S
sola_scriptura
Guest
A little clarity on this list. Christian Science is not a Protestant faith (in fact it isn’t even a Christian faith). Unitarian Universalists are also no longer Christian – they welcome Jews, atheists, Hindu’s, or whatever (just go on their web site – they openly admit this).
The rest look like they came out of your phone book. They are all “Bible believing” churches, as is the Catholic church.
In many cases the differences have little to do with theology these days – it’s mostly cultural. Some prefer a “high church” atmosphere (with a liturgy similar to the Catholic church), others like contemporary music, others like to sing Gospel music and clap their hands, etc.
Among serious Protestants the biggest divide is over soteriology.
Reformed churches, such as the Presbyterian churches believe we are saved by particular grace (they disagree that divine grace is universally bestowed on all people in the same fashion). This idea is typically associated with John Calvin (but it also finds roots in the soteriology of Martin Luther and Saint Augustine of Hippo).
Then there are Arminian churches – like Methodists, holiness movement churches (i.e. Pentecostal), etc. The Catholic churches have come to adopt what is essentially the Arminian position on soteriology (what we in the reformed community would term as semi-pelagian). This is the idea that man has absolute free will and God passively bestows the same grace on all of humanity – and predestines the faithful by looking down the tunnel of time and seeing who chooses what (in essence under Arminian soteriology we choose God He does not choose us). The roots of this doctrine was Jacob Arminius (a Dutch theologian) and John Wesley (an English Anglican priest, who founded the Methodist church).
You can research these differences. The Arminian view is best summarized by the Articles of the Remonstrants, while the Calvinist view is referred to as the “five points of Calvinism” (otherwise named TULIP). Within these broad theological categories views vary. This is similar to the divergence of views found in the Catholic church (for instance Augustine had a much different view of soteriology as compared with Luis Molina, an important 16th century Jesuit priest who authored a theory that attempted to make free will compatible with divine omniscience).
The one continuum among Protestants is that we still recognize those who hold different views of soteriology to be Christians (and no less saved than any other Christian – as long as they retain a sincere, enduring, and obedient faith).
There is also the Baptist churches (which are not only those expressly called Baptist) who believe that immersion Baptism at an older age (typically at least 13, when it is assumed one can form a cognizant faith) is the only proper form of Baptism. This is a minority view in Christianity (these churches also typically do not recognize the early Christian creeds, such as the Apostolic & Nicene, while nearly all “mainline” protestant denominations do).
Finally there is the charismatic movement, which is also growing within the Catholic church. This movement began as Pentecostal in nature – but now crosses denominational lines. These Christians engage in the practice of “speaking in tongues” (and some believe it’s a requisite “witness” to an indwelling of the Spirit). The charismatic movement is by far the fastest growing segment of Christianity (it’s the first Protestant initiated movement that I can think of that has crossed into Catholicism). The basis for this practice is found at Pentecost in the book of Acts. More traditional reformed denominations reject the validity of this practice (holding to what’s called a “cessationist” view – or the view that these spiritual gifts ended or at least largely ended at the outset of the Apostolic age).
I hope this summary helps?
)