Religious Origins
Explore and Understand Where Religions Started
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0 · Birth of Christ
313 · Edict of Milan
313 · Edict of Milan
325 · Council of Nicaea
325 · Council of Nicaea
405 · Latin Vulgate
405 · Latin Vulgate
622 · Hijra · Islam Begins
622 · Hijra · Islam Begins
1054 · Great Schism
1054 · Great Schism
1382 · Wycliffe Bible
1382 · Wycliffe Bible
1440 · Printing Press
1440 · Printing Press
1517 · 95 Theses
1517 · 95 Theses
1611 · King James Bible
1611 · King James Bible
1648 · Peace of Westphalia
1648 · Peace of Westphalia
1787 · US Constitution
1787 · US Constitution
1830 · Book of Mormon
1830 · Book of Mormon
1947 · Dead Sea Scrolls
1947 · Dead Sea Scrolls
Why does this dashed line connect back to Christ? (click)
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Ancient Near Eastern Roots | Year -2000 | Root | Foundational | Shared ancient Near Eastern narratives and high-god concepts | Covenantal streams that inform Abrahamic and regional faiths | spiritual: Stories of creation, covenant, and divine kingship | Premise: Foundational revelations seeded later monotheistic claims
Ancient Near Eastern Roots
Patriarchal Covenant | Year -1800 | Judaism | Foundational (Abrahamic) | Abrahamic covenant promises land, posterity, and blessing | Marks the emergence of a distinct monotheistic lineage | spiritual: Covenant encounters at altars and sacred sites | Premise: God elected a family line to steward priestly knowledge
Patriarchal Covenant
Vedic Traditions | Year -1500 | Dharmic | Shruti (Revealed) | Vedic hymns and rituals articulate cosmic order | Priestly lineages memorize and transmit sacred texts | spiritual: Sacrificial fire rites and mantra recitation | Premise: Shruti is timeless revelation heard by rishis
Vedic Traditions
Zoroastrianism | Year -1000 | OtherFaiths | Prophetic (Avesta) | Zarathustra proclaims Ahura Mazda as supreme | Dualistic ethics of truth versus deception influence later faiths | spiritual: Prophetic hymns and priestly preservation | Premise: Priestly Magi guard revealed fire and scripture
Zoroastrianism
Greco-Roman Religious Traditions | Year -700 | OtherFaiths | Civic Cult | City-states integrate cults, philosophy, and imperial worship | Mystery religions promise personal salvation | political: Imperial patronage and civic identity | Premise: Authority mediated by priests, philosophers, and emperors
Greco-Roman Religious Traditions
Israelite Religion | Year -1200 | Judaism | Priestly (Temple) | Torah, priesthood, and sacrificial system shape national worship | Prophets call Israel back to covenant fidelity | spiritual: Sinai revelation and prophetic correction | Premise: Temple-centered authority mediated divine presence
Israelite Religion
Islam | Year 610 | Islam | Prophetic (Qur'an) | Muhammad receives Qur'anic revelation; Ummah formed in Medina | Caliphate structures steward scripture, law, and community | spiritual: Prophetic revelation and preservation of the Qur'an | Premise: Final prophetic authority supersedes earlier scripture corruptions
Islam
Classical Hinduism | Year -500 | Dharmic | Dharma (Smriti) | Epics, Puranas, and bhakti movements diversify devotion | Temple worship and gurus guide communities | spiritual: Quest for moksha through varied yogic paths | Premise: Authority flows through guru-disciple lineages and sacred texts
Classical Hinduism
Buddhism | Year -480 | Dharmic | Sangha (Monastic) | Siddhartha Gautama articulates Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path | Monastic sangha preserves teaching through councils and canon | spiritual: Pursuit of enlightenment and compassion | Premise: Enlightened teaching offers liberation independent of caste
Buddhism
Second Temple Judaism | Year -516 | Judaism | Priestly (Temple) | Temple rebuilt; sects like Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes emerge | Scripture canon formation and synagogue life expand | political: Persian, Hellenistic, and Roman rule | Premise: Covenant authority preserved through priestly and rabbinic stewardship
Second Temple Judaism
