationist in outlook and theme5[<D]

 6(C,however, does not consider itself to !e part of the $estoration "ovement5 &n the other hand,some Catholic leaders viewed 6glesia ni Cristo as an offshoot of the $oman Catholic Church,since the then first leader or -#ecutive "inister 1Feli# Nsagun "analo2 was a formerCatholic mem!er5 +owever, 6(C is working and functioning spiritually and financially on itsown, thus, completely independent from any religious !ody and communion5

'he church hierarchical administration 1Filipino: +amamahala2,[<] centrali8ed churchgovernance, theological orientation, places of worship architectural design, adaptation tomodern technology, very strong and strict discipline, and country of origin or esta!lishment,are some of the 6(C features, polity and organi8ational structure that identify itself different

from $estoration "ovement, Protestantism, Catholicism and mainstream Christianity5 6glesiani Cristo mem!ers are noted for !loc voting in political elections[<G] which is uni/ue to thechurch due to their doctrine on unity and a practice that cannot !e found outside 6(C5

New Thought Mo"ement[edit]

 &ain article# ew Thought 

"ee also# istory of ew Thought 

*nother group of churches are known under the !anner of ; (ew 'hought;5 'hese churches

share a spiritual, metaphysical and mystical  predisposition and understanding of the %i!le and were strongly influenced !y the 'ranscendentalist movement=particularly the work of

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-merson5 *nother antecedent of this movement was weden!orgianism, founded in 9G onthe writings of -manuel weden!org, who claimed to have received a new revelation fromJesus Christ through continuous heavenly visions which he e#perienced over a period of atleast twenty>five years5[<H]

'he (ew 'hought concept was named !y -mma Curtis +opkins 1;teacher of teachers;2 after+opkins !roke off from "ary %aker -ddy3s Church of Christ, cientist =the movement had

 !een previously known as the "ental ciences5 'he (ew 'hought movement includes$eligious cience founded !y -rnest +olmes7 4ivine cience, founded !y "alinda Cramer  and the %rook sisters7 and nity founded !y Charles Fillmore and "yrtle Fillmore5 'hefounders of these denominations all studied with -mma Curtis +opkins5 -ach of one these

 (ew 'hought Churches has !een influenced !y a wide variety of ancient spiritual ideas5[?A] -ach of these churches identify to different degrees with Christianity, nity and 4ivinecience !eing the most e#plicit in the use of the %i!le5

The Christian Community[edit]

'he Christian Community is a movement for religious renewal5 6t was founded in 9H<< inwit8erland !y the 0utheran theologian and minister Friedrich $ittlemeyer, inspired !y$udolf teiner , the *ustrian philosopher and founder of anthroposophy5 ChristianCommunity congregations e#ist as financially independent groups with regional andinternational administrative !odies overseeing their work5 'here are appro#imately ?@Aworldwide5 'he international head/uarters are in %erlin, )ermany5

'he Christian Community does not re/uire its mem!ers to conform to any specific teachingor !ehaviour 5[?9] even sacraments are cele!rated within the Community: the -ucharist,

generally called the !ct of Consecration of &an, and si# other sacraments: %aptism,Confirmation, "arriage, 'he 0ast *nointing, acramental Consultation 1replacingConfession2, and &rdination5[?<]

/ther mo"ements[edit]

Protestant denominations have shown a strong tendency towards diversification andfragmentation, giving rise to numerous churches and movements, especially in *nglo>*merican religious history, where the process is cast in terms of a series of ;)reat*wakenings;5 'he most recent wave of diversification, known as the Fourth )reat *wakeningtook place during the 9HDAs to 9HGAs and resulted in phenomena such as the Charismatic

"ovement, the Jesus movement, and a great num!er of Parachurch organi8ations !ased in-vangelicalism5

"any independent churches and movements considered themselves to !e non>denominational, !ut may vary greatly in doctrine5 "any of these, like the local churches movement, reflect the core teachings of traditional Christianity5 &thers however, such as 'heWay 6nternational, have !een denounced as cults !y the Christian anti>cult movement5

'wo movements, which are entirely unrelated in their founding, !ut share a common elementof an additional "essiah 1or incarnation of Christ2 are the nification Church and the$astafari movement5 'hese movements fall outside of traditional ta#onomies of Christian

groups, though !oth cite the Christian %i!le as a !asis for their !eliefs5

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yncretism of Christian !eliefs with local and tri!al religions is a phenomenon that occursthroughout the world5 *n e#ample of this is the (ative *merican Church5 'he ceremonies ofthis group are strongly tied to the use of peyote5 1Parallels may !e drawn here with the$astafari spiritual use of  canna!is52 While traditions vary from tri!e to tri!e, they ofteninclude a !elief in Jesus as a (ative *merican cultural hero, an intercessor for man, or a

spiritual guardian7 !elief in the %i!le7 and an association of Jesus with peyote5

