Religion Question

[sugarbear]

Can anyone explain the primary differences between Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Protestants, and ... any other group I'm forgetting?

(I know there are others, but these seem to be the largest denominations in the US. But definitely tell me if I'm missing something.)

Lucy Honeychurch

[sugarbear]

Mar 25, 2015 14:06:38 GMT -5 Lucy Honeychurch said:

This is a big question. lol.

www.religionfacts.com/christianity/denominations/comparison_charts.htm

I know. I had started searching for something like this ^^, wasn't finding it, and thought I'd ask here.
Thank you!

[ninjabridemom]

Mar 25, 2015 14:08:46 GMT -5 @cse1960 said:

None of them are Jewish. And, Jesus was Jewish.

And a gosh-darn devout one too!

ETA that might read as sarcasm but it's not. In a lot of my Bible study people miss that point so I always think of it lol.

[Queen Mamadala]

Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Lutherans, and the thousands of other denominations fall under the Protestant umbrella. There are over 30,000 denominations within Christendom. Heck, there are over a dozen sub-denominations within the Baptist denomination.

There are a great many doctrinal differences from, say, Baptist (classic) theology and Lutheran or Methodist theology. The views of soteriology (salvation) differ quite a bit.

[snipsnsnails]

Ha, yes, a big question. Most of them are doctrinal differences that play out via sacramental and liturgical practices.

There's an age old phrase that has been taken and commonly used within theological discussions of the different mainline denominations: "In Essentials, Unity. In Non-Essentials, Liberty. In All Things, Charity."

[sugarbear]

Mar 25, 2015 14:11:49 GMT -5 Queen Mamadala said:

Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Lutherans, and the thousands of other denominations fall under the Protestant umbrella. There are over 30,000 denominations within Christendom. Heck, there are over a dozen sub-denominations within the Baptist denomination.

There are a great many doctrinal differences from, say, Baptist (classic) theology and Lutheran or Methodist theology. The views of soteriology (salvation) differ quite a bit.

This was the root of my question. I know there are many, many Protestant groups. I guess I want to know, why? And how different are they?

(And I'll go back to reading the link Lucy gave me, which is somewhat overwhelming.)

[wambam]

Such a huge question. And so much variety in the denominations you listed.

For example, a mainstream "normal" SBC Baptist and a "1611KJVONLY, independent, fundamental" IFB Baptist would both identify as Baptists even thought they couldn't be more different

[alicenelson]

I'm popping as a bookmark to read the article LHC linked.  It looks interesting.

[ninjabridemom]

Actually LHC's chart is a really good explanation.

www.religionfacts.com/christianity/charts/denominations_beliefs.htm

[spitforspat]

What if God WAS one of us? Just a slob like one of us?

[ninjabridemom]

Mar 25, 2015 14:37:21 GMT -5 @tambcat said:

I have other questions, but I don't know how to ask them! It's just something I wonder about. I know he wasn't the only person who claimed to be the Messiah, so yeah, just another guy. Except 2000 years later he's still in your face everywhere all the time. Must be kind of weird.

HEY! Sue Sue is NOT that old!

[Queen Mamadala]

Mar 25, 2015 14:14:54 GMT -5 sugarbear said:

Mar 25, 2015 14:11:49 GMT -5 Queen Mamadala said:

Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Lutherans, and the thousands of other denominations fall under the Protestant umbrella. There are over 30,000 denominations within Christendom. Heck, there are over a dozen sub-denominations within the Baptist denomination.

There are a great many doctrinal differences from, say, Baptist (classic) theology and Lutheran or Methodist theology. The views of soteriology (salvation) differ quite a bit.

This was the root of my question. I know there are many, many Protestant groups. I guess I want to know, why? And how different are they?

(And I'll go back to reading the link Lucy gave me, which is somewhat overwhelming.)

It's such a meaty and overwhelming topic, and it goes well beyond the Protestant Reformation. The splintering of groups still exists today, and it existed during the early Church. There were many different brands of theology during the days of the early Christians.

But really, it boils down to differences in interpretation, doctrine, power struggles, politics (a lot), appeasing various agendas, etc. 

If you're referring to mainstream theology, the "big" differences, at the basis, center around salvation, whether it's salvation by faith/grace, works, faith + works. There's also divergences within some Protestant denominations between Calvinism and Arminianism, and whether salvation is permanent (once saved, always saved) or can be lost should a follower become "backslidden." And then there's the big difference between infant baptism, practiced by the Methodist, Lutheran, Episcopalian, Catholic, Presbyterian, Eastern Orthodox, UCC, etc., denominations, but not by Baptist, Pentecostal, and other more fundamentalist theologies. They denounce infant baptism and instead believe in and practice "believers baptism" where the choice is made after one has accepted salvation/confessed their sins and asked Jesus into their heart a la Roman's Road.

And that's just the basic stuff. It gets really meaty when it comes to other doctrines, for instance, eternal torment, which isn't a universally held doctrine. Many early Christians denounced it, but it is a fairly mainstream concept. It just isn't a concept that exists within Jewish theology. And a lot of the more fundamentalist branches are heavy on eschatology (end times), and believe in futurism, which the Catholic Church (and other Protestant churches) do not recognize as "sound doctrine."

I'd say the "big" ones are: salvation, trinity, what  constitutes "sin," eternal torment, which text type/manuscript is better, more sound, how to approach the Tanakh, social issues, roles for men/women, relationships, lifestyle and behaviors (what to wear, watch, read, how to behave, etc.), which all come back to how the texts are interpreted. 

