This is a overview summary, primarily for my own reference, as an attempt to understand the distinctives that divide as well as the commonalities that unite Christendom.
Denomination | 🚼 | B Mode | B Sign. | Comm. | Polity | Pr. | ♀ | ⚢⚣ | Esch. | Canon | Insp./Inerr./Infall. | Soter. | Theo. | Chr. | Pneum. (C/C) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eccl. | Esch. | Scripture | Soter. | Theo. | ||||||||||||
Anglican | yes | various | regeneration | C | episc. | ordained | some bishop; most priest, deacon | H | E | OT, NT | III | S | trin. | hypostatic union | proceeds from Father and Son, works through church | N |
Apostolic Pentecostal | no | submersion | regeneration (along with spiritual baptism) | C | P | all believers | O | H | E | OT, NT | III | arminian | nontrin. | C | directly active today | N |
Assemblies of God | no | submersion | symbolic proclamation of faith | C | presby./congr. | all believers | O | H | E | OT, NT | yes/yes/yes | arminian | trin. | hypostatic union | proceeds from Father and Son, directly active today | N |
Baptist | no | submersion | symbolic proclamation of faith | C | congr. (some episc.) | all believers | some[1] | H | E | OT, NT | III | arminian (some calvinism) | trin. | hypostatic union | proceeds from Father and Son, works through church | N |
Baptist, National (America) | B | B | B | C | P | P | O | H | E | OT, NT | III | S | T | C | P | split from USA denom., ~⅓ its size |
Baptist, National (USA) | B | B | B | C | P | P | O | H | E | OT, NT | III | S | T | C | P | ½ as large as SBC |
Baptist, Progressive National | B | B | B | C | P | P | O | H | E | OT, NT | III | S | T | C | P | split from USA denom., ~¼ its size |
Baptist, Southern | B | B | B | C | P | P | O | H | E | OT, NT | III | S | T | C | P | largest Protestant denom. in US |
Catholic | yes | affusion (Latin), immersion (Eastern) | B | C | episc. | ordained, celibate for life | no | H | E | OT, NT, D | III | synergism w/o total depravity | trin. | hypostatic union, Mary as mediatrix and co-redemptrix | proceeds from Father and Son, works through church | N |
Christian and Missionary Alliance | B | B | B | C | mixed | P | O | H | premill. | OT, NT | yes/yes/? | S | T | C | P | N |
Lutheran, ELCA | yes | various | regeneration | C | episc. | all believers | yes | ord. | E | OT, NT | III | lutheran | trin. | hypostatic union | proceeds from Father and Son, works through church | largest Lutheran denom. |
Lutheran, LCMC | yes | various | regeneration | C | congr.? | all believers | allowed | no | E | OT, NT | III | lutheran | trin. | hypostatic union | proceeds from Father and Son, works through church | started 2001, now 4th largest |
Lutheran, LEPC | yes | various | regeneration | C | episc. | all believers | yes | H | E | OT, NT | III | lutheran | trin. | hypostatic union | proceeds from Father and Son, works through church | N |
Lutheran, LCMS | yes | various | regeneration | C | episc. | all believers | no | H | E | OT, NT | III | lutheran | trin. | hypostatic union | proceeds from Father and Son, works through church | 2nd largest |
Lutheran, WELS | yes | various | regeneration | closed | episc. | all believers | no | no | E | OT, NT | yes/yes/yes | lutheran | trin. | hypostatic union | proceeds from Father and Son, works through church | 3rd largest, more conservative than the bigger two |
Methodist, Congregational | yes | various | regeneration (along with repentance and personal acceptance) | C | congr. | all believers | O | H | pretrib. premill. | OT, NT | yes/yes/yes | wesleyan | trin. | hypostatic union | proceeds from Father and Son, works through church | N |
Methodist, Evangelical | yes | various | regeneration (along with repentance and personal acceptance) | C | connex./congr. | all believers | deacons | no | E | OT, NT | III | wesleyan | trin. | hypostatic union | proceeds from Father and Son, works through church | conservative break from UMC |
Methodist, Free | yes | various | regeneration (along with repentance and personal acceptance) | C | connex. | all believers | yes | no | E | OT, NT | III | wesleyan | trin. | hypostatic union | proceeds from Father and Son, works through church | slightly more conservative than UMC and less liturgical |
Methodist, United | yes | affusion, aspersion, immersion | regeneration (along with repentance and personal acceptance) | juice exclusively | connex. | all believers | yes | no, but in conflict | E | OT, NT | III | wesleyan | trin. | hypostatic union | proceeds from Father and Son, works through church | 2nd largest US denomination |
Nazarene | yes[2] | B | B | C | episc./congr.[3] | P | O | H | E | C | I/debated/I | wesleyan | trin. | hypostatic union | P | largest "holiness" denom. in US |
Orthodox | yes | immersion | B | C | episc. | ordained, celibate after ordination | O | H | E | OT, NT, D+ | III | S | trin. | miaphysitism/monophysitism | proceeds from Father | N |