'here are also some Christians that reect organi8ed religion altogether5 ome Christiananarchists !elieve that the original teachings of Jesus were corrupted !y $oman statism1compare -arly Christianity and tate church of the $oman -mpire2, and that earthlyauthority such as government, or indeed the esta!lished Church, do not and should not have

 power over them5 Following ;'he )olden $ule;, many oppose the use of physical force inany circumstance, and advocate nonviolence5 'he $ussian novelist 0eo 'olstoy wrote The

 1ingdom of 0od 2s ithin 3ou,[??] and was a Christian anarchist5

2ee also[edit]• -cclesiology

• )reat Church

• $eligious denominations

• 0ist of Christian denominations

0ist of Christian denominations !y num!er of mem!ers

• Christian tradition

• &ne true church

Notes[edit]

95 7ump up : 'he &#ford 4ictionary3s full list of synonyms for ;denomination;includes: ;religious group, sect, Church, cult, movement, faith community, !ody, persuasion,

religious persuasion, communion, order, fraternity, !rotherhood, sisterhood, school7 faith,creed, !elief, religious !elief, religion5 rare: sodality5;

Born again (Christianity)

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6n some Christian movements 1especially Fundamentalism and -vangelicalism2, to !e born

again is to undergo a ;spiritual re!irth;, or a regeneration of the human spirit from the +olypirit5 'his is contrasted with the physical !irth everyone e#periences5 'he term ;!orn again;is derived from an event in the  (ew 'estament in which the words of Jesus are

misunderstood !y his conversation partner,  (icodemus: ;Jesus answered him, 3ery truly, 6tell you, no one can see the kingdom of )od without !eing !orn from a!ove53 (icodemus saidto him, 3+ow can anyone !e !orn after having grown old^ Can one enter a second time intothe mother3s wom! and !e !orn^3;[Jn ?:?>B ($] 'he )reek phrase in the te#t is in itself am!iguous,resulting in a wordplay in which Jesus3 meaning, ;!orn from a!ove,; is misunderstood !y

 (icodemus as ;!orn again5; 6n contemporary Christian usage, the term is distinct fromsometimes similar terms used in mainstream Christianity to refer to !eing or !ecomingChristian, which is linked to !aptism5 6ndividuals who profess to !e ;!orn again; often statethat they have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ5[9][<][?] 'he phrase ;!orn again; is alsoused as an adective to descri!e individual mem!ers of the movement who espouse this

 !elief, as well as the movement itself 1;!orn>again Christian; and the ;!orn>againmovement;25

Contents

 [hide

• ! "istory and usage 

o !#! $rigin 

!#!#! Bi%lical foundation

!#!#& 'nterpretations

• & enominational positions 

o &#! Catholicism

o &#& rotestantism 

&#&#! *utheranism

&#&#& +nglicanism

&#&# -eformed

&#&#. /ethodism and other 0vangelicals

o &# 1ontrinitarianism 

&##! Jehovah2s Witnesses

• isagreements %et3een denominations

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• . u%lic stances 

o .#! Chuck Colson

• 4 Born5again and 67 politics

• 8 Criticism 

o 8#! Bi%lical arguments

• 9 1ames inspired %y the term

• 7ee also

• ; -eferences

• !< 0=ternal links

"istory and usage[edit

art of a series on

Methodism

 John Wesley

Background[sho3

• Christianity

• rotestantism

• 1onconformism

• ietism

• +nglicanism

• +rminianism

• Wesleyanism

octrine [sho3

eople[sho3

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o  John Wesley

o Charles Wesley

• -ichard +llen

• Francis +s%ury

•  >homas Coke

• William *a3

• William Williams antycelyn

• "o3ell "arris

• +l%ert $utler

•  James ?arick

• Countess of "untingdon

•    Bishops

•    Theologians

• @roups

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[sho3

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Methodism portal

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+istorically, Christianity has used various metaphors to descri!e its rite of initiation, that is,

spiritual regeneration via the sacrament of !aptism  !y the power of the water and the spirit5'his remains the common understanding in most of  Christendom, held, for e#ample, in$oman Catholicism, -astern &rthodo#y, &riental &rthodo#y, *nglicanism,[B] 0utheranism, and in much of Protestantism5 +owever, sometime after the $eformation, -vangelicalProtestants !egan to understand !eing born again[@] as an e#perience of religious conversion 1+e! 9A:9D2, sym!oli8ed !y deep>water !aptism, and rooted in a commitment to one3s own

 personal faith in Jesus Christ for salvation5 'his same !elief is, historically, also an integral part of "ethodist doctrine,[D][] and is connected with the doctrine of Justification5[G]

uch ;3$e!irth3 has often !een identified with a definite, temporally data!le form of

