In the early centuries of its existence, the Christian church was undivided, but as the centuries passed separations occurred. These were mostly the result of strong differences in beliefs: The Eastern churches broke with those in the West in 1054; the Protestant Reformation began in 1517. There have been other splits, even within denominations, over the years. Ecumenism, or the ecumenical movement, of the 20th century is a recognition that the church is not united; and it is, as well, a strong attempt to seek and express the unity that Christianity once had. (Read Christianity; Reformation.)
Prior to the 20th century there were few attempts to heal the breaches between denominations. One major exception was the persistent overtures made by the Eastern Orthodox churches, specifically the Church of Constantinople, to make common cause with other denominations. These attempts did not come to fruition until the 20th century.
Since 1900, and especially since 1950, there have been several successful undertakings that have brought most Christian denominations closer together. These endeavors have operated at several levels: intra-denominational mergers; interdenominational mergers or discussions; national interdenominational agencies; and international agencies.
Much of the drive behind the modern ecumenical movement came from the International Missionary Conference at Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1910. This was followed by the International Missionary Council of 1921, the founding of the Life and Work Conferences in 1925, and the founding of the Faith and Order Conferences in 1927. These movements were incorporated into the World Council of Churches, founded in 1948.
The World Council is today the chief agency of Christian international cooperation. Among those who inspired this cooperation were John R. Mott of the United States; Nathan Soderblom, primate of Sweden; William Temple, archbishop of Canterbury, and G.K.A. Bell, bishop of Chichester, England; Germanos, bishop of Thyateira (Greek Orthodox church); and W.A. Visser t'Hooft of The Netherlands.
The Roman Catholic church is not a member of the World Council, though
it sends observers to its meetings. But the Roman church has done a great
deal to promote ecumenism through the work of the Second Vatican Council,
held from 1962 to 1965, that was convened by Pope John XXIII. His successors
Paul VI and John Paul II have continued to support the movement toward
unity. The efforts by the Roman church are carried out through the Secretariat
for the Promotion of Christian Unity, which accepts the idea of unity within
diversity and works for dialogue to bring churches closer together.
Some of the knowned denominations and terms
ASCETICISM:
Practice of self-denial; with Greeks meant discipline practiced by
athletes; with early Christians and other religionists meant extreme self-denial
and fasting to gain spiritual strength
FUNDAMENTALISM:
In Christianity, religious movement in Protestant churches in United
States that caused much conflict; term refers to "fundamentals" that adherents
believed were necessary to Christian religion, such as literal interpretation
of Bible
EPISCOPALIANS:
It's very similar to Roman Catholicism only it follws more closely
doctrine from its Anglican (Church of England) roots. Episcopalians do
not follow the Pope. According to most who are familiar with it, they have
a much better liturgy that the Roman Church is envious of.
ECUMENISM: There is a Greek word oikos, meaning "household"; and closely related to it is oikoumene, meaning "the inhabited world." From the latter is derived the relatively modern term ecumenism, which is used by Christian denominations to suggest the whole "household of God."
LUTHERANISM:
With more than 68 million members throughout the world, the Lutheran
churches today constitute the largest denomination to emerge from the Protestant
Reformation that began in Germany in 1517. (See also Luther; Reformation.)
The greatest number of Lutherans, more than 50 million, live in Europe,
and there are more than 9 million in North America. Through foreign missions,
large Lutheran contingents have also developed in Latin America, Asia,
Africa, and Australia.
MONASTICISM:
It never established itself permanently in Judaism. There were, from
the 2nd century BC onward, some groups that opposed
the Temple worship at Jerusalem. They also were adamantly against the compromises
that Jewish leaders made with the Roman authorities. These groups were
separatist, nonconformist, and rebellious. There was little basis in the
Hebrew Bible, however, for asceticism. That collection of books depicts
the world as essentially good because it is God's creation. Christianity's
scriptures take the same position and therefore give little direct support
for a life of asceticism.
METHODISM:
The teachings of the Methodist church are rooted in the sermons and
Biblical notes of Wesley. As a Protestant denomination it accepts the Bible
as the authority for belief and practice. It also accepts the traditional
creeds of the ancient church as well as the sacraments of baptism and Holy
Communion. The doctrines were stated by Wesley in his Twenty-five Articles
of Religion, an abbreviation of the Anglican Communion's Thirty-nine Articles.
For worship he revised the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. Methodists have
always been open to relationships with other denominations and have therefore
taken a lead in the 20th-century ecumenical movement.
MORMONS, or LATTER-DAY SAINTS.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, more
commonly known as the Mormons, was founded by Joseph Smith in 1830. Non-Mormon
scholars say that Smith combined elements of Judaism and Christianity with
several distinctive features of his own creation. The organization that
grew out of Smith's teachings differs markedly from traditional Christianity.
The basic Mormon scripture is the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is
accepted as a supplement to the Bible, rather than as a substitute for
it. Other scriptures are the Pearl of Great Price, Book of Abraham, and
Book of Moses.
PENTECOSTALS:
Christian denominations celebrate the festival of Pentecost 50 days
after Easter. The celebration is based on an account in the New Testament's
Acts of the Apostles in which the Holy Spirit appears to the disciples
of Jesus in the form of tongues of fire. This appearance of the Holy Spirit,
endowing the disciples with certain gifts and powers, enabled them to found
the earliest churches
Pentecostals have never united into one denomination. Instead, a variety of groups emerged, differing among each other in matters of belief, organization, and forms of worship. Many Pentecostals who are members of older denominations use the term charismatics to set themselves apart. Some of the larger, purely Pentecostal, groups are the Assemblies of God, the Church of God, the Church of God in Christ, the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, the Pentecostal Church of God in America, the Pentecostal Holiness Church, and the United Pentecostal Church. The larger groups are associated in the Pentecostal World Conference.
PROTESTANTISM:
Today the word Protestantism is used to refer to most Christian denominations
and sects that do not form part of the Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox
groups. Included within the framework of Protestantism are the Anglican
Communion, Adventists, Baptists, Brethren, the Church of God, Disciples
of Christ, Friends (or Quakers), Lutherans, Methodists, Mennonites, Moravians,
Pentecostals, Presbyterians, Reformed groups, Shakers, United Church of
Christ, all Christian fundamentalists, and many more. Because it is used
to cover such a diverse assortment of more than 400 separate organizations
and many extremes of teaching, the word is almost devoid of any doctrinal
meaning.
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