Are you looking for specific books and articles that delve into the history of the changes within the Church? From an academic perspective? There can be a world of differences between many denominations and sects.

[Deleted]

To put it simply, different rules.

[Queen Mamadala]

Mar 25, 2015 14:15:47 GMT -5 wambam said:

Such a huge question. And so much variety in the denominations you listed.

For example, a mainstream "normal" SBC Baptist and a "1611KJVONLY, independent, fundamental" IFB Baptist would both identify as Baptists even thought they couldn't be more different

Indeed. I was IFB many years ago. I grew up around it. My father is an apologist and youth pastor. IFB is one of the most hard core of fundamentalists sects. It makes SBC look progressive. IFB believes in OSAS and is all about KJV-onlyism. They are, or believe in, literalism and inerrantism... well, only when it's convenient for them. 

There are quite a few Baptist sects, and as I started questioning IFB doctrine I tried other Baptist churches, some were free will (Arminian), and others were so foreign to me due to the big differences in doctrine and Bible versions. Some hard core SBs still use the KJV, but more and more are using other versions. Still, anything other than the Textus Receptus is frowned upon within IFB

[wambam]

Mar 25, 2015 15:03:38 GMT -5 Queen Mamadala said:

Mar 25, 2015 14:15:47 GMT -5 wambam said:

Such a huge question. And so much variety in the denominations you listed.

For example, a mainstream "normal" SBC Baptist and a "1611KJVONLY, independent, fundamental" IFB Baptist would both identify as Baptists even thought they couldn't be more different

Indeed. I was IFB many years ago. I grew up around it. My father is an apologist and youth pastor. IFB is one of the most hard core of fundamentalists sects. It makes SBC look progressive. IFB believes in OSAS and is all about KJV-onlyism. They are, or believe in, literalism and inerrantism... well, only when it's convenient for them. 

There are quite a few Baptist sects, and as I started questioning IFB doctrine I tried other Baptist churches, some were free will (Arminian), and others were so foreign to me due to the big differences in doctrine and Bible versions. Some hard core SBs still use the KJV, but more and more are using other versions. Still, anything other than the Textus Receptus is frowned upon within IFB

If you ever come to Ohio, please let me buy you a drink or five and let me pick your brain

[elleblue]

Even the Lutheran church split into two distinct parts in the 90's - one becoming more conservative as the other shifted towards the progressive. It's actually why we stopped going to the church we attended while I was growing up.

[rugbywife]

I would agree with those who say a lot of it comes down to text interpretation and then how that interpretation is shared in sermons.

…our church is in the midst of a schism of sorts because and a lot of the issues revolve around things like why Jesus died on the cross (see the wiki entry for some of the options: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Substitutionary_atonement), interpretations of hell and the issue of homosexuality. Our pastor actually just resigned because of all the uproar. Fun times.

[Queen Mamadala]

wambam - Ohh, Ohio! Is Hyles Anderson College far from you? I don't come across too many that are familiar with IFB. It's mostly seen as fringe, even for the most evangelical of the bunch.

[wambam]

Mar 25, 2015 15:09:50 GMT -5 Queen Mamadala said:

wambam - Ohh, Ohio! Is Hyles Anderson College far from you? I don't come across too many that are familiar with IFB. It's mostly seen as fringe, even for the most evangelical of the bunch.

HAC would be about 4 hours from me.

I'm somewhat of a fundie addict.

[sugarbear]

This is fascinating. Thank you, Queen Mamadala!
I would love suggestions for further reading.

[calle28]

Thanks for sharing that link lucy. I'm bookmarking it.

[wambam]

Mar 25, 2015 15:24:15 GMT -5 @tambcat said:

My mom always told me the church that my middle school was affiliated with was IFB, but it turns out they are SBC. Makes me scared of what IFB would be like! Unless they changed their affiliation since then.

Typical IFB traits: complete authority given to the pastor - what he says goes no questions asked, skirts-only for women, sometimes headcoverings for women, homeschooling or education done in-house, no higher education for women, no-touching courtship, separation of the sexes, using only the King James Version of the bible, women cannot teach in church, sometimes women cannot even speak in church, be in church whenever the doors are open, soulwinning (door to door evangelism),  "separation" = don't go to the movie theater, don't drink alcohol, don't go to restaurants that serve alcohol...

I could go on, but I have to leave work now 

[livinitup]

Also big ones:

Roman Catholic Church
Greek Orthodox Church

The Pope = Roman Catholic

[Queen Mamadala]

Mar 25, 2015 15:18:19 GMT -5 sugarbear said:

This is fascinating. Thank you, Queen Mamadala!
I would love suggestions for further reading.

These are good articles and books I've read in the past. Some are more exhaustive than others.


www.christianorigins.com/

tentmaker.org/ (this site goes into the history of doctrine of eternal torment and why it was foreign to early Christians)

www.tertullian.org/ (delves into the early Church and Church Father(s) )

www.mountainman.com.au/

www.amazon.com/Evolution-Christs-Christianities-Jay-Raskin/dp/1413497926

www.bartdehrman.com/books.htm
www.earlychristianwritings.com/
www.frimmin.com/faith/godinall.php (Christian panentheism)
www.vexen.co.uk/religion/christianity_historical.html (early Christianity)
rosetta.reltech.org/TC/vol05/Ehrman2000b.html
www.theologicalstudies.org.uk/article_universalism_bauckham.html (Universalism -- all are saved, Christian or not)