Complete Guide to Christian Denominations , livre ebook

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Do you ever wonder what the difference is between one denomination and another? Why are there so many kinds of Baptist or Presbyterian or Lutheran churches? Where do those names come from, anyway? You can find answers in this concise but comprehensive guide. Learn about the leaders, teachings, and history of most of the church families in America. In addition to membership statistics, you'll find...a brief explanation of how the denomination began; a short summary of its teaching on God, the Bible, the church, and other important topics; and a quick overview of some of its distinctive characteristics. Whether you're looking for a new church or enriching your fellowship with believers from other traditions, you'll be much better prepared with this revised and expanded edition of The Complete Guide to Christian Denominations.

Sujets

Philosophie et théologie

Christianity

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Publié par	Harvest House Publishers, Inc.
Date de parution	01 janvier 2005
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9780736931373
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0738€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE, OREGON
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION . NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Verses marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
Verses marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible , 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. ( www.Lockman.org )
Cover by Terry Dugan Design, Minneapolis, Minnesota
THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO CHRISTIAN DENOMINATIONS
Copyright 2005 by Ron Rhodes
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rhodes, Ron.
The complete guide to Christian denominations / Ron Rhodes.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-7369-1289-4 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-0-7369-3137-3 (eBook)
1. Protestant churches-United States. 2. Protestant churches-Doctrines. I. Title.
BR516.5.R47 2005
280 .4-dc22
2004017507
All rights reserved. No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The authorized purchaser has been granted a nontransferable, nonexclusive, and noncommercial right to access and view this electronic publication, and purchaser agrees to do so only in accordance with the terms of use under which it was purchased or transmitted. Participation in or encouragement of piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of author s and publisher s rights is strictly prohibited.
D EDICATION
In honor of the head of the church (Ephesians 5:23), who purchased the church with His own blood (Acts 20:28)-Jesus Christ
A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
Researching every denomination in this book required considerable effort. Representatives of many of these denominations made the task easier by pointing me to helpful information regarding their groups. To these individuals-too many to list-I offer a heartfelt thanks.
Kerri, David, and Kylie (my wife and children)-as always, I could not have written this book without your continued support. God has used you mightily in my life!
C ONTENTS
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Beginnings: The Emergence of Christianity and Denominations
1. Adventist Churches
2. Baptist Churches
3. Brethren Churches
4. Catholic Churches
5. Christian Churches
6. Congregational Churches
7. Episcopal and Anglican Churches
8. Friends (Quaker) Churches
9. Fundamentalist and Bible Churches
10. Holiness Churches
11. Lutheran Churches
12. Mennonite Churches
13. Methodist Churches
14. Orthodox Churches
15. Pentecostal Churches
16. Presbyterian Churches
17. Reformed Churches
Notes
Bibliography
Index of Persons
Chart Index
About the Author
B EGINNINGS: T HE E MERGENCE OF C HRISTIANITY AND D ENOMINATIONS
T HE WORD C HRISTIAN IS USED only three times in the New Testament, most importantly in Acts 11:26 (see also Acts 26:28 and 1 Peter 4:16). In Acts 11:26, we are told simply and straightforwardly, The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. This would have happened around A.D. 42, about a decade after Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead.
Until this time, the followers of Jesus had been known among themselves by such terms as brothers (Acts 15:1,23), disciples (Acts 9:26), believers (Acts 5:12), and saints (Romans 8:27). Now, in Antioch, they were called Christians.
The term is loaded with significance. Among the ancients, the ian ending meant belonging to the party of. Herodians belonged to the party of Herod. Caesarians belonged to the party of Caesar. Christians belonged to Christ. And Christians were loyal to Christ, just as the Herodians were loyal to Herod and Caesarians were loyal to Caesar (see Mark 3:6; 12:13).
The name Christian is noteworthy because these followers of Jesus were recognized as a separate group. They were distinct from Judaism and from all other religions of the ancient world. We might loosely translate the term Christian, those belonging to Christ, Christ-ones, or perhaps Christ-people. They are ones who follow the Christ.
