CHRISTIAN DENOMINATIONS WHAT MAKES US THE SAME? WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES? FPC Wednesday Night Intersection 1 Spring 2015 CHRISTIAN ORTHODOXY The Core Elements that all Mainstream Denominations agree, in other words, the shared beliefs and practices that bind us the church universal: • God: Christianity is a monotheistic religion, followers believe in one God who is the creator and sustainer of the universe, all-powerful, all-knowing, and all- good. Other attributes include holiness, righteousness, and immutability; God is sovereign, merciful, graceful, and eternal. • Doctrine of the Trinity: God is composed of three persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit. • Jesus Christ: the Son of God, consubstantial with the Father, fully human, fully God, born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, buried, resurrected, and ascended into Heaven. Jesus is without sin, and his death was a substitionary sacrifice for our sins. He is the Messiah, the savior of humanity prophesied in the Old Testament. • Holy Spirit: third person of the Trinity, not created by the Father or the Son, has always existed and is eternal. FPC Wednesday Night Intersection 2 Spring 2015 CHRISTIAN ORTHODOXY The Core Elements that all Mainstream Denominations agree, in other words, the shared beliefs and practices that bind us the church universal: (continued) • Sacred Texts: Holy Bible (Old Testament and New Testament, varied usage of the Apochrypha) • Creeds: Apostles Creed and Nicene Creed (denominations vary on usage of confessions in addition to these creeds and on binding nature of creeds) • Man: created in God’s image, has fallen into sin, sin separates us from God. • Original Sin: Death came into the world through Adam’s sin • Salvation: Jesus died for the sins of all, salvation is a free gift from God. • The Bible: the inspired, God-breathed Word of God • Christians believe in the Afterlife and the Second Coming of Christ FPC Wednesday Night Intersection 3 Spring 2015 THE CHURCH UNIVERSAL FPC Wednesday Night Intersection 4 Spring 2015 THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH • Christianity is the world’s largest religion with about 2.4 billion believers worldwide. • Christians have made up 33% of the world’s population for the last century, although this population has been substantially declining in North America and Europe and rapidly growing in the developing world. • The Church is split into three main branches: Catholic (1.2 billion), Orthodox (300 million), and Protestant (800 million). • These branches are further divided into over 40,000 Christian denominations; nearly all of these denominations accept the Nicene Creed as authoritative. • While these denominations generally agree upon the core tenets of Christianity as stated in the Nicene Creed, there is tremendous variation on doctrinal issues such as the nature of the Holy Spirit, the Virgin Mary, the Eucharist, Free Will, Predestination, Faith vs Works, End Times, Judgment, Heaven/Purgatory/Hell, Original Sin, Angels, Satan and Demons. • Christianity began as a small sect of Judaism meeting in the Temple Courts in Jerusalem in the first century AD and has since grown to become the world’s largest religion and carry the Gospel to every corner of the world. FPC Wednesday Night Intersection 5 Spring 2015 OUR STUDY OF DENOMINATIONS It’s obvious that as members here at First Presbyterian Church San Antonio, we are part of a tremendously large, vibrant, and living movement. Our purpose in this course is to better understand the different parts of our Christian family tree, so we will study the mainstream Christian denominations in America today: • Jan 14 – The Church Universal and the Roman Catholic Church and the split with the Orthodox churches • Jan 21 – The Reformation Churches: Lutheran, Calvinist (Reformed), Presbyterian, Anabaptist • Jan 28 – The English Reformation Churches: Anglican & Episcopalian, Methodist, Church of Scotland/Presbyterian • Feb 4 – Growth of Denominations In America, Focus on Baptist and Congregational • Feb 11 – Recent changes: Pentecostal and non-Denominational FPC Wednesday Night Intersection 6 Spring 2015 DENOMINATIONAL FAMILY TREE FPC Wednesday Night Intersection 7 Spring 2015 FPC Wednesday Night Intersection 8 Spring 2015 FPC Wednesday Night Intersection 9 Spring 2015 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH FROM THE EARLY CHURCH TO POPE FRANCIS FPC Wednesday Night Intersection 10 Spring 2015 THE EARLY CHURCH The Church and the Roman Empire • Early Christians suffered persecution at the hands of Jewish authorities (as observed in Acts of the Apostles) but generally enjoyed protection from the Roman government. • Roman state persecution of Christians began under Nero in 64 AD(Tacitus quote); at this time calling oneself a Christian became a capital