3conversion35; 6ts effects vary with the type of person involved:

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With the voluntaristic type, re!irth is e#pressed in a new alignment of the will, in theli!eration of new capa!ilities and powers that were hitherto undeveloped in the personconcerned5 With the intellectual type, it leads to an activation of the capa!ilities forunderstanding, to the !reakthrough of a ;vision;5 With others it leads to the discovery of an

une#pected !eauty in the order of nature or to the discovery of the mysterious meaning ofhistory5 With still others it leads to a new vision of the moral life and its orders, to a selflessreali8ation of love of neigh!our5 555 each person affected perceives his life in Christ at anygiven time as _newness of life5` [H]

*ccording to "elton:

%orn again is a phrase used !y many Protestants to descri!e the phenomenon of gaining faithin Jesus Christ5 6t is an e#perience when everything they have !een taught as Christians

 !ecomes real, and they develop a direct and personal relationship with )od5[9A]

*ccording to Purves and Partee,[99] ;ometimes the phrase seems to !e udgemental, making adistinction !etween genuine and nominal Christians5 ometimes 555 descriptive, like thedistinction !etween li!eral and conservative Christians5 &ccasionally, the phrase seemshistoric, like the division !etween Catholic and Protestant Christians5; Furthermore, the term;usually includes the notion of human choice in salvation and e#cludes a view of divineelection !y grace alone;5

'he &#ford -nglish 4ictionary, finding e#amples going !ack to 9HD9, defines the adective;!orn>again; as:

&f, pertaining to, or characteri8ed !y 1an e#perience of2 new !irth in Christ or spiritualrenewal7 of a Christian: placing special emphasis on this e#perience as a !asis for all one3sactions, evangelical5[9<]

$rigin[edit

Biblical foundation[ edit  ]

'he Iing James3 ersion uses the phrase born again three times5 'wo appear in chapter ? ofthe )ospel of John5 Jesus is speaking to (icodemus, a Pharisee descri!ed as ;a ruler of the

Jews;, who says that, !ecause of his miracles, Jesus is known ;to !e a teacher come from)od;5 Jesus immediately replies: ;erily, verily, 6 say unto thee, -#cept a man !e !orn again,he cannot see the kingdom of )od5;[Jn ?:?][9?] * few verses later the )ospel /uotes Jesus assaying:

"arvel not that 6 said unto thee, Ne must !e !orn again5 'he wind !loweth where it listeth,and thou hearest the sound thereof, !ut canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth:so is every one that is !orn of the pirit5[Jn ?:]

John3s )ospel was written in )reek, and the )reek word translated as again is bb1anothen2, which could mean again, or from above5 'he (ew $evised tandard ersion 

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 prefers this latter translation,[9?] and !oth the Iing James ersion and the $evised ersion giveit as an alternative in the margins5 +oskyns argues that it is to !e preferred as the fundamentalmeaning and he drew attention to phrases such as ;!irth of the pirit 1v5@2;, ;!irth from )od1cf5 Jn 9:9<>9?7 9Jn <:<H, ?:H, B:, @:9G2; !ut continues to claim that this necessarily carries

with it an emphasis upon the newness of the life as given !y )od himself5[9B]

'he third and last mention of the phrase occurs in the First 0etter of Peter5 'he Iing James%i!le translates this as:

eeing ye have purified your souls in o!eying the truth through the pirit unto unfeigned loveof the !rethren, [see that ye] love one another with a pure heart fervently: %eing !orn again,not of corrupti!le seed, !ut of incorrupti!le, !y the word of )od, which liveth and a!ideth for ever5[9 Peter 9:<<><?]

+ere, the )reek word translated as ;!orn again; is bbbbj 1anagegennemenoi25[9@]

Interpretations[ edit  ]

'he traditional Jewish understanding of the promise of salvation is interpreted as !eingrooted in ;the seed of *!raham;7 that is in the physical lineage from *!raham5 Jesuse#plained to (icodemus that this doctrine was in error=that every person must have two

 !irths=the natural !irth of the physical !ody, the other of the water and the spirit5[9D] 'hisdiscourse with (icodemus esta!lished the Christian !elief that all human !eings=whetherJew or )entile=must !e ;!orn again; of the spiritual seed of Christ5 'he *postle Peter  further reinforced this understanding in 9 Peter 9:<?5[9@] 'he Catholic 'ncyclopedia states that

