Explore BrainMass

Explore BrainMass

    Protestantism

    Protestantism grew out of the Reformation, a movement of separation from the Catholic Church.  In modern times it generally refers to the branches of Western Christianity other than that of the Roman Catholic Church.¹ Martin Luther, a Catholic priest and monk in Germany, sent his Ninety-Five Theses to Catholic authorities in 1517 AD, identifying and protesting against what he believed to be errors in the practices of the Catholic Church.  He believed that the Church was no longer following the word of God given in the Bible.¹

    For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” Romans 1:16-17

    The Reformers established several splinter churches after the split with the Roman Catholic Church: in Germany, Lutheranism, in England, the Church of England (Anglican).¹ Protestant churches are divided into denominations based on their specific beliefs and applications of scripture (the Bible). Common denominations include Anglican, Baptist, Congregational, Lutheranism, Methodism, Presbyterianism, Reformed, and Anabaptists (a Radical Reformation denomination).¹

    There are several commonalities between traditional protestant denominations¹:

    • Scripture alone (sola scriptura): The Bible is the source of authority for the church.
    • Justification by faith (sola fide): The removal of the penalty of sin by the sacrifice of Jesus (justification) comes from faith and not works.
    • By grace alone (sola gratia): That salvation is received from the grace of God, without any merit by the person.
    • Through Christ alone (solo Christos): That salvation comes from Jesus Christ alone, and not from earthly ministers.
    • Glory to God alone (soli Deo gloria): Against the worship of anyone aside from God (Mary, the saints, or angels).

    A significant difference between protestant denominations is their beliefs of the Eucharist (Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper).  Radical reform churches further believe in adult baptism, as opposed to infant baptism.¹ Nontrinitarian denominations do not believe in the doctrine of the Trinity and Restorationalists include Mormons, Adventists, and Jehovah’s Witnesses.¹

     

     

    Image source:

    1. Wikimedia

    References:

    1. Patheos Library. Protestantism. Retrieved May 22, 2014, from http://www.patheos.com/Library/Protestantism.html

    © BrainMass Inc. brainmass.com March 28, 2024, 1:00 pm ad1c9bdddf

    BrainMass Solutions Available for Instant Download

    Themes of the Prophetic Books

    Hello! In not too long of an explanation, I have a couple of questions I am pondering during my OT studies. 1.) What are a couple of theological themes that are shared or in common with most of the prophets. 2.) Are these unique to the prophets? 3.) Why are they important?

    Ethics in the Prophets and the Pentateuch

    Do you think the prophets (major and minor) are different from the Pentateuch and earlier sections of the OT, according to traditional dating, as far as their ethical content, or is there just more of an emphasis on ethics because of the demands of their situation?

    Desiderius Erasmus: Grace and the Human Will Must Work Together

    Attached is the Philippians 2: 12-18 section from the Reformation Commentary on Scripture: Philippians and Colossians. I would like your opinion (if you were Reformed in your faith) on what Erasmus says in the blue and yellow highlighted text in the attached commentary. Separate out your thoughts for each highlighted section und

    Fear of God and Conscience

    The Ancient Hebrews had their own understanding of the "Fear of God" and the role that conscience played in exercising it wisely. So did the Puritans. Some say the Puritans really understood this concept of the Fear of God, better than any other group either in or outside Scripture. Is this correct? Just how similar could the tw

    Christianity, Catholics, Protestants, Church, Science

    What exactly, is the message of the "Good News" and why was it so revolutionary? Is an understanding of its meaning essential for understanding world history since the life and death of Jesus Christ? Why or why not? Why exactly was it important for early "Nicene" Christianity to get clear on what was essential for faith? Do y

    Conscience and fear of God.

    Grace: 1.) I am told that the Puritans really understood the Fear of God & Conscience. Why? In His Service, MVE

    Howard Thurman and Segregation

    Please provide critical reflections upon Howard Thurman's strengths, limitations, and weaknesses relative to the topic of liberation? How can Howard be challenged in his thoughts regarding liberation?

    How do Christians understand tithing?