Sunni Islam | Year 632 | Islam | Sunni (Consensus) | About 85-90% of the world's Muslims | Accepts the first four 'Rightly-Guided' caliphs as legitimate successors | political: Succession resolved through community consensus and the caliphate | Premise: Legitimate authority follows the Prophet's example and the consensus of the scholarly community
Sunni Islam
Shia Islam | Year 632 | Islam | Shia (Imamate) | About 10-13% of the world's Muslims, concentrated in Iran, Iraq, and beyond | Holds that Ali ibn Abi Talib was the Prophet's rightful successor | theological: Leadership (imamate) divinely designated through the Prophet's household (Ahl al-Bayt) | Premise: Rightful authority flows through Ali and the divinely guided Imams
Shia Islam
Birth of Christ | Year 0 | Root | Incarnation | Nativity narratives situate Jesus within covenant promises | Incarnation claims God’s presence enters history | spiritual: Angel annunciations and prophetic fulfillment | Premise: Messiah is born as promised seed of Abraham and David
Birth of Christ
Rabbinic Judaism | Year 90 | Judaism | Rabbinic | Post-Temple communities center on Torah, Mishnah, and synagogue | Rabbinic courts interpret law for diaspora Jewry | spiritual: Preserving covenant identity after 70 CE | Premise: Authority moves from Temple priests to rabbinic scholarship
Rabbinic Judaism
Sufism | Year 800 | Islam | Mystical (Tariqa) | Emphasizes ihsan (spiritual excellence), remembrance of God (dhikr), and purification of the heart | Organized into orders (tariqas) such as the Qadiri, Naqshbandi, Chishti, and Mevlevi | spiritual: Longing for direct, experiential nearness to God | Premise: The outward law (sharia) is completed by an inward path (tariqa) toward God
Sufism
Salafism / Wahhabism | Year 1744 | Islam | Salafi (Scripturalist) | Rooted in the 18th-century reform of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab in Arabia | Seeks to purify belief and practice by returning to the salaf (first generations) | theological: Purifying Islam of perceived innovations and returning to the sources | Premise: Authentic Islam is the literal practice of the Prophet and the earliest community
Salafism / Wahhabism
Twelver (Ithna Ashari) Shia | Year 874 | Islam | Imamate (Twelver) | Recognizes twelve divinely appointed Imams beginning with Ali | Holds that the twelfth Imam entered occultation (874) and will return as the Mahdi | theological: Continuity of divine guidance through the line of twelve Imams | Premise: Guidance continues through the twelve Imams and the awaited Mahdi
Twelver (Ithna Ashari) Shia
Ismaili Shia | Year 765 | Islam | Imamate (Ismaili) | Split over the succession to Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (765), following his son Ismail's line | Emphasizes esoteric (batin) interpretation of scripture | theological: A continuing, living line of Imams with esoteric knowledge | Premise: A living Imam continues to guide the community in every age
Ismaili Shia
Ministry of Christ | Year 27 | Root | Incarnation | Public ministry announces kingdom of God | Calls twelve apostles and commissions disciples | spiritual: Teachings, miracles, atonement, resurrection claims | Premise: Christ personally confers authority to apostolic witnesses
Ministry of Christ
Diaspora Jewish Communities | Year 500 | Judaism | Rabbinic | Yeshivot codify Talmud; communities span Europe, North Africa, Middle East | Authority expressed through rabbinic councils and communal charters | political: Imperial permissions, migrations, and expulsions | Premise: Covenant identity survives through study, halakha, and memory
Diaspora Jewish Communities
Early Christianity | Year 30 | Root | Foundational | Apostolic leadership and early church communities | Core teachings preserved through oral tradition and early texts | spiritual: Apostolic witness and missionary expansion | Premise: Christ established a church with authority to act in His name
Early Christianity
Hasidic Judaism | Year 1740 | Judaism | Rabbinic (Hasidic) | Founded by Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer (the Baal Shem Tov) in 18th-century Ukraine | Centers on devekut (cleaving to God), joy, and charismatic rebbes leading dynastic courts | spiritual: Renewal of heartfelt piety and mysticism among ordinary Jews | Premise: The covenant is lived through joyful devotion and the guidance of righteous leaders
Hasidic Judaism