;[a] controversy e#isted in the primitive church over the interpretation of the e#pression the

 seed of !braham5 6t is [the *postle Paul3s] teaching in one instance that all who are Christ3s !y faith are *!raham3s seed, and heirs according to promise5 +e is concerned, however, withthe fact that the promise is not !eing fulfilled to the seed of *!raham 1referring to theJews25;[9]

Charles +odge writes that ;'he su!ective change wrought in the soul !y the grace of )od, isvariously designated in cripture; with terms such as new !irth, resurrection, new life, newcreation, renewing of the mind, dying to sin and living to righteousness, and translation from

darkness to light5[9G]

Jesus Christ used the ;!irth; analogy in tracing spiritual newness of life to a divine !eginning5Contemporary Christian theologians have provided e#planations for ;!orn from a!ove; !einga more accurate translation of the original )reek word transliterated an4then.[9H] 'heologianFrank tagg cites two reasons why the newer translation is significant:

!# >he emphasis from above (implying from Heaven) calls attention to thesource of the ne3ness of life# 7tagg 3rites that the 3ord again doesnot include the source of the ne3 kind of %eginning

&# /ore than personal improvement is needed# ###a ne3 destiny reuires ane3 origin, and the ne3 origin must %e from @od#[&<

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*n early e#ample of the term in its more modern use appears in the sermons of  John Wesley56n the sermon printed under the title of ! ew -irth he writes ;none can !e holy unless he !e

 !orn again;, and ;e#cept he !e !orn again, none can !e happy even in this world5 For 555 aman should not !e happy who is not holy5; *lso, ;6 say, [a man] may !e !orn again and so

 !ecome an heir of salvation5; Wesley also states infants who are !apti8ed are !orn again, !utfor adults it is different:

555 our church supposes, that all who are !apti8ed in their infancy, are at the same time !ornagain5 555 %ut 555 it is sure all of riper years, who are !apti8ed, are not at the same time !ornagain5[<9]

enominational positions[edit

For *merican Christians The O5ford andboo* of %eligion and !merican +olitics notes:;'he ) 555 has asked a !orn>again /uestion on three occasions 555 3Would you say you have

 !een 3!orn again3 or have had a 3!orn>again3 e#perience^; 'he +and!ook says that;-vangelical, !lack, and 0atino Protestants tend to respond similarly, with a!out two>thirds of each group answering in the affirmative5 6n contrast, only a!out one third of mainlineProtestants and one si#th of Catholics 1*nglo and 0atino2 claim a !orn>again e#perience5;+owever, the hand!ook suggests that ;!orn>again /uestions are poor measures even forcapturing evangelical respondents5 555 it is likely that people who report a !orn>againe#perience also claim it as an identity5;[<<]

Catholicism[edit

'he use of the term ;!orn again; to refer to Christian conversion is modern, presuma!lydeveloping out the teachings of John Wesley and populari8ed in the ministry of 9Hth centurytent meeting revivalists such as %illy unday, and 45 05 "oody5 *n individual wasencouraged to change their life and 3come to Jesus53 -ven with these early revivalists, the useof the term ;!orn again; to descri!e this e#perience of conversion is still not wide spread5 [<?]

+istorically the classic te#t from John ? was consistently interpreted !y the early fathers as areference to !aptism5[<B] "odern Catholic interpreters have noted that the phrase !orn froma!ove or !orn again 1John ?:?2 is clarified as 3!eing !orn of water and pirit3 1John ?:@25

Catholic commentator John F5 "c+ugh notes, _$e!irth, and the commencement of this newlife, are said to come a!out qj  b, of water and spirit5 'his phrase 1withoutἐ ὕ

the article2, refers to a re!irth which the early Church regarded as taking place through !aptism 19 Pet 95?, <?7 'it ?5@25[<@]

etting these facts aside for the moment, what does the Catholic Church teach a!outconversion^ 6n the !ook of *cts we have the record of a sermon preached !y the *postlePeter at Pentecost5 pon hearing this message a large num!er of pilgrims are _cut to theheart` and ask Peter and the other apostles, _What are we to do^` Peters response is asummary of rites of conversion and initiation in *cts5 _$epent and !e !apti8ed, every one of

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you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins7 and you will receive the gift ofthe +oly pirit5` 1*cts <:?G25

'he Catechism of the Catholic Church notes that the essential elements of Christian initiationare7 _proclamation of the Word, acceptance of the )ospel entailing conversion, profession offaith, %aptism itself, and the outpouring of the +oly pirit, and admission to -ucharisticcommunion` 1CCC 9<<H25 6n response to primary proclamation of the Word, we see fourelements to conversion>initiation: conversion or repentance, faith, %aptism, the reception ofthe +oly pirit5 'hese four essential elements then result in the person !eing admitted to-ucharistic communion as the completion of the sacraments of initiation: %aptism,Confirmation, and First +oly -ucharist5