    I had an interesting and robust discussion with some Christian friends. We discussed that some Christians believe that it is wrong to accumulate wealth. Savings demonstrates a lack of faith. One friend believes we all should give all our money away and live frugally. He also believes that it is wrong to live comfortably while ot

    Countering Open Theism

    Attached is an excerpt from the book Four Views of Divine Providence, Chapter 4: God Limits His Control; (Heading) The Open Model of Providence, (Sub-heading) Love and Freedom; contributed by Gregory A. Boyd. There are three other contributors in this book and they each state their positions and defend them as necessary. Boyd

    Creation and God

    Author and seminary professor John S. Feinberg states that "Naturalistic evolutionists claim that the origin and development of the universe can be explained in entirely natural terms in virtue of purely natural laws operating over natural phenomena. Feinberg quotes Richard Dawkins who said, "Darwin made it possible to be an int

    Independence and God

    Michael: I have been listening to both podcasts and reading Wayne Grudem's book Systematic Theology on my own. I am intrigued with the Doctrine of the Independence of God. I am filling the pulpit on occasion with a local church and I want to put a sermon together on this theme of God's Independence. I have all the text book i

    God's Love and Wrath

    In Kevin J. Vanhoozer's (Editor) book Nothing Greater, Nothing Better: Theological Essays on the Love of God; Dr. Tony Lane of London Bible College writes about the neglect of the wrath of God. Lane makes the statement saying "We need not balance God's wrath with his love, as rival attributes, but because God's love itself impli

    Trinity: Accessing God Through Christ

    1) Is it accurate to say that some people (both nominal Christians and professing Christians) believe that they can have a relationship with the Father directly without going through Christ first utilizing the Holy Spirit? 2) How can this be applied to a believer's Personal, Practical, and Ministry Work?

    The Role of Providence

    1.) What is the difference, if any, between Old Testament and New Testament divine providence? 2.) How can this be applied to a believer's Personal, Practical, and Ministry Work?

    God's Transcendance & Personhood as it Applies to Personal

    Statement: It is within the context of God's transcendence and person-hood of His attributes that are to be seen. The attributes of God are not merely philosophical conceptions they are realities that have to do with our personal and transcendent God. What is truly important is His self-revelation and how he has chosen to reveal

    Transcendence and Faith in Daily Life

    How could one apply or reflect the Transcendence and Immanence of God on: 1) Their Personal view and relationship with God? 2) Their Practical Life or Work? 3) Their Ministry Work?

    Sacrament v. Ordinance

    I believe baptism and the Lord's Supper are sacraments not just ordinances. R.C. Sproul states that "Though Protestants recognize other rites such as marriage as special ordinances, they are not recognized as attaining the level of sacraments. Sacraments are limited to: (1) those ordinances directly instituted by Christ, (2)

    Relationship of Jesus Christ, to the Holy Spirit and the oneness of God

    St. Gregory of Nazianzus provides an ancient perspective of the theological explanation for the relationship of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit to the Oneness of God as taught in the Old Testament. Modern writers like Gordon Fee in his book Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God suggests that the Apostle Paul was less interest

    Made in God's Image

    The "Image of God means that we consist of the same traits such as knowledge, righteousness, holiness, therefore moral likeness." Is this the same as God having communicable and incommunicable attributes and that we share or should share the communicable attributes?

    Prophecy and Biblical Inerrancy

    Is there a tie or relationship between prophecy and Biblical inerrancy. Please provide me your brief insight to this subject? Perhaps some scriptural reference and other published references.

    Understanding Why the Bible Is Inerrant

    My church believe that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, infallible word of God. Please help me better understand why the Bible is specifically inerrant and how you would defend that. In addition to the Bible claiming that it is inerrant, who else in the Reformed "camp" does a good job explaining this? Please point me to thei

    Systematics: Relevance and Relation to Other Theologies

    See the attachment. Based off the definition of systematic theology by B. A. Demarest: 1.) I need a little assistance in better understanding how systematic theology relates to three other well-known disciplines of theology: biblical theology, historical theology, and philosophical theology. 2.) Do you believe that one

    Dirty Work of Servanthood Evangelism

    After speaking with several Christian friends about their evangelism experiences they told me that "dealing with lost people will cause us to get our hands dirty and sweaty just like tending to yard work. I believe that part of evangelism is to clear up misconceptions and misperceptions people have about the gospel. I am learnin

    Biblical Interpretation

    Please respond with relatively short answers. 1.) In regards to Bible interpretation or hermeneutics what's the difference between "meaning" and "application?" 2.) What are some basic steps to apply the meaning or principle of a text. 3.) What are some mistakes to avoid? 3.) If we look at 1 Timothy 6:10a, what woul

    Biblical Literary Meaning, Allegory, & Typology

    I am looking for relatively short responses to my below questions. 1.) How can I best explain to my interested friends the difference between "reader response" and "authorial intent"? 2.) Why is the issue of communication important to the the discussion of authorial intent? 3.) Who controls the meaning in interpretatio

    Principles of Biblical Interpretation

    After having a great conversation with some friends in regards to interpreting Scripture I came away with a series of questions: 1.) How important is "literary context" to understanding the Bible properly? 2.) What are several principles that I could use to guide me in my practice of interpretation? 3.) What is the di

    Jarena Lee

    Based on her life and religious experiences (autobiography). What do these aspects tell one about race and gender in early nineteenth-Century America?