A Brief Survey of Christian Denominations in the 21st Century: Part 1 – Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy

In most cases, if you ask a person in America to identify his or her religion, you will get an answer something like one of these: “I’m Catholic,” or “I’m Baptist,” or “I’m Methodist,” or “I’m Episcopal,” or “I’m Jewish,” or, in a few instances, “I’m Muslim,” etc. Notice that, except for the last two responses, the person answered with the name, not of a general religion, but of a specific denomination within Christianity. Most professing Christians generally identify themselves in that way (though some will simply say “I’m a Christian”).

In this three part series, we will present a brief overview of the major Christian denominational traditions in America and their subgroups. We will look at their reported membership numbers, their key historical events and persons, their basic historical doctrinal distinctives, and where they stand today theologically (liberal, moderate, or conservative evangelical). We will also present a respectful analysis of each one.

Let’s begin with a basic definition of a Christian denomination. We define Christian denominations as associations, formal or informal, of churches that uphold the essential beliefs and doctrines of the historic Christian faith as found in the Bible and clarified in various Christian creeds (egs.: Nicene Creed; Apostles Creed; etc.). Those doctrines include the infinity and eternality of the one Creator God, the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), the full humanity and deity of Jesus Christ, the full deity and personality of the Holy Spirit, Christ’s sinless life, His death on the cross, and His bodily resurrection from the dead.

That being said, various Christian denominations normally have a common distinctive historical and theological heritage which distinguishes them from other denominations. They also often identify key historical leaders, founders, or theologians. Some denominations have their own distinctive statements of faith or creeds that spell out in detail their distinctive doctrinal tenets. They normally have a common historical and theological heritage. Many denominations have specific statements of faith or creeds defining their beliefs in detail.

The above definition distinguishes denominations from world religions in general, and from movements we would designate as cults of Christianity. World Religions do not claim to be Christian at all (but may have a place for Jesus in their systems). The largest world religions include Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Baha’i, and Sikhism. Cults of Christianity are movements or organizations that claim to be Christian, yet either deny or redefine one or more of the essential teachings of the Christian faith. The best known of those groups include The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Unity School of Christianity, Christian Science, and Oneness Pentecostalism. (Note: Some other movements not claiming to be Christian may be regarded as cults based on their unethical or bizarre teachings and behaviors. Egs.: Scientology; Wicca; Nation of Islam; etc.)

So, with that definition in mind, let’s survey the major denominations in North America. In this installment we begin with the two oldest.

Roman Catholicism
The Roman Catholic Church (RCC) claims to be the oldest continuously existing institution in the world. It traces its beginnings to Jesus Himself when, they say, He called Peter as the first Pope. Actually, the RCC as an institution can only be traced to about AD 500 when the Papacy (the Bishop of Rome) gained formal dominance over the churches in the Western Roman Empire.

Today, the RCC claims a worldwide membership of about one billion. In the United States, about 60 million people identify as Roman Catholic. That is about 20% of the American population. The number of those who actually practice their faith or adhere to its teachings is certainly far lower than that figure.

The major doctrinal distinctives of Catholicism include the claim to be the one Apostolic church in the world, the infallibility of the Pope, and the seven sacraments (baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist, penance, matrimony, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the sick).

Catholics also put a major emphasis on veneration of the Virgin Mary. They regard her as the perfect example of a godly woman. Two specific Catholic dogmatic doctrines focus on her status. The first is called the “Immaculate Conception.” The RCC doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, as many non-Catholics assume, does not refer to Jesus’ conception or virgin birth. It concerns Mary’s conception, and asserts she was conceived without sin, though not by a virgin mother.

Catholics also believe in Mary’s “Assumption.” That is, she went directly to heaven at or before her death. They believe she now reigns as the “Mother of God” and “Queen of Heaven,” where faithful Catholics can pray to her as a mediator to God. Neither of those doctrines about Mary can be found in the Bible, but are a result of RCC tradition and “infallible” authoritative Papal “ex Cathedra” (“from the chair”) pronouncements.