Reform Judaism | Year 1810 | Judaism | Progressive (Reform) | Began with early reforms (Israel Jacobson, 1810) and crystallized in 19th-century Germany | Treats halakha (Jewish law) as evolving and non-binding, stressing ethics and individual autonomy | political: Jewish emancipation and integration into modern European society | Premise: Judaism's enduring essence is ethical and can adapt its practices across time
Reform Judaism
Orthodox Judaism | Year 1851 | Judaism | Rabbinic (Orthodox) | Affirms Torah min HaShamayim (Torah from Heaven) and binding halakha | Spans Modern Orthodox and Haredi (including Hasidic and Litvish) communities | theological: Defending the divine origin and binding force of Torah and halakha | Premise: The written and oral Torah are divinely revealed and authoritative for every generation
Orthodox Judaism
Conservative (Masorti) Judaism | Year 1886 | Judaism | Rabbinic (Conservative) | Traces to Zacharias Frankel's Positive-Historical Judaism (mid-1800s) | Holds Jewish law as binding but subject to scholarly development | theological: Balancing fidelity to halakha with historical scholarship | Premise: Halakha is binding yet develops through tradition and scholarship
Conservative (Masorti) Judaism
Reconstructionist Judaism | Year 1922 | Judaism | Reconstructionist | Founded on Mordecai Kaplan's thought; Society for the Advancement of Judaism (1922) | Views Judaism as an evolving civilization shaped by the Jewish people | theological: Reframing God and tradition in naturalistic, civilizational terms | Premise: Judaism is a living, human civilization that each generation reshapes
Reconstructionist Judaism
Nicene Christianity (325) | Year 325 | Continuity | Continuity | Council era codifies key doctrines and creedal language | political: Imperial involvement in church unity and councils | Premise: Councils can clarify doctrine without invalidating original authority
Nicene Christianity (325)
Restoration Claims (19th c.) | Year 1820 | Restoration | Restoration | Authority re-instated by divine action (claimed) | spiritual: Claims of visions/angelic ministry and restored authority | Premise: Apostasy occurred (authority loss)
Restoration Claims (19th c.)
Eastern Orthodox | Year 1054 | Continuity | Continuity | Apostolic succession without papal supremacy | Conciliar model of authority | political: East–West tensions (language, jurisdiction, empire) | Premise: Conciliar continuity preserved authority
Eastern Orthodox
Roman Catholic Church | Year 500 | Continuity | Continuity | Apostolic succession and episcopal governance | Papal primacy (in Catholic view) | political: Western empire collapse and consolidation of church authority structures | Premise: Apostolic succession continued without rupture
Roman Catholic Church
Oriental Orthodox | Year 451 | Continuity | Continuity | Non-Chalcedonian churches maintaining ancient liturgies | Patriarchal structure outside of Chalcedonian conciliar definitions | theological: Disagreement on Christological language at Chalcedon | Premise: Authority can persist outside Chalcedonian formulas
Oriental Orthodox
Stone–Campbell Movement | Year 1832 | Restoration | Restorationist (Stone-Campbell) | Back-to-the-Bible primitivism | Desire for visible Christian unity | theological: Rejection of creeds as divisive | Premise: New Testament pattern alone can restore unity
Stone–Campbell Movement
Christian Science | Year 1879 | Restoration | Restorationist (Healing) | Mary Baker Eddy’s metaphysical healing movement | Science and Health used alongside Bible | spiritual: Quest for divine healing and reinterpretation of scripture | Premise: Spiritual reality supersedes material illness
Christian Science
Christadelphians | Year 1848 | Restoration | Restorationist (Biblical Literalist) | Lay Bible study movement rejecting Trinity | Focus on eschatology and literal kingdom | theological: Desire to restore apostolic beliefs via direct scripture study | Premise: Historic creeds added errors; Bible alone clarifies
Christadelphians
New Apostolic Church | Year 1863 | Restoration | Restorationist (Apostolic) | Claimed reestablishment of apostolic ministry in Europe | Continues prophetic/apostolic appointments | spiritual: Catholic Apostolic Movement succession | Premise: Apostolic authority can be restored through prophetic calling