crime until Toleration Act of 313 AD. • Other significant persecutions occurred under Domitian (90-96), Trajan (98-117), Hadrian (117-138), Marcus Aurelius (161-180), Septimus Severus (202-211) Maximinus (235-236), Decius (249-251), Valerian (257-260) and the most severe under Diocletian (303-311) • Constantine became Emperor of the West at the battle of Mulvian Bridge prior to which he had a vision of a cross in the sky and the words “By this sign you shall conquer”, additionally, his mother was Christian. He and Licinius (East) jointly issued the Edict of Milan in 313 AD, preventing persecution of Christians. When Constantine became sole Emperor in 323 AD, Christianity effectively became the state religion of the Roman Empire • By 323 AD about 10% of the Roman Empire were Christians with larger concentrations in cities and among the influential middle class. FPC Wednesday Night Intersection 11 Spring 2015 THE EARLY CHURCH Unification of Church and State • Despite Constantine’s favoritism, Christianity still faced challenges from other religions, particularly Eastern “Mystery Religions” and from skeptical intellectuals. • Increasing favor was shown to the church, including Sunday as a day of rest. • Constantine convened the Council of Nicaea in 325 to quell controversies. • Laws were instituted under Theodosius repressing heathenism and moving against heresies such as Arianism. • Paganism continued to be repressed in the Byzantine Empire under Justinian. • As the church continued to enjoy increasing favoritism as the state religion, it became more profitable and increasingly secular. Pursuit of careers in church hierarchy for secular gain became commonplace. FPC Wednesday Night Intersection 12 Spring 2015 THE EARLY CHURCH Tightening the Organizational Control of the Church • Permanent Church officers were common by the end of the first century, elders (presbyters or bishops) and deacons. • In the second century Bishops took on a more monarchal role to provide centralized local leadership and to prevent heretical leaders. • In the third century the Bishop’s span of control included not only his local congregation but surrounding areas as well, with a cohort of elders as advisors. By this time Bishops could only be ordained by other Bishops. • With the effective union of church and state in the fourth century, the church modeled itself after civic administration. Bishops of large metropolitan areas became known as arch-bishops, and the bishops of Rome, Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople and Jerusalem became know as Patriarchs. • In the fifth century, the Bishop/Patriarch of Rome claims universal supremacy over the church, establishing the role of the Pope. FPC Wednesday Night Intersection 13 Spring 2015 THE EARLY CHURCH Elaboration of Worship within the Church • As the church grew, uniformity of worship occasions, places, elements, and liturgy spread throughout the Empire. • The Lords Supper and Baptism became recognized as sacraments. • “Lower Christianity”, the veneration of the Virgin Mary and of martyrs (Saints) became commonplace Defining the Beliefs of the Church • Church doctrine was founded on the writings of the Apostles, the traditions of the Apostles, and the bishops as successors of the Apostles. • The New Testament was drawn up by Athanasius in 367 AD. • The Apostles Creed became the common baptismal creed of the church. • Doctrines of the Trinity and the Person of Christ were developed in response to heretics such as Arius and Nestorius Serving and Surviving the Roman Empire • The church raised the moral tone of the Empire, beginning with Constantine. • The church emphasized service to the poor elements of society and inspired sacrificial service. • As the Roman Empire began to collapse, the Church converted invading nations and preserved civilization. FPC Wednesday Night Intersection 14 Spring 2015 IN THE MIDDLE AGES • The Church used the collapse of the Roman Empire as a springboard into new territories in France, Germany, England, Scotland, Ireland, Scandinavia, Poland, Moravia, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Russia. • In the 1054, the church suffered its most significant schism, when Pope Leo IX and Michael Cerularius, Bishop of Constantinople, excommunicated each other, causing the schism that split the Roman Catholic Church from the Greek Orthodox Church, a rift that remains unhealed to this day. • The Church faced a significant religious and political challenge with the rise of Islam, leading to significant loss of territory including Jerusalem. Military responses in the form of Crusades met with mixed success. • The Church also began systematic persecution of Jews at various times throughout the Middle Ages FPC Wednesday Night Intersection 15 Spring 2015 IN THE MIDDLE AGES • The Popes significantly increased their powers during