6n *cts <:<G Peter specifically links %aptism to the forgiveness of sins, _$epent and !e !apti8ed, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins 5 5 5`

*lmost identical words are used !y Jesus at the 0ast upper stating that +is !lood of the (ewCovenant will !e shed _for the forgiveness of sins` 1"att <D:<G25 'hese are also the e#actwords professed in the (icene Creed, _6 confess one !aptism for the forgiveness of sins5`Catholics !elieve that the grace offered through !aptism literally forgives sins5 6t is notmerely an outward sym!ol5 0ater while recounting his conversion, Paul recalls the words of*nanias, _)et up and have yourself !apti8ed and your sins washed away, calling upon hisname` 1*cts <<:9D!25 6n his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul uses typology to say that the6srael was !apti8ed into "oses in the cloud and in the sea 19 Corinthians 9A:9><25 'he *postlePeter later uses the e#ample of (oah to say that ust as eight people were _saved through

water` so this prefigures !aptism, _which saves you now` 19 Peter ?:<A><925

%aptism gives the grace of forgiveness of all prior sins7 it makes the newly !apti8ed a newcreature and adopted son of )od 1< Corinthians @:97 < Peter 9:B27 it incorporates them intothe %ody of Christ 1-phesians B:<@2 and creates a sacramental !ond of unity leaving anindeli!le mark on our souls5 1CCC 9<D<>9<B25 'he Catechism of the Catholic Church notes7;6ncorporated into Christ !y %aptism, the person !apti8ed is configured to Christ5 %aptismseals the Christian with the indeli!le spiritual mark 1character2 of his !elonging to Christ5 (osin can erase this mark, even if sin prevents %aptism from !earing the fruits of salvation5)iven once for all, %aptism cannot !e repeated;1CCC 9<<25

*s part of this comple# series of events we also receive in a more profound way the gift of+oly pirit5 'he +oly pirit is involved with each aspect of the movement of grace5 ;'he firstwork of the grace of the +oly pirit is conversion5 5 5 "oved !y grace, man turns toward )odand away from sin, thus accepting forgiveness and righteousness from on high` 1CCC 9HGH25

What one might call the normal Christian !irth involves faith, repentance, !aptism and thereception of the pirit5 'he Catholic Church also recogni8es that under special circumstancesthe need for water !aptism can !e superseded !y the +oly pirit in what is often called a!aptism of desire5 uch is the case when catechumens die or are martyred prior to receiving

 !aptism5 1CCC 9<DA25

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$eturning to the e#periential dimension of conversion5 6s it possi!le to !e !apti8ed as aninfant and yet not to have made a decision to make this faith a personal attachment^ t5 PopeJohn Paul 66 wrote a!out this more than thirty years ago when he noted _the pro!lem ofchildren !apti8ed in infancy [who] come for catechesis in the parish without receiving any

other initiation into the faith and still without any e#plicit personal attachment to JesusChrist; 1Catechesi Tradendae 9H25[<D] +e notes further that _!eing a Christian means sayingyes to Jesus Christ, !ut let us remem!er that this yes has two levels: 6t consists insurrendering to the word of )od and relying on it, !ut it also means, at a later stage,endeavoring to know !etter > and !etter the profound meaning of this word` 1C' <A25

Comparing this to contemporary theologies of !eing !orn again one could say that !apti8edCatholics also need e#plicit personal attachment to Jesus Christ5 6n many cases Catholics maystill need to hear the preaching of the gospel with a call to conversion in order to !e re>evangeli8ed and reach the fullness of their salvation5 +elping Catholics to achieve this

3fullness of faith3 has !een termed the (ew -vangeli8ation5 'he term 3(ew -vangeli8ation3 !ecame a characteristic e#pression of t5 Pope John Paul 66 during his pontificate5 -arlierPope Paul 6 called evangelism the deepest identity of the Church and t5 Pope John Paul 66continued and e#tended this vision5[<]

Pope Francis recent *postolic -#hortation, 'vangelii 0audium 1The 6oy of the 0ospel 2 istruly an inspiring manifesto for the missionary reform in the Catholic Church5 Pope Franciswishes firstly to _to encourage the Christian faithful to em!ark upon a new chapter ofevangeli8ation` marked !y the oy of the )ospel and secondly to point out _new paths for the

Churchs ourney in years to come` in relation to this evangelical mission 1-) 925[<G]