New Apostolic Church
Iglesia ni Cristo | Year 1914 | Restoration | Restorationist (Non-Nicene) | Philippine-origin church claiming restoration of true church | Centralized authority under Executive Minister | human: National identity and anti-colonial context | Premise: Original church disappeared and is uniquely restored
Iglesia ni Cristo
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Year 1830 | Restoration | Restoration | Claim: priesthood authority restored by angelic ministration | Open canon (additional scripture) | spiritual: Claims of John the Baptist; Peter, James, and John restoring priesthood authority | Premise: Apostolic authority was lost and needed restoration
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Seventh-day Adventist | Year 1863 | Restoration | Restorationist (non-priesthood) | Sabbath emphasis; apocalyptic interpretation | theological: Second Great Awakening era movements | Premise: Scripture supports distinctive eschatology and Sabbath practice
Seventh-day Adventist
Jehovah’s Witnesses | Year 1870 | NonNicene | Restorationist (Non-Nicene) | Non-Trinitarian theology | Distinct authority structure | human: Bible study movements and new interpretive frameworks | Premise: Non-Nicene readings best reflect original Christianity
Jehovah’s Witnesses
Greek Orthodox | Year 1054 | Continuity | Continuity (Autocephalous) | Ecumenical Patriarchate as primus inter pares | Strong liturgical and monastic tradition | political: Byzantine heritage and Ottoman-era governance | Premise: Autocephaly preserves orthodox faith without central papacy
Greek Orthodox
Russian Orthodox Church | Year 988 | Continuity | Continuity (Autocephalous) | Baptism of Rus' traditions | Patriarchate restored after Soviet era | political: Tsarist symphonia and later Soviet repression | Premise: Local church can maintain apostolic faith despite political shifts
Russian Orthodox Church
Eastern Catholic Churches | Year 1596 | Continuity | Continuity (Eastern Rite) | Eastern liturgical traditions in communion with Rome | Union agreements such as Brest and Uzhhorod | political: Efforts to reconcile Eastern communities with Roman primacy | Premise: Communion with Rome restores or maintains legitimate succession
Eastern Catholic Churches
Old Catholic Movement | Year 1870 | Continuity | Continuity (Conciliarist) | Rejects papal infallibility defined at Vatican I | Maintains apostolic succession via Utrecht Union | theological: Concern over centralized papal authority | Premise: Councils, not unilateral papal decrees, safeguard apostolic authority
Old Catholic Movement
Latin American Catholic Renewal | Year 1968 | Continuity | Continuity (Pastoral) | Medellín and Puebla conferences emphasize liberation pastoral approach | Base communities focus on lay scripture engagement | human: Social inequity and political upheaval | Premise: Magisterial authority can prioritize justice for the poor
Latin American Catholic Renewal
Protestant Reformation (1517) | Year 1517 | Reform | Reform (Scripture) | Sola Scriptura (Bible as supreme authority) | Reform of doctrine and practice | theological: Disputes about indulgences, justification, authority | Premise: Scripture can function as sufficient authority for church legitimacy
Protestant Reformation (1517)
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo | Year 330 | Continuity | Continuity (Oriental) | Ancient Christian kingdom with unique liturgy | Claims Solomonic and apostolic heritage | spiritual: Integration of Christianity with national identity | Premise: Authority can be localized yet apostolic
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo
Coptic Orthodox Church | Year 451 | Continuity | Continuity (Oriental) | Alexandrian patriarchate outside Chalcedon | Strong monastic tradition | theological: Miaphysite Christology | Premise: Chalcedon language not required for orthodox Christology
Coptic Orthodox Church
Armenian Apostolic Church | Year 301 | Continuity | Continuity (Oriental) | First nation to adopt Christianity | Catholicos-centered hierarchy | political: National identity preservation under empires | Premise: Local apostolic church can remain orthodox outside imperial councils
Armenian Apostolic Church