Presbyterian, Associate Reformed | yes | various | covenant membership | C | presby. | all believers | deacons not elders | H | E | OT, NT | III | calvinism | trin. | hypostatic union | proceeds from Father and Son, works through church | N |
Presbyterian, Bible | yes | various | covenant membership | C | presby. | all believers | O | H | premill. dispen. | OT, NT | III | calvinism | trin. | hypostatic union | proceeds from Father and Son, works through church | N |
Presbyterian, Covenant | yes | various | covenant membership | C | presby. | all believers | no | no | E | OT, NT | III | calvinism | trin. | hypostatic union | proceeds from Father and Son, works through church | N |
Presbyterian, Cumberland | yes | various | covenant membership | C | presby. | all believers | yes | H | E | OT, NT | III | calvinism/arminian | trin. | hypostatic union | proceeds from Father and Son, works through church | 3 "Cumberland" splinter denoms |
Presbyterian, ECO | yes | various | covenant membership | open | presby. | all believers | yes | no | E | OT, NT | III | calvinism | trin. | hypostatic union | proceeds from Father and Son, works through church | N |
Presbyterian, Evangelical | yes | various | covenant membership | C | presby. | all believers | ord. of women as deacons/elders or ministers is at the church or presby. level, resp. | H | E | OT, NT | III | calvinism/semi-arminian | trin. | hypostatic union | proceeds from Father and Son, works through church | more tolerant of charismatics than some other presby. |
Presbyterian, Orthodox | yes | various | covenant membership | C | presby. | all believers | no | H | E | OT, NT | III | calvinism | trin. | hypostatic union | proceeds from Father and Son, works through church | N |
Presbyterian, PCA | yes | various | covenant membership | C | presby. | all believers | no | H | E | OT, NT | III | calvinism | trin. | hypostatic union | proceeds from Father and Son, works through church | 2nd-largest Presby. denom. |
Presbyterian, PCUSA | yes | various | covenant membership | C | presby. | all believers | yes | yes | E | OT, NT | III | calvinism | trin. | hypostatic union | proceeds from Father and Son, works through church | 6× as large as PCA |
Presbyterian, Westminster | yes | various | covenant membership | C | presby. | all believers | no | H | E | OT, NT | III | calvinism | trin. | hypostatic union | proceeds from Father and Son, works through church | N |
B Inf. | B Mode | B Sign. | Communion | Polity | Priesthood | ♀ Ord. | ⚢⚣ Acc. | Eschatology | Canon | Insp./Inerr./Infall. | Soteriology | Theology | Christology | Pneumatology |
The debate is primarily on how God's grace works in the believer to effect salvation, and what role (if any) man's will has in the process.
Lutheranism holds a monergistic soteriology that man in his unregenerate state cannot choose spiritual righteousness (though he may be able to work civil righteousness) without the work of God's grace. The corrupted natural power of man can do nothing to aid in his own salvation, it is entirely through God's grace. They believe that some are predestined to salvation (not because of the predestination itself but because of what Christ would do on the cross), but not that others are predestined to damnation. Damnation is a result of sin, rejection of forgiveness, and unbelief. "Falling away" is possible, but God does give assurance of preservation.
Calvinism
Arminianism
Wesleyanism differs from Arminianism primarily in that Wesleyans believe that Christians who have fallen away can regain salvation.
Another position, called Free Grace theology, states that the "call to believe" in Christ as Lord and Savior (and thus receive justification to salvation) is distinct from the "call to follow" Christ as a true disciple (and thus begin the process of sanctification). This allows for "carnal" or even "unbelieving" Christians who are saved but who don't display fruit. It could be characterized with the phrase "once saved, always saved". This is seen as wholly monergistic in that it is solely God's effort that brings the sinner to salvation; he need not respond at all. (By contrast, a Calvinist would say it is God's grace working in the sinner that allows him to choose faith—even though that grace is irresistable, and hence responding that way is the only possible choice. They would characterize free grace as antinomianism. Arminians reject this view because they believe that salvation can be lost by those who later turn away from Christ.) Some in this view say that "repentance" from the Greek means simply "to change one's mind", so changing your mind to believe in Christ is the repentance that assures salvation. Others say that repentance is distinct but still not necessary for salvation, that there is only one answer to, "What must I do to be saved?"