There are several churches in existence, and understanding their differences can be somewhat perplexing whether you’re unfamiliar with Christianity or not. Though their views on Jesus and His relationship with God and people differ, they all believe in Him. Occasionally, the variations are not very noticeable. They can occasionally be significant. I want to give a very quick explanation of the main Christian faiths and how they differ from one another in this essay.
Three major groupings of Christianity
Nowadays, there are three main Christian denominations in the world: Protestant, Eastern Orthodox, and Roman Catholic. Numerous Christian denominations, including Lutheran, Anglican, Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, and Pentecostal, fall within the broad category of Protestantism.
However, if we rewind in history to the time just after Jesus died, there were no Christians denominations. There were just Christians. As time went on, however, people started to disagree about who Jesus was, what He wanted from us, and how churches should be led. The first major division in the church was in 1054 AD, when the church divided into the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. There were lots of issues involved, but the major one was leadership. The church was led by five bishops in five cities who were equal to each other in authority. But the bishop in Rome thought that God wanted Him to have authority over the other four. They disagreed, thus the split. The bishop at Rome is now called the Pope.
After around 500 years, the Roman Catholic Church was the dominant force in Europe and faced several challenges. Some Catholics revolted against the injustices and corruption they witnessed and called for changes to the doctrine and moral life of the Roman Catholic Church. Those who were pushing for reform and protesting were viewed by the Pope and the Catholic establishment as dangerous rebels. These so-called rebels believed themselves to be devout Christians who cherished the church and God. However, in the end, the two sides were unable to come to an agreement, and the Reformers were either expelled from the Catholic Church or left. They were called Protestants because they opposed Catholic faults. Protestantism and Catholicism split up Europe.
Protestantism was a movement centered on shared views regarding the Bible and salvation rather than a specific denomination. Protestants hold the following beliefs:
- The authority of the Bible alone
- as opposed to the Bible’s authority plus church tradition plus the Pope.
- Salvation by grace alone through faith alone
- Instead of salvation by grace and good works.
The main distinction between Protestants and Roman Catholics is found in those two areas.
What are the difference among Protestants? Here is a super quick list.
Lutheran, Presbyterian, Reformed, and some Anglican churches hold that God predetermined who He would save before the foundation of the world and that God selects us before we have the ability to choose Him. However, Methodists and a large number of Baptists hold that God has simply made salvation possible and that it is up to us to choose Him.
Baptists, many independent or non-denominational churches, and Pentecostals believe that only adults should be baptized after they have made a decision to follow Christ. Lutheran, Anglican, Presbyterian, Reformed, and Methodist churches, however, are happy to baptize the infant children of church members. Speaking of baptism, Pentecostals also believe that Christians should seek a second baptism by the Holy Spirit. This is not done with water but is a spiritual experience that gives you additional power to live the Christian life. The words “Pentecostal” and “charismatic” are sometimes used interchangeably, but generally speaking “Pentecostal” describes various denominations that believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and that miraculous gifts like speaking in tongues and prophecy should be part of the church today. Charismatics hold these beliefs too, but they are generally part of other denominations that wouldn’t necessarily call themselves Pentecostal.
What comes next, if you’ve followed along thus far, may seem a little unclear. In theory, the Anglican Church (also known as the Church of England) belongs to Protestantism, and many of its churches share Protestant beliefs and practices. Nonetheless, a few of their churches adhere to strict Catholic doctrine and practice—despite not being Pope-following.
Furthermore, many of the historical teachings of various churches have been abandoned, particularly Protestant churches in Western nations. Even if their church sign still reads “Presbyterian” or “Baptist,” they may not hold the same historical beliefs as Presbyterians or Baptists. Their focus lies on assisting individuals in enhancing their lives by pragmatic and spiritual approaches, which may or may not be connected to the Bible.
I hope you found this brief synopsis useful. If you’re interested in learning more, visit a few different churches and inquire with different Christians about their beliefs. There are thousands of church denominations worldwide. Continue studying!
