Christian denomination

A Christian denomination is a group of Christian churches that share common beliefs, practices, and leadership. These groups are identified by names like Lutherans or Baptists, and they often have their own history, organization, and ways of worship. Unlike smaller, less accepted groups, denominations are usually seen as part of the main Christian tradition.

Differences between denominations can include ideas about who Jesus was, how to understand the Bible, and how the church should be led. Some larger groups, like the Catholic Church with over 1.3 billion members, do not call themselves a denomination but see themselves as the original church. Protestantism, which began in the 1500s, includes many denominations such as Methodists and Pentecostals, and it makes up about 40% of all Christians today.

The Eastern Orthodox Church, with around 230 million members, is another large group that also sees itself as the original church. It includes many independent churches that recognize each other. Together, these branches of Christianity have many differences but also share core beliefs, such as the divinity of Jesus and the idea of salvation. Despite their differences, most Christians recognize each other as part of the same faith, even if they do not always agree on everything.

Terminology

Different Christian groups use various words to talk about their beliefs. This part will explain some important words used in this article before talking about the beliefs themselves.

A Christian denomination is a recognized group within the Christian Church. Other words for this include "religious group" or "Church." The word "Church" can mean a specific group with its own leaders and buildings, or it can mean all Christians together, the "Christian Church".

Some Protestants make a difference between being part of the universal church and being part of a local church group. Believing in Christ makes someone part of the universal church; then they can join a local group of believers. Some evangelical groups call themselves interdenominational, working together with local churches to help certain groups, like students or specific cultures.

The leaders of Protestant churches have different ideas from leaders of the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, the two largest Christian churches. Each of these larger churches claims to be the direct continuation of the original church started by Jesus Christ, and they do not always agree with the idea of denominations. For studying religion, however, the main families of Christianity are grouped as denominations, meaning organized groups of Christians.

Historically, Catholics sometimes named members of other Christian churches by the names of their founders, whether real or not believed to be real. This was done to show that these churches were separate from the Catholic Church, which they believed was started by Christ himself.

Even though Catholics do not fully agree with this idea, some Catholic leaders have used the phrase "two lungs" to describe the relationship between Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy.

Major branches

Christianity has many different groups, called denominations. The biggest groups are the Catholic Church, Protestant churches, and the Orthodox churches. Each of these groups has its own beliefs, practices, and ways of organizing.

There are also smaller groups within these bigger branches. For example, within Protestantism, there are groups like Adventists, Baptists, Lutherans, and Methodists. These groups share some beliefs but also have their own unique practices. Some groups, like the Latter Day Saints and Jehovah's Witnesses, have very different beliefs from most other Christians.

Historical schisms and divisions

Christianity has not always been one united faith. Since the first century, there have been many groups that share a common history and tradition, both inside and outside mainstream Christianity. Today, Christianity is the largest religion in the world, making up about one-third of the world's population. These groups have both similarities and differences in their traditions, theology, church government, and language.

The biggest division in Christianity is between Eastern and Western Christianity. After these two larger families, there are distinct branches such as Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, and Orthodox Christianity. Orthodox Christianity is further divided into Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, and the Church of the East. Roman Catholicism is seen as a distinct part of Western Christianity. Protestantism includes many groups like Adventists, Anabaptists, Anglicans, Baptists, Congregationalists, Methodists, Moravians, Pentecostals, Presbyterians, Reformed, and Unitarians. These groups have their own beliefs and practices, even within the same family.

The Catholic Church, because of its hierarchical structure, is not made up of many smaller groups. Instead, it is seen as one single group with regional councils and congregations that share the same beliefs.

Modern history

Unitarianism

Further information: Biblical Unitarianism

In places like Italy, Poland, Lithuania, Transylvania, Hungary, and Romania, special church groups called Unitarian Churches grew from older church traditions in the 1500s. They believed in adult baptisms and did not agree with a main church belief called the Trinity. Because of this, many bigger Christian churches do not see them as part of mainstream Christianity.

Restorationism

Second Great Awakening

Main articles: Second Great Awakening, Restorationism, and Restoration Movement

During a big religious time called the Second Great Awakening from 1790 to 1870, a movement began in America to bring all Christians together. Two main groups started this. One group, led by Barton W. Stone in Kentucky, called themselves simply "Christians." The other, led by Thomas Campbell and his son Alexander Campbell in Pennsylvania and Virginia, called themselves "Disciples of Christ." Both groups wanted to follow the ways of the early Christian church as described in the New Testament. They joined together in 1832.

They shared beliefs such as Jesus being the Son of God, celebrating the Lord's Supper each week, and baptizing adults by full immersion as important for salvation. They wanted to use Bible names for followers of Jesus and return to the church ways of the first century.

The Restoration Movement later split into several groups. In the United States, the main branches are the Churches of Christ, the Christian churches and churches of Christ, and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Other groups include the International Churches of Christ and International Christian Churches. There are also groups in Australia, Canada, and Europe. The Plymouth Brethren are a similar group from the United Kingdom.

Other Christian groups from this time, like the Adventist movement, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Christian Science, also wanted to return to early Christian ways.

Latter Day Saint movement

Main articles: Latter Day Saint movement and Mormonism

Most groups that follow the teachings of Joseph Smith, who started the Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints) in 1830, are called Latter Day Saint denominations. The largest is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often called Mormons. Smaller groups broke away, often over disagreements about marriage practices or church leadership. These groups often believe Joseph Smith was a prophet and accept the Book of Mormon as holy scripture.

Spiritual Christianity

Spiritual Christianity, including groups like the Molokans, Pryguny, Dukh-i-zhizniki, Doukhobors, and tribal faiths, began in Russia. The Doukhobors have been close to Mennonite and Quaker Christians because of shared peaceful beliefs.

Other movements

Protestant church groups often split into many smaller groups, especially in English-speaking countries. This happened in waves called the Great Awakenings.

The most recent wave, the Fourth Great Awakening, happened from the 1960s to the 1980s. It led to movements like the Charismatic Movement and the Jesus movement.

Many church groups today call themselves non-denominational, meaning they don’t belong to a bigger church family. Some follow traditional Christian teachings, while others have different beliefs.

Two movements, the Unification Church and the Rastafari movement, believe in an additional Messiah but are not part of traditional Christian groups. They use the Bible as a basis for their beliefs.

Combining Christian beliefs with local traditions happens around the world. For example, the Native American Church ties Christian beliefs to the use of peyote in ceremonies.

Some Christians reject organized religion completely. Christian anarchists believe the original teachings of Jesus were changed by governments and that no earthly power should control them. They follow the Golden Rule and believe in nonviolence.