Pope Francis issues a challenge7 _6 invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to arenewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting himencounter them` 1-) ?25 6t is principally through our personal encounter with Christ that wegain the love and oy which is _the source and inspiration of all our efforts at evangeli8ation`1-) G25[<H]

rotestantism[edit

Lutheranism[ edit  ]

'he 0utheran Church holds that it ;thoroughly teaches that we are cleansed of our sins and !orn again and renewed in +oly %aptism !y the +oly )host5 %ut she also teaches thatwhoever is !apti8ed must, though daily contrition and repentance, drown 'he &ld *dam sothat daily a new man come forth and arise who walks !efore )od in righteousness and purityforever5 he teaches that whoever lives in sins after his !aptism has again lost the grace of

 !aptism5;[?A]

 Anglicanism[ edit  ]

'he phrase is mentioned in the ?H *rticles of the *nglican Church in article , which is

headed ;&f Christ alone without in;5 6n part, it reads: ;sin, as 5 John saith, was not in +im5

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%ut all we the rest, although !apti8ed and !orn again in Christ, yet offend in many things: andif we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us5; [?9]

Reformed[ edit  ]

'he $eformed churches reect !oth the Catholic0utheran and "ethodist-vangelicalconcepts of !eing !orn again5 +ere, ;regeneration, the e/uivalent to !eing 3!orn again,3 is theinward working of the pirit which induces the sinner to respond to the effectual call;5 'his is;the work of )od3s pirit, where!y, convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening ourminds in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills, he doth persuade and ena!le us toem!race Jesus Christ, freely offered to us in the gospel5;[?<];:[??]

6n $eformed theology, ;regeneration precedes faith5;[?B] amuel torms writes that ;Calvinistsinsist that the sole cause of regeneration or !eing !orn again is the will of )od5 )od firstsovereignly and efficaciously regenerates, and only in conse/uence of that do we act5

'herefore, the individual is passive in regeneration, neither preparing himself nor makinghimself receptive to what )od will do5 $egeneration is a change wrought in us !y )od, notan autonomous act performed !y us for ourselves5;[?@]

Methodism and other Evangelicals[ edit  ]

6n "ethodism, the ;new !irth is necessary for salvation !ecause it marks the move towardholiness5 'hat comes with faith5;[?D] John Wesley, the founder of the "ethodist Church, heldthat the (ew %irth ;is that great change which )od works in the soul when he !rings it intolife, when he raises it from the death of sin to the life of righteousness; 1or*s, vol5 <,

 pp5 9H?.9HB25[?D] 'he  !rticles of %eligion, in *rticle 66=&f %aptism, state that !aptism is a;sign of regeneration or the new !irth5;[?] The &ethodist 7isitor  in descri!ing this doctrine,admonishes individuals: ;3Ne must !e !orn again53 Nield to )od that +e may perform thiswork in and for you5 *dmit +im to your heart5 3%elieve on the 0ord Jesus Christ, and thoushalt !e saved53;[?G]

'he !elief in the (ew %irth is something that "ethodists share with other evangelicals5[?H] 6nThe 'ncyclopedia of +rotestantism, J) "elton states that ;6n churches that emphasi8eevangelism, the 3!orn>again3 e#perience tends to !ecome the norm, and everyone is e#pectedto recount such an e#perience5;[BA]

;*lthough many evangelicals allow that conversion can !e a process, generally they see it asa specific, identifia!le moment of time when a person simply and sincerely trusts in JesusChrist as savior5;[9?] 'hey understand $omans 9A:H to indicate a re/uirement of salvation:;'hat if you confess with your mouth, 3Jesus is 0ord3, and !elieve in your heart that )odraised him from the dead, you will !e saved5; o, ;to !e !orn again; means ;to !e saved;

 !ecause to !e saved, one must confess Jesus is 0ord with one3s mouth and !elieve it in one3sheart5 *lso, to !e !orn again means to follow $omans 9A:9A that ;with your heart that you

 !elieve and are ustified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved;5[B9]

1ontrinitarianism[edit

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 Jehovah's itnesses[ edit  ]

Jehovah3s Witnesses !elieve that individuals do not have the power to !e !orn again, !ut that)od calls and selects his followers ;from a!ove;5 'hey interpret Jesus3 statement that onemust !e !orn from ;water and the spirit; to enter the kingdom of )od, as a necessity ratherthan as a command5[B<]

isagreements %et3een denominations[edit

 >his section contains too many or too-lengthy quotations for an

encyclopedic entry# lease help improve the article %y editing it to

take facts from e=cessively uoted material and re3rite them as

sourced original prose# Consider transferring direct uotations to

Wikiuote# (June 2014)

'he term ;!orn again; is used !y several Christian denominations, !ut there are

disagreements on what the term means, and whether mem!ers of other denominations are ustified in claiming to !e !orn again Christians5

* Catholic we!site says:

Catholics should ask Protestants, ;*re you !orn again=the way the %i!le understands thatconcept^; 6f the -vangelical has not !een properly water !apti8ed, he has not !een !orn again;the %i!le way,; regardless of what he may think5[B?]