Analysis: The Roman Catholic Church, for centuries, has been a bedrock for upholding the basic tenets of the Christian faith. Its solid defense of the essential doctrines of the faith are commendable. In recent decades, in this country, conservative Catholics have been outspoken in their opposition to Atheism, secularism, abortion, and for defending religious freedom.

Unfortunately, the RCC sacramental system obscures the clear message of the Gospel. Most Catholics depend on their church membership and religious ritual practices for their salvation. Consequently, most do not possess assurance of that salvation, but live in fear that if they commit a mortal sin they will lose it. Furthermore, they believe they cannot go to heaven at death, but must spend extended time (thousands of years) in purgatory to work off their sins. This, of course, contradicts the biblical teaching that Christ’s death on the cross completely atoned for our sins – that all we need to do is put our faith in Him, and that we will go directly into the presence of Christ at death. Some Catholics do believe in salvation by grace through faith alone. However, the vast majority either reject that teaching (based on the official position of the RCC), or do not really understand it.

Also, the extreme veneration of Mary by many Catholics boarders on idolatry. As we said, the RCC doctrines of the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption of Mary have no basis in Scripture. Mary was indeed a faithful and gracious servant of God and deserves our highest respect. Nonetheless, her standing before Him is no less dependent on the death and resurrection of Christ to atone for her sins as anyone else’s.

Eastern Orthodoxy
The Eastern Orthodox Church (EOC), as does the RCC, claims to trace its beginnings back to the New Testament era. Actually, however, the EOC had its formal start in AD 1054 when the RCC split into two divisions – East and West. That event was called the “Great Schism” and the division still remains to this day.

Unlike the RCC, the EOC has no single base of authoritative leadership, though the Patriarch of Constantinople (Istanbul) is generally regarded as its titular head. EOC churches are usually identified with specific national or ethnic identities (mostly Eastern European and Middle Eastern). For instance, there are Greek Orthodox, Romanian Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, and other orthodox churches in America. They differ primarily in style and language usage.

Worldwide, about 250 million people claim membership in Eastern Orthodox churches. In America, approximately two million people identify as Eastern Orthodox. Their numbers here are growing due to the influx of immigrants from countries with large EOC populations.

Doctrinally, the EOC is similar in many ways to Roman Catholicism. As with Roman Catholicism, Orthodox churches generally are conservative in their theology and adhere to the essential beliefs of Christianity (deity of Christ, Trinity, etc.). Likewise with the RCC, they adhere to a sacramental approach to salvation. Their sacraments are very similar to those in the RCC. They are baptism, chrismation (confirmation), communion, ordination, confession, marriage, and unction (last rites). EOC also elevates the Virgin Mary to an exalted place of admiration, but denies her immaculate conception (see above).

The EOC, however, has a few unique concepts of its own. One is the use of icons in their worship. Icons are pictures of Jesus and other biblical characters, often painted on the walls of EOC buildings to which the worshippers direct their attention and prayers. Another unusual doctrine is that of Deification (theosis). This is the belief that one may attain such an extremely deep relationship with God that he or she becomes virtually one with Him in spirit and holiness.

Analysis: Many of the issues we discussed concerning Roman Catholicism also apply to the Eastern Orthodox Church. For instance, Christian salvation is received only by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. The EOC sacramental system is a hindrance to one’s realization of assurance of salvation. As with Catholics, some Orthodox Christians believe in salvation by grace through faith alone. Nonetheless, the great majority probably do not understand it.

Also, the EOC use of icons may distract one from praying to and worshipping God and Jesus in Heaven, and to focus more on mere pictures. As well, the doctrine of Deification is not biblical, and it is somewhat presumptive to believe one can be as holy as God this side of glory.

In the next installment we will continue our survey of various Christian denominations. We look next at those regarded as “mainline Protestant” denominations. Part three will focus on conservative evangelical and “fundamentalist” groups.

© 2016 Tal Davis