Figure 1.-

The Protestant Reformation began whem Martin Luther posted the 95 Thesis on the door of the Witttenburg church. But there were many different theological trends among Prptestants. There are so many Protestant Churches that it is difficult to even count them. There are of course substantial differences among countries as to the importance of these groups. More Protestant churches exist in America because of the level of religious freedom there especially after the doctrine was enshirned in the First Amendment of the Constitution. There are some Protestant Churches, however, of particular importance. We have begun to develop information about some of the more important denominations.

Anabaptists

Anabaptists are name from the Greek ανα, neaning again or twice. It means bring baptized again or twice--essentially revaptized. Anabaptists are one of the many radical Protestant sects that developed during the Reformation (16th century). The Anabaptists rejected many conventional Christian practices besides baptism, including the wearing of vwedding bands, taking oaths, and many aspects of participating in civil society. The sacraments were at the heart of the Reformation and the division between Catholics and Protestants. Baptism was, however, a sacrament accepted by both mainstream Catholics and Protestants. Many saw questioning the baptism of infants as heresy. Anabaptists saw baptism as something which should take place when the individual was an adult and able to understand the commitment being made. Thus the Anabaptists were arguably the most persecuted group in Europe. During the Reformation and religious wars (16th-17th century), the Anabaptists suffered terrible persecution from both Catholics and Protestants. And because they questioned many aspects of civil authority, non-relogious based supresion by Govermental authorities also occurred. The Anabaptists which survived into the modern age were primarily the communal groups: Amish, Hutterites, and Mennonites.

Anglicism

The Anglican Church was founded by King Henry VIII in his efforts to divorce his wife, the Spanish Princess Catherine, so he could marry the beautiful and young Ann Bolen. Hardly the most inspiring creation for what was to become a great Church. Another reason was finaces. Henry was concerned about English Church wealth being sent to Rome which supported Spain which with its large fleet was a threat to England. (This threat would materialize during the reign of Henry's daughter Elizabeth with the Spanish Armada.) Also the rich monastaries scattered throughout England were tempting targes. The Church of England which emerged was the first Church of what is today known as the Anglican Communion. Other national churches such as the Church of Scotland belong. The Anglican Church in America is known as the Episcopalian Church. Anglican churches exist in all of the former British colonies. The head of the Anglican Communion is the Archbishop of Canterbury, although his authority is in no way comparable to the pope. The Anglican Church with its priests and formal ritual is the Protestant denomination closest to that of the Roman Catholic Church.

Baptist

Calvinism

John Calvin taught that man's fate was predestined and that good deeeds on earth had nothing to do with salvation.

Lutherenism

It was the German monk Martin Luther (1483-1546) who in 1517 nailed his 95 Thesis to the Wittenberg church door. In doing so he launched the Refornation, although at the time he desired only to reform the Church. Luther was offended by the monk Johann Tetzel who after arriving in Wittenberg began preaching about the sale of indulgences to finance the rebuilding of St. Peter's Church in Rome. Luther and his teachings would have been supressed by Church authorities had it not been for the fact that the theological arguments became involved in German politics and the authority of temporal authorities in Saxony over Church matters and political issues within the Holy Roman Empire and the new Emperor Charles V. Elector Frederick of Saxony offered Luther his protection. Luther objected to the term Lutheran to define the Church he helped found. Rather he preferred the term "Evangelical" to distinguish his Church from the Reformed or Calvanistic Protestant Churches.

Methodism

Methodism was founded by John Wesley (17??-91). One biographer describes him as "the greatest evagenlist in modern history". [Hattersly] The rise of Methodism has been described as the Second Reformation. Wesley took little interest in politics. He was dismissive of democracy, but was no apologist of privlidge. Methodism in England became the religion of the poor and largely forgotten of 18th and 19th century England. Some authors suggest that Methdodism encouraged workers to be content with their lot and thus retarded the growth revolution and class politics in Britain. [Halévy] When Revolution engulfed the Continent in 1848, the Chartist movement fizzled in England. Other biographers are less insistent on this, but clearly Methodism did encourage propriety and respectability among the working class. As such, Wesley besides his role as minister, played a key role as one of the "architects of modern England". [Hattersley] This was nor what Wesley sought, but rather to envigorate not divide the Anglican Church. Wesly for his part was supremely confident that he had been called t do God's work. It was this confidence and insistence that he had a special relationship with God, rather than theological issues that alienated the Angligan hierarchy against him.

Pentacoastals

Pentacoastals believe in the "four-fold" goispel of: 1) personal salvation, 2) Holy Ghost baptism, 3) devine healing, an the 4) imminent return of Jesus. Many in the 19th century did not believe that Pentacoastal Churches would survive. Predictions of Jesus' imment return have proven incorrect. Even so, the Churchhas not only survived, but prospered in America. There are today about 11 million members of Pentacoastal Churches. [Wacker]

Presbeterianism

Quakers

Sources

Halévy, Elie.

Hattersley, Roy. A Brand from the Burning: The Life of John Wesley (Doubleday, 2003), 353p.

Wacker, Grant. Heaven Below: Early Pentacostals and American Culture (Harvard University Press, 2001), 364p.

Created: April 29, 2004
Last updated: 10:27 AM 3/14/2010