&n the other hand, an -vangelical site argues:

*nother of many e#amples is the Catholic who claims he also is ;!orn again5; 555 +owever,what the committed Catholic means is that he received his spiritual !irth when he was

 !apti8ed=either as an infant or when as an adult he converted to Catholicism5 'hat3s notwhat Jesus meant when +e told (icodemus he ;must !e !orn again; 1Jn ?:?>G25 'hedeli!erate adoption of !i!lical terms which have different meanings for Catholics has !ecomean effective tool in $ome3s ecumenical agenda5[BB]

'he $eformed view of regeneration may !e set apart from other outlooks in at least two

ways5

First, classical $oman Catholicism teaches that regeneration occurs at !aptism, a view knownas !aptismal regeneration5 $eformed theology has insisted that regeneration may take place atany time in a person3s life, even in the wom!5 6t is not somehow the automatic result of

 !aptism5 econd, it is common for many other evangelical !ranches of the church to speak ofrepentance and faith leading to regeneration 1i5e5, people are !orn again only after theye#ercise saving faith25 %y contrast, $eformed theology teaches that original sin and totaldepravity deprive all people of the moral a!ility and will to e#ercise saving faith5 555$egeneration is entirely the work of )od the +oly pirit > we can do nothing on our own to

o!tain it5 )od alone raises the elect from spiritual death to new life in Christ 1-ph5 <:9>9A25 [B@]

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u%lic stances[edit

6n recent history, born again is a term that has !een widely associated with the evangelical Christian renewal since the late 9HDAs, first in the nited tates and then later around theworld5 *ssociated perhaps initially with Jesus People and the Christian counterculture, born

again came to refer to a conversion e#perience, accepting Jesus Christ as 0ord and avior inorder to !e saved from +ell and given eternal life with )od in +eaven, and was increasinglyused as a term to identify devout !elievers5[9?] %y the mid>9HAs, born again Christians wereincreasingly referred to in the mainstream media as part of the !orn again movement5

6n 9HD, Watergate conspirator Chuck Colson3s !ook -orn !gain gained international notice5Time maga8ine named him ;&ne of the <@ most influential -vangelicals in *merica5;[BD][dead lin* ] 'he term was sufficiently prevalent so that during the year3s presidential campaign,4emocratic party nominee Jimmy Carter  descri!ed himself as ;!orn again; in the first

 +layboy maga8ine interview of an *merican presidential candidate5 "odern musicians suchas 0ittle $ichard,[B] "ark Farner , 4an Peek , 4onna ummer , %o! 4ylan,[BG] Ierry 0ivgren,4ave +ope, 4ave "ustaine,  (icko "c%rain, $oger "c)uinn, 'ed (ugent, Ianye West,Carrie nderwood, Johnny Cash, %rian Welch, Ieith Farley, Cliff $ichard, Charlie 4aniels,$andy 'ravis, *lice Cooper , teven 'yler , "ariah Carey,  (ick Cannon, and 0ou )ramm [BH] were artists whose !orn again conversions had an impact on modern culture5 &thers such asdepartment store magnate James Cash Penney, Chick>fil>* founder 'ruett Cathy,actormartial artist Chuck (orris, wrestlers hawn "ichaels, Chris Jericho, *J tyles, 'ed4i%iase and ting, and actors Jesse "cCartney, Iirk Cameron, and "r5 ' are also mentionedas !eing !orn again5 %orn>again athletes like /uarter!acks 'im 'e!ow, am %radford and

former $ams uper %owl 6>winning /uarter!ack  Iurt Warner , &lympic hurdler 0oloJones, !o#er Iatie 'aylor  and +ouston $ockets player  Jeremy 0in5 Former *la!ama governor and *merican presidential candidate )eorge Wallace !ecame !orn again in the late9HAs, which led him to apologi8e for his earlier segregationist views5

Chuck Colson[edit

6n his !ook -orn !gain 19HD and <AAG2, Watergate conspirator Chuck Colson descri!es his path to faith in conunction with his criminal imprisonment and played a significant role insolidifying the ;!orn again; identity as a cultural construct in the 5 +e writes that hisspiritual e#perience followed considera!le struggle and hesitancy to have a ;personalencounter with )od5; +e recalls:

