To properly label a Christian an evangelical Protestant, one must ask four basic questions and receive an answer that as a whole, evangelical Protestants accept as “correct”. The questions are: “[W]hat must a person do to be saved?[, W]here does religious authority lie?[, W]hat is the church?[,] and [W]hat is the essence of Christian living?” (“Evangelicalism”, Dictionary of Christianity in America) Through answering and receiving the “correct” responses, one should be able to define an evangelical Protestant. The answer to the first question is found in Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God[.]” One must have faith in Jesus Christ by accepting who He claims to be, the Son of God who is God. (John 1:1-4, 3:16-17, 14:6) In accepting God’s grace, one rejects the Roman Catholic belief of …show more content…
(“Evangelical Protestantism”) In believing this, evangelical Protestants acknowledge that the Bible is inspired by God for His believers to gain knowledge and understanding. To answer the question, “[W]hat is the church?” (“Evangelicalism”, Dictionary of Christianity in America) evangelical Protestants will reply that the Church is a communion of people drawn together by their common faith in God. “As a people whom God calls together in Christ[,]” (Von Allmen, 54) the term Body of Christ as well as “priesthood of believers” (1 Peter 2:9) is used to describe Christians, too. Finally, “[W]hat is the essence of Christian living?” (“Evangelicalism”, Dictionary of Christianity in America) An evangelical Protestant answer may involve “serving God in one’s calling whether in secular or ecclesiastical life. All useful callings are equally sacred in God’s eyes.” (“Evangelicalism”, Dictionary of Christianity in
The true meaning of Christian in CCU is defined by this Evangelical orientation, which transcends denominational boundaries. These beliefs in action are defined by four distinct concepts. The first being conversionism, which is the belief that lives need to be changed. Next activism, the expression of the gospel in effort. Biblicism, a particular regard for the bible and finally crucicentrism, a stress on the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. (Session 1 Biblical perspective, n.d.)
The identification of Christian comes from the meaning of being followers of Christ and intending to be Christ like. Christ-like elements consist of humility, obedience, kindness, wisdom, courage, selflessness, and most importantly love. To call one a Christian would mean to follow and believe the teachings of Christ and the word of God. Recent publicized altercations in various cities and states around America between law enforcement and citizens have prompted civil unrest. While these incidence are not new to our society it has brought some to question what level of power we give government agents and whether God designated their authority. More importantly, many look to what position the church should advocate. As a Christian, I believe
The renaissance period marked radical changes in many fields, this includes religion. The so-called Protestant Reformation was the split within western Christian Church initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin, and other early Protestants. Calls for reform came form all sectors of the European society and it is this dissatisfaction that explains why the ideas of Martin Luther evoked such extreme responses, there was already a ready audience. Although there had been significant attempts at reform before Luther, the date usually given for the start of the Protestant Reformation is 1517, when Luther published The Ninety-Five Theses. As he developed his ideas, Luther gathered followers, who came to be called Protestants. The word protestant
Next, there are the sects who become denominations. Denominations according to the book Anatomy of the Sacred means a form of religious institution that is different from the Protestant Christianity and is often juxtaposed with state established churches and sects meaning its just a branch of Christianity. An example of a demonization is Baptist churches. Characteristics include them having a trained minister unlike the sects as well, as they are not as strict and follow fewer rules than a sect
Emerging church proponents respect the Bible. Brian McLaren writes, “I believe it [the Bible] is a gift from God, inspired by God, to benefit us in the most important way possible:
Pentecostalism originated in 1901 in Topeka, Kansas. A woman named Agnes Ozman claimed to become baptized with the Holy Spirit of God, and she started to speak in an unknown “tongue”. After this event occurred, multiple events like these occurred in other places. This practice of Pentecostalism was an addition to the Holiness Movement. In 1906, in Los Angeles, California, there was more documentation of “tongues” being spoken. Having the experience of speaking in other languages is called glossolalia. At the Azusa Street Mission, blacks and whites gathered together for worship, which spread the early Pentecostal Movement. During this time the
The Four Spiritual Laws is an intellectual method of evangelism, which, as it’s title suggests, identifies four spiritual laws that direct an individual’s relationship with God. It was created by Dr. Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, in 1952. The four laws, as sited on CampusCrusade.com, are: (1) God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life. (2) Man is sinful and separated from God. Therefore, he cannot know and experience God’s love and plan for his life. (3) Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for man’s sin. Through Him you can know and experience God’s love and plan for your life. (4) We must individually receive Jesus
For centuries America’s top religious group has been the protestants The protestant denomination in declining at a rapid rate. Fewer than half of the people say that they are Protestants,which is a steep decline from forty years ago when Protestant churches claimed the loyalty of more than two-thirds of the population. The percentage of Protestant adults in the United States has reached an all time low of forty eight percent. One great reason for this decline in the protestant churches is that when the members decided to leave the brand instead of switching to another they just dropped any religious affiliation at all. Today, one in five Americans claim no religion at all, these people are referred to as the “nones”.
Nations crumble, churches and business fail, families become dysfunctional, children lose their way, and men stray from God for one disturbing reason; lack of leadership. These failures are often because of the lack of instruction, proper leadership, and confusion over what Christian leadership is and how that leadership is applicable to every facet of business and personal life.
Protestant is one of the three major branches of Christianity, alone with Roman Catholicism core belief in the doctrine of the trinity and the divinity of Jesus. It is composed of hundreds of denominations with an expansive variety of doctrines, ritual, and religious practices.
“Whoever he is,” he says, “and whatever sort he is, he is not a Christian who is not in the Church of Christ.”
was owed a great sum of money by one of his servants. The king let the
Christianity is the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Most followers of Christianity, called Christians, are members of one of three major groups--Roman Catholic, Protestant, or Eastern Orthodox. These groups have different beliefs about Jesus and His teachings. But all consider Jesus central to their religion. Most Christians believe God sent Jesus into the world as the Savior. Christianity teaches that humanity can achieve salvation through Jesus.
Gonzales, Justo L. The Story of Christianity: The Early Church to the Present Day. Peabody,
It is a pleasure for me to recommend Christian Gipson to The Kinkaid School. I have personally known Christian for the past five years and can attest to his character, personality, and academic ability.