Churches of Christ | Year 1906 | Restoration | Restorationist (Stone-Campbell) | A cappella worship | Congregational autonomy with shared restoration hermeneutic | theological: Biblical literalism regarding silence of scripture | Premise: Silence of scripture is prohibitive
Churches of Christ
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) | Year 1968 | Restoration | Restorationist (Ecumenical) | Ecumenical wing of Stone–Campbell movement | Open table communion and denominational structure | human: Negotiating unity and mission in modern context | Premise: Institutional denominational form can serve restoration ideal
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Community of Christ | Year 1860 | Restoration | Restoration (progressive) | Lineal succession through Joseph Smith Jr.’s descendants led the church until 1996 | Rejected plural marriage from the beginning, claiming Joseph Smith did not practice it (position later revised) | theological: Rejection of plural marriage and Brigham Young’s theological innovations as departures from original Restoration | Premise: Prophetic succession should follow Joseph Smith’s lineage rather than quorum seniority
Community of Christ
Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints | Year 1890 | Restoration | Restoration (fundamentalist) | Formed by those who refused to abandon plural marriage after the 1890 Manifesto | Practice of plural (polygamous) marriage as a religious commandment | theological: Belief that D&C 132 established plural marriage as an irrevocable eternal covenant | Premise: D&C 132 represents an irrevocable commandment that cannot be withdrawn by church leaders
Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Martin Luther (1483-1546) | Year 1517 | Reform | Reform (Scripture) | Justification by faith alone (sola fide) as the central article of Christian doctrine | Scripture alone (sola scriptura) as the supreme authority for doctrine and practice | theological: Critique of indulgences and papal authority; breakthrough on justification by faith | Premise: Scripture alone is a sufficient authority for doctrine and practice, correcting institutional error
Martin Luther (1483-1546)
Radical Reformation (Anabaptists) | Year 1525 | Reform | Reform (Believers' Church) | Believer’s baptism and gathered church membership | Non-violence and separation from state structures | theological: Desire for New Testament replication of church life | Premise: True church is formed only by professing believers
Radical Reformation (Anabaptists)
Lutheran | Year 1520 | Reform | Reform (Scripture) | Justification by faith emphasized | Retains some liturgical continuity | human: Martin Luther's reform program and disputes with church authorities | Premise: Reforming doctrine does not require apostolic succession to remain valid
Lutheran
Reformed / Presbyterian | Year 1536 | Reform | Reform (Scripture) | Emphasis on covenant theology | Elders/presbytery governance | theological: Doctrinal systemization in Geneva and beyond | Premise: Church governance can be reorganized under scripture
Reformed / Presbyterian
Church of England (1534) | Year 1534 | Reform | Royal Supremacy | Established by the Act of Supremacy (1534), declaring the English monarch Supreme Head of the Church of England | Executions of Thomas More, John Fisher, and other dissenters who refused to accept royal supremacy | political: Henry VIII's demand for a marriage annulment the pope refused to grant | Premise: A national monarch can legitimately displace the pope as head of a Christian church
Church of England (1534)
Mennonite | Year 1536 | Reform | Reform (Believers' Church) | Community discipline and peace witness | Shared resources and mutual aid | spiritual: Commitment to discipleship in community | Premise: Jesus’ teachings on peace are prescriptive for church life
Mennonite
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod | Year 1847 | Reform | Reform (Confessional) | Confessional Lutheranism with strict subscription to Book of Concord | Synodical polity | theological: Desire to preserve orthodox Lutheran doctrine among immigrants | Premise: Confessional standards safeguard doctrine
