Brethren Essay

The Protestant Reformation period took place from the 1500s to the 1600s. This reformation was a change in the Roman Catholic Church. It happened due to some priests' and believers' opinions that contradicted a few of the Catholic Church's ideals and practices. It separated the former Catholic religion into branches; including Lutheranism, Anglicanism, Calvinism, and Anabaptism, each branch having different, although very similar, beliefs. Lutheranism, for example, is very different from Calvinism. These newly created branches changed Church unity forever and they have survived and grown for centuries.

American Baptists & Roger Williams - Developed a great variety of sects; all shared beliefs that rebaptism usually by total immersion was necessary when believers reached maturity; while some remained Calvinists (predestination) others came to believe in salvation by free will

Although the Protestant Reformers (i.e., Luther, and Zwingli) challenged the Roman Catholic Church to return to Scripture as the primary source of Christian theology, members of other groups believed Luther and Zwingli failed to include the New Testament teachings on the difference between the church and society. As a result, a group of Protestant radicals led by Georg Blaurock and Conrad Grebel founded a new congregation that became known as the Anabaptist. The split occurred when the radicals could not convince Zwingli to agree with their views on the connection between the civic community and the religious community. Consequently, the Anabaptist and later the Mennonites expanded on the Protestant Reformation. In

Looking past church’s names and denominations, that usually separate churchgoers on any given Sunday, everyone was on one accord, as all hearts and minds were focused on the one thing each had in common---their love for God and his children.

Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) founded in 1845 at Augusta, Georgia, is the largest Protestant denomination in the United States. The name itself tells us the geographical location of where the most number of these churches were founded. Although primarily found in the southern region of the United States, in recent years they have expanded to all regions of the country. “Due to its expansion their annual convention has been held in cities outside of the southern area, therefore giving the name “Southern” a large misconception” (Mead, Hill, & Atwood, 2001, p. 64)

The theology of Frelinghuysen spread to other denominations throughout the colonies in America, and brought about a restructuring of the religious doctrine, beliefs, and

Reformation Catholic church split and new churches formed: Lutheran, Anglicans, and Calvinists. The results of this were religious wars for thirty years( thirty years war).

By the 1830s, the Protestant denomination which I am personally familiar with, had begun a few violent attacks against the Catholic, because of their republican values. Later in the same decade, the Protestants again ignited fire into a convention, here in Massachusetts related to difference in views. Within these 35 diverse Christian denominations, 50,873,000 members are Roman Catholic (Catholic) hence the largest. Other equally functional denominations are Baptist, Pentecostal, and several others; says a recent American Religious Identification Survey. (35 Largest Christian Denominations in the United States). While there are numerous varieties of their divide, the onset of Christian community emphatically, traces to only one unified community. Since its establishment in the 1st century, the Christian community was founded on the doctrines of Jesus of Nazareth, which rather contributes to the wellbeing of communities, regardless of whether their views aligned with theirs or not. Starting with the apostle Paul, several

Who shared common backgrounds, common experiences and common realities. Religious freedoms develop experiences of a common existence which transcend beyond the individual but loom on the threshold of a collective body. Theological perspectives, rituals, and styles of worship emerged. This is why I ponder the negatives associated with religious separation. Since tearing down the bondage of segregation; the church has yet to experience a great surge of integration. James Baldwin, as well as many others, contend the most segregated day or hour in America is on Sunday. These words are spoken with much contrition, as to say there is something profoundly wrong with this situation. How can Christians call themselves Christians, yet separate themselves based on social and cultural differences during their hour of worship? The religious experience is not only a spiritual connection and oneness with God, but a collective oneness of self; viewing one’s own identity through the lens of cultural experiences. This is not say separation is an evil perpetuating religious divineness; but a necessity to maintain one’s identity. There is no solid foundation for religious integration; for

The competition between denominations has taken away from the glorification of Jesus Christ. This also has lead people to think that denominations cause a division among Christians. When a denomination does not align with the Word of God and removes or inserts other implications to the written Word, it dilutes the authentic meaning of the Holy Bible. In having confidence that God composed every single word in the Holy Bible, I believe it is important to adhere to and believe in the Holy Bible in its entirety. The Southern Baptist denomination believes in the entire Bible, in the manner in which it was written, and promotes its members to live so

Baptists sprouted in seventeenth century England when the Puritan-Separatist movement began. The Puritans and Separatists understood that the jurisdiction of the Church of England, which was headed by the king, was corrupt. Although the Separatists wanted to completely sever themselves from the Church of England, the Puritans believed they could “purify” it from within. Despite their differences, both groups wanted to read their Bibles and live how the Scriptures directly instructed them. Bravely, they followed what they believed was right. When a new member joined the contemporary churches, he or she was baptized, leading the groups to eventually be dubbed as the “Baptists.” At that point, most churches had replaced full immersion with sprinkling.

The different denominations that we have today are a result of the reformation of Christianity. The reformation was a big turning point that allowed for the flow of different ideas of what

The Protestant Reformation called the Protestant Revolt and known too many as The Reformation. This movement was the European Christian reform movement this was the beginning of Protestantism the branch of

Over the years, many models have been developed and implemented to endeavor to make disciples. Some of the models have been effective and others have not. Among some of the most biblical and efficient models are the ones that involve small groups. Within the small groups models, they can be broken down into further detail, such as pastoral involvement, the church’s goal, missions mindedness, etc. In this paper, I will explain my philosophy of small groups in a church and the importance of the relational group in authentic disciple making. I will also explain how missional groups can help the body of Christ move out into the community. Finally, I will summarize my status in regards to living in community with other believers and being missional with that community.

In Baptist history there has always been differences in doctrine. This has unfortunately resulted, at times, to separate believers from one another. This can be evident from comparing two American Baptist confessions. The most notable difference in doctrine between The Philadelphia Confession of 1742 and A Treatise on the Faith of the Free Will Baptists, 1834 and 1948 is the doctrine of Calvinism versus free-will. The Philadelphia Confession supported Calvinism and the Free Will Baptists supported Arminianism. A closer look at these two confessions show that throughout Baptist history certain doctrines remain constant while others are debated and cause separation of believers. However, this has not stopped the Gospel message to be preached