Those who have studied the culture of Antioch have noted that the Antiochans were well-known for making fun of people. They may have used the word Christian as a term of derision, an appellation of ridicule. Nevertheless, history reveals that by the second century, Christians adopted the title as a badge of honor. They took pride (in a healthy way) in following Jesus. They had a genuine relationship with the living, resurrected Christ, and they were utterly faithful to Him, even in the face of death.
The city of Antioch was a mixture of Jews and Gentiles. People of both backgrounds in this city became followers of Jesus. What brought these believers unity was not their race, culture, or language. Rather, their unity was rooted in the personal relationship each of them had with Jesus. Christianity crosses all cultural and ethnic boundaries.
If a Christian is one who has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, then Christianity is a collective group of people who have personal relationships with Jesus Christ. This may sound simplistic, but from a biblical perspective, this is the proper starting point.
In the New Testament, the early Christians never referred to their collective movement as Christianity, even though they used the term Christian with greater frequency as the movement grew in numbers. By the time of Augustine ( A.D. 354-430), the term Christianity appears to have become a widespread appellation for the Christian movement.
The Birth of the Church
Scripture refers to both the universal church and the local church. The universal church is a company of people who have one Lord and who share together in one gift of salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ (Titus 1:4; Jude 3). It may be defined as the ever enlarging body of born-again believers who comprise the universal body of Christ, over which He reigns as Lord.
Although the members of the church-and members of different denominations-may differ in age, sex, race, wealth, social status, and ability, true believers are all joined together as one people (Galatians 3:28). All of them share in one Spirit and worship one Lord (Ephesians 4:3-6). This body is comprised of only believers in Christ. The way one becomes a member of this universal body is to simply place faith in Christ. If you are a believer, you are in!
The word church is translated from the Greek word ekklesia. This Greek word comes from two smaller words. The first is ek , which means out from among. The second is klesia , which means to call. Combining the two words, ekklesia means to call out from among. The church represents those whom God has called out from among the world. And those God has called come from all walks of life. All are welcome in Christ s church.
Many theologians believe the church did not exist in Old Testament times (I think they are right). Matthew 16:18 cites Jesus as saying that I will build my church (future tense). This indicates that at the moment He spoke these words, the church was not yet existent. This is consistent with the Old Testament, which includes no reference to the church. In the New Testament, the church is portrayed as distinct from Israel in such passages as Romans 9:6, 1 Corinthians 10:32; and Hebrews 12:22-24. Therefore, we should not equate the church with believing Israelites in Old Testament times.
Scripture indicates that the universal church was born on the Day of Pentecost (see Acts 2; compare with 1:5; 11:15; 1 Corinthians 12:13). We are told in Ephesians 1:19-20 that the church is built on the foundation of Christ s resurrection, meaning that the church could not have existed in Old Testament times. The church is thus called a new man in Ephesians 2:15.
The one universal church is represented by many local churches scattered throughout the world. For example, we read of a local church in Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:2), and another in Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 1:1). Only a few local churches existed at first, but due to the missionary efforts of the early Christians, churches soon cropped up around the globe.
F AST F ACTS ON
the Church

The New Testament strongly urges believers to attend local churches. Hebrews 10:25 specifically instructs us not to forsake meeting together. The Christian life as described in Scripture is to be lived within the context of the family of God and not in isolation (Acts 2; Ephesians 3:14-15). Moreover, by attending church, we become equipped for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:12-16). The Bible knows nothing of a lone ranger Christian. As the old proverb says, many logs together burn very brightly, but when a log falls off to the side, the embers quickly die out (see Ephesians 2:19; 1 Thessalonians 5:10-11; and 1 Peter 3:8).
The Spread of Christianity
Christianity experienced phenomenal growth following the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We learn in Acts 1:15 that about 120 Jewish believers in Christ gathered in Jerusalem. A bit later, after Peter s powerful sermon, 3000 people became believers on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:41). The number soon grew to 5000 (Acts 4:4). Soon enough, the Samaritans-viewed as unclean by the Jews-were added to the church (see Acts 8:5-25), as were the Gentiles (see Acts 10; 13-28).
In Acts 1:8 the Lord instructed His disciples: You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. The rest of the book of Acts is a historical account of how Paul, Peter, and others empowered by