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America | Year 1988 | Reform | Reform (Mainline) | Merger of LCA, ALC, AELC | Largest Lutheran body in U.S. | human: Ecumenical movement and desire for unified Lutheran witness | Premise: Doctrine can be articulated through democratic synods
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Church of Scotland | Year 1560 | Reform | Reform (Presbyterian) | National Kirk shaped by John Knox | General Assembly governance | political: Scottish Reformation and covenanting | Premise: Presbyterian polity reflects biblical eldership
Church of Scotland
Presbyterian Church (USA) | Year 1983 | Reform | Reform (Presbyterian) | Merger of northern and southern streams | Connectional polity via General Assembly | human: Desire for national unity after Civil War era splits | Premise: Shared confessions can guide a broad communion
Presbyterian Church (USA)
Christian Reformed Church | Year 1857 | Reform | Reform (Presbyterian) | Dutch immigrant denomination in North America | Three Forms of Unity confessions | theological: Desire to preserve Dutch Reformed distinctives | Premise: Confessionalism can coexist with Kuyperian cultural engagement
Christian Reformed Church
Anglican Communion | Year 1534 | Reform | Reform (Mixed) | National church separation (England) | Mix of catholic/protestant traits | political: English crown and church jurisdiction conflict | Premise: National separation does not invalidate church legitimacy
Anglican Communion
Amish | Year 1693 | Reform | Reform (Believers' Church) | Strict Ordnung and community separation | Emphasis on humility and simplicity | human: Debates over shunning and community discipline | Premise: Separation from broader society preserves faithfulness
Amish
Episcopal Church (USA) | Year 1789 | Reform | Reform (Episcopal) | American Anglican province after independence | General Convention governance | political: Need for autonomous church post-American Revolution | Premise: Communion with global Anglicanism can exist without British monarch
Episcopal Church (USA)
Anglican Global South / GAFCON | Year 2008 | Reform | Reform (Conciliar) | Coalition of Anglican provinces emphasizing traditional doctrine | Advocates conciliar accountability | theological: Debates over scripture authority and ethics | Premise: Global councils can correct perceived doctrinal drift
Anglican Global South / GAFCON
English Separatists | Year 1580 | Reform | Reform (Congregational) | Congregational independence | Purity of worship emphasis | political: State church enforcement and dissent | Premise: Local congregations can embody legitimate church authority
English Separatists
Methodists | Year 1738 | Reform | Reform (Revival) | Revival emphasis, holiness, practical discipleship | spiritual: Evangelical revival movements | Premise: Revival movements can renew without institutional continuity requirements
Methodists
Congregationalist | Year 1603 | Reform | Reform (Congregational) | Each congregation governs itself | Covenant theology applied locally | theological: Desire to purify worship without bishops | Premise: Christ’s authority is present where believers covenant together
Congregationalist
Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) | Year 1650 | Reform | Reform (Inner Light) | Inner Light guidance | Peace testimony and social witness | spiritual: Experiential emphasis on direct guidance by Christ | Premise: Holy Spirit can guide worship without ordained clergy
Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
Baptists | Year 1609 | Reform | Reform (Congregational) | Believer's baptism | Congregational governance | theological: Baptism and church membership debates | Premise: Scripture and the gathered congregation are sufficient for legitimate church authority
Baptists
African Methodist Episcopal Church | Year 1816 | Reform | Reform (Episcopal) | First independent Black denomination in U.S. | Combines Methodist doctrine with liberation focus | human: Racial segregation in Methodist Episcopal Church | Premise: Self-governance necessary for justice
African Methodist Episcopal Church
United Methodist Church | Year 1968 | Reform | Reform (Connectional) | Merger of Methodist Church and Evangelical United Brethren | Global connectional polity | human: Desire for unity among Wesleyan bodies | Premise: Connectional system can adapt globally