555 while 6 sat alone staring at the sea 6 love, words 6 had not !een certain 6 could understandor say fell from my lips: ;0ord Jesus, 6 !elieve in Nou5 6 accept Nou5 Please come into my life56 commit it to Nou5; With these few words555came a sureness of mind that matched the depthof feeling in my heart5 'here came something more: strength and serenity, a wonderful newassurance a!out life, a fresh perception of myself in the world around me5 [@A]

Born5again and 67 politics[edit

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'he first President of the nited tates to pu!licly declare that he was !orn>again was JimmyCarter  in 9HD5[@9] ;6n the 9HGA campaign, all three of the maor candidates 555 stated that theyhad !een !orn>again;[@<]

ider and Inippers[@?] state that ;$onald $eagan3s election that fall [was] aided !y the votes of D9 of 3!orn>again3 white Protestants5;

'he )allup &rgani8ation reported that ;6n <AA?, B< of 55 adults said they were !orn>again or evangelical7 the <AAB percentage is B95; *lso, ;%lack *mericans are far morelikely to identify themselves as !orn>again or evangelical, with D? of !lacks saying they are

 !orn>again, compared with ?H of white *mericans5 $epu!licans are far more likely to saythey are !orn>again 1@<2 than 4emocrats 1?D2 or independents 1?<25;[@B]

+aiven, in speaking of ;!orn>agains;,[@@] refers to them as having ;a type of intolerance;5 he

says, ;'he instant and thoughtless panaceas of !orn>again Christianity will !e seen as a vastsanctuary !y millions of (orth *mericans5; he asks, ;6s this sanctuary really a recruitmentcamp for right>wing movements^ 6t would !e naive to think otherwise5;

The O5ford andboo* of %eligion and !merican +olitics,[@D] referring to several studies,reports ;that 3!orn>again3 identification is associated with lower support for government anti>

 poverty programs5; 6t also notes that ;self>reported !orn>again; Christianity, ;strongly shapesattitudes towards economic policy5;

Criticism[edit

Bi%lical arguments[edit

'he /uotation from the )ospel of John has raised some /uestions a!out the meaning andauthenticity of the phrase ;!orn again;5 6n the chapter, (icodemus is pu88led and asks Jesuswhat he means !y saying that ;Ne must !e !orn again;5 +e /uestions: ;+ow can a man re>enter his mother3s wom!^; cholar %art 45 -hrman says that this confusion is !ecause in)reek 1the language of the gospel2 the word again is am!iguous5 6t might mean again or a

 second time or from above, which would e#plain (icodemus3 confusion5 +owever, the Jewsat Jesus3 time were actually speaking *ramaic, in which language there would not have !een

a dou!le meaning5 -hrman says that this raises /uestions a!out the authenticity of thedialogue, the meaning of the words, and, therefore, the use of the phrase5[@]

* 9Hth>century source notes that the phrase was not mentioned !y the other -vangelists, nor !y the *postles e#cept Peter5 ;6t was not regarded !y any of the -vangelists !ut John ofsufficient importance to record5; *nd, without John, ;we should hardly have known that itwas necessary for one to !e !orn again5; 'his suggests that ;the te#t and conte#t was meantto apply to (icodemus particularly, and not to the world5; &therwise, it would have !eenmentioned more often5 [@G]

1ames inspired %y the term[edit

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Main article: Renatus

'he idea of ;re!irth in Christ; has inspired[@H] some common -uropean forenames: French$en$ene5 lso used in %elgium the (etherlands and )reat %ritain, 4utch $enaat$enate,6talian, panish and Portuguese $enato$enata, 0atin $enatus$enata, which all mean

;re!orn;, ;!orn again;5[DA]

7ee also[edit

!hristianit" portal 

• +ltar call D invitation to %ecome a ChristianE given at a church service orevent#

Baptism D referred to in Jesus2 %orn5again discourse 3ith 1icodemus (%ornof 3ater and spirit)

• Baptismal regeneration D overvie3 of doctrinal de%ate a%out the eect ofthe %aptism rite#

• Born5again virgin D a person 3ho, though not still a virgin, chooses to liveas one#

• viGa, or t3ice5%orn D in "induism, a person 3ho has formally taken on theroles of one of the Hrst three castes#

• 0vangelism D the preaching of the Christian @ospel to others 3ith theo%Gect of conversion#

• "oly 7pirit D referred to in Jesus2 %orn5again discourse 3ith 1icodemus(%orn of 3ater and spirit)

• /onergism D the %elief that %eing %orn again is entirely @od2s 3ork (andnot the %eliever2s 3ork)

• 7inner2s prayer D the prayer of a person seeking forgiveness and 3antingto %ecome a Christian#

•  Justus ?elsius D a !8th5century utch dissident 3ho promoted the vie3that through a ne3 %irth man could %ecome like Christ