United Methodist Church
Wesleyan / Methodist Holiness | Year 1843 | Reform | Reform (Holiness) | Entire sanctification teaching | Mission societies and camp meetings | spiritual: Renewed call to holiness within Methodism | Premise: Sanctification crisis experience is normative
Wesleyan / Methodist Holiness
Salvation Army | Year 1865 | Reform | Reform (Holiness) | Militarized mission structure | Social services alongside evangelism | human: Urban poverty response in Victorian England | Premise: Flexible structures can extend holiness mission
Salvation Army
Pentecostal | Year 1906 | Reform | Reform (Charismatic) | Spiritual gifts emphasis | Revival/charismatic experience | spiritual: Azusa Street revival-era movements | Premise: Spiritual gifts continue and validate renewal movements
Pentecostal
Evangelical Movement | Year 1942 | Reform | Reform (Evangelical) | Bebbington quadrilateral (conversionism, activism, biblicism, crucicentrism) | Coalitions across denominations | spiritual: Revival heritage from Great Awakenings | Premise: Shared core doctrines and mission can transcend denominational structures
Evangelical Movement
United Church of Christ | Year 1957 | Reform | Reform (Synod-Congregational) | Merger of Congregational Christian and Evangelical & Reformed churches | Emphasis on ecumenism and social justice | human: Post-war ecumenical movement | Premise: Shared covenants and synods can guide autonomous congregations
United Church of Christ
Southern Baptist Convention | Year 1845 | Reform | Reform (Congregational) | Largest Protestant denomination in U.S. | Cooperative program for missions | political: Split over slavery and mission governance | Premise: Autonomous churches can cooperate voluntarily
Southern Baptist Convention
National Baptist Convention | Year 1895 | Reform | Reform (Congregational) | Historic African-American Baptist body | Strong focus on education and civil rights | human: African-American autonomy post-Civil War | Premise: Congregational polity can empower marginalized communities
National Baptist Convention
Holiness Movement | Year 1860 | Reform | Reform (Holiness) | Camp meetings across the U.S. | Second blessing teaching spreads | spiritual: Revivalism and pursuit of spiritual power | Premise: Holiness teaching reflects apostolic Christianity
Holiness Movement
Assemblies of God | Year 1914 | Reform | Reform (Charismatic) | Largest classical Pentecostal denomination | General Council governance | human: Need for coordinated missions and doctrine | Premise: Voluntary fellowship can guard doctrine while embracing gifts
Assemblies of God
Church of God in Christ | Year 1907 | Reform | Reform (Charismatic) | Largest African-American Pentecostal body | Episcopal governance with Presiding Bishop | spiritual: Holiness and Pentecostal revivals in Black churches | Premise: Spirit baptism empowers holiness and mission
Church of God in Christ
Charismatic Renewal | Year 1960 | Reform | Reform (Charismatic) | Pentecostal practices adopted in historic denominations | Focus on spiritual gifts alongside liturgy | spiritual: Desire for experiential renewal within mainline churches | Premise: Gifts can operate within existing church structures
Charismatic Renewal
Non-denominational Evangelical | Year 1975 | Reform | Reform (Independent) | Independent congregations with evangelical theology | Often use contemporary worship and media | human: Desire for flexible governance and cultural adaptability | Premise: Local elders/pastors can provide sufficient authority if doctrine is orthodox
Non-denominational Evangelical
Megachurch Movement | Year 1980 | Reform | Reform (Independent) | Large congregations with multisite strategies | Seeker-sensitive and contemporary services | human: Suburban growth and media technology | Premise: Large-scale organization can remain spiritually accountable
Megachurch Movement
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Birth of Christ
313
Edict of Milan
325
Council of Nicaea
405
Latin Vulgate
622
Hijra · Islam Begins
1054
Great Schism
1382
Wycliffe Bible
1440
Printing Press
1517
95 Theses
1611
King James Bible
1648
Peace of Westphalia
1787
US Constitution
1830
Book of Mormon
1947
Dead Sea Scrolls
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