LarrySanger.org

The questions that distinguish the denominations

I want to ask my generous and well-informed Christian readership here for their feedback on a list of questions.

The task is fairly straightforward to state, not maybe not easy to execute: Formulate a list of questions that is minimally sufficient to investigate where one “fits” within the broad denominational landscape. There are other differences, but they are more minor and they are “redundant” in that where some distinctives apply, others will as well (e.g., if Mary is mediatrix, then Purgatory). The hypothesis is that if one had (as unlikely as this might be) completely satisfactory answers to all the questions, then one would know just where one fit in, denominationally.

Broadest distinctives: Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant

These distinguish between Catholics and Orthodox, and between those two and Protestants. Some of these also distinguish between categories of Protestant denominations.

  • What is the rule of faith: sola scriptura, the Church, or something else?
  • Should we affirm sola fide, i.e., that we are saved by faith alone, or do our meritorious works also contribute to our salvation?
  • Can and should we pray to the saints?
  • Is it acceptable to reverence (e.g., kiss, pray before) icons?
  • Is Mary to be accorded special honor above other saints, is she a special intercessor, is she “mother of God,” etc.?
  • Do Communion and Baptism (and others, if considered sacraments) contribute to our salvation?

“High church” and “low church” distinctives

Basically, some churches continue the “high church” traditions found in Catholicism and Orthodoxy. These distinguish, for example, Lutheranism and Anglicanism, and in some cases Presbyterianism, from “less formal” churches.

  • Is the Lord’s Supper symbolically/memorially or really the body and blood of Christ?
  • Is pedobaptism sufficient, or must one be a believer to be properly baptized into the Church?
  • Should church governance be episcopal (bishops), presbyterian (elders), or congregational (local autonomy)?
  • Should worship be liturgical and structured or informal and spontaneous?

Particularly Protestant distinctives

These distinguish between broad branches of, especially, low-church Protestantism, but even these can distinguish, e.g., Orthodoxy (in the case of sanctification and charismata).

  • Does God reprobate the damned from eternity, so that there is nothing they can do to be saved? Did Jesus die for all of mankind or only the elect?
  • Is the Christian life primarily about being declared righteous before God (justification), or about being made righteous (sanctification)?
  • Is the miraculous gifting of the Holy Spirit (e.g., tongues, prophecy, healing) common and expected to be found in the church today, or did it mostly (or entirely) cease after the apostolic age?

Other distinctives

These questions regard innovations unique to the last 150 or 200 years or so of church history.

  • Should explicit creeds be adopted, to distinguish a denomination from others?
  • Can Scripture be mistaken or is it “inerrant in the original autographs”?
  • Is it acceptable to have extremely large churches, with “performances” for “audiences”?
  • Should the Church actively engage in socio-political issues, or is its primary role spiritual?

Caveats: I know there are other questions (many other questions; see the excellent Ready to Harvest YouTube channel) on which denominations differ. There is overlap. Again, a person who answers a certain way about Mary and praying to saints will also answer a predictable way about the Apocrypha and Purgatory. I also ask no questions about pre-, a-, and post-millennialism, not because they are unimportant, but because they are not regarded as primary distinctives (even if they are distinctives in some cases). I also know there are many “What denomination am I?” polls. Most of them aren’t very thoughtfully constructed, it seems to me, so they won’t help. I have taken many such polls, for whatever they’re worth.

If you want to help, here are my questions for you:

1. Bearing the above caveats in mind, would you add any questions to the list, either on grounds of the importance or because they draw important denominational (or congregational) distinctions?

2. Would you revise how I formulate a question (or more than one) in some enlightening way?

3. Do you know of any books that systematically treat of these questions, or a similar list of questions, in a reasonably rigorous way? I do not mean just any old theological text, which do treat of these questions, but they are not focused on them in particular, nor are they designed to help the reader decide between positions on them. I also do not mean books for total beginners. I mean serious books for people who actually read theology.

The task is to make a fairly minimal list of the most fundamental questions and those that mark the differences between the major denominations.

by

Larry Sanger

“Internet Knowledge Organizer.” Currently President of the Knowledge Standards Foundation, started Wikipedia and various other educational and reference sites. Ph.D., Philosophy, Ohio State, 2000. [read more]

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Please do dive in (politely). I want your reactions!

55 responses to “The questions that distinguish the denominations”

  1. Larry Sanger

    I’m going to leave this comment here, rather than edit the original, in order to think about it: as one person suggested I think about, it might matter quite a bit how “participatory” or “unprogrammed” church is. This is interesting, rather foreign to me, but still intriguing.

    Reply
  2. Antonio Valdes-Dapena

    Larry, there are so many issues there. I don’t qualify as a biblical scholar but I can offer some observations. Our dealing with denominations has to be directed by God’s Word. The Bible is our basis for knowledge of all other truth and of Jesus Christ.

    We are called to unity. Philippians 1:27 “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, striving side by side, for the faith of the gospel.” While the Church at large has believers who agree on the basic creed, differences in lesser points can hinder working together. We should find a local church in which we can maximally cooperate. Psalm 133, John 17:20, 2 Corinthians 13:11, Philippians 2:2, 1 Peter 3:8

    We are also called to submit to our elders — qualified leaders. Hebrews 13:17 “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.” At some point, if we differ from our elders on things that they are teaching, we are not serving the leadership well as they try to further God’s work. 1 Peter 5:1-14

    Largely due to my Navy tours, I have made myself useful in a variety of churches. I looked to join where my convictions most closely aligned with the leadership. At times there were minor differences, and I avoided undermining the church’s teaching on those. As long as they held to the Gospel and essential doctrines, I could help and be nurtured there.

    I hope those observations are helpful.

    Tony

    Reply
  3. Ian

    Add trinitarian/unitarian to the list?

    Reply
    1. Larry Sanger

      Frankly, this is a nonstarter, like any basic heresy. Eventually, I’ll write about it, but that Jesus is God, that the Father is God, that they are in one sense “one,” and that they are yet in another sense distinct—these are all things that are perfectly obvious in Scripture, and non-Trinitarians cannot reasonably deny them without denying Scripture. But then, that is basically what heretics end up doing.

      Reply
      1. Ian

        I happen to agree, but that implies you have a definition of the “broad denominational landscape” and have excluded unitarians from it. I’m sure that’s correct but it wasn’t totally clear (to me). For example would ‘nicene’ as opposed to ‘reformationist’ be a helpful explanation of (denominational) scope?

        Speaking of denominations, the terms “unprogrammed” and “participatory” suggest to me (rightly or wrongly) a more non-denominational approach.

        I rather like this statement that I found from an independent church:
        “The church is a mixed bunch of believers with a variety of denominational backgrounds including: Brethren; Anglican; Methodist; Free Church; and Pentecostal, and we all get along just fine because we consider it a happy privilege to humbly bear with one another in love.
        As you might expect with such a mixed bunch, you’ll find a variety of doctrinal understandings on the ‘secondary’ issues not covered in the Statement of Faith. Some are persuaded the sign gifts have ceased whilst others are not. Some have a dispensational end time theology whilst others do not. Some are five-point Calvinists, and some are not. Some are undecided or unconcerned about such things, and still we all get along fine because what binds us together is the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace not uniformity on every theological point.”

        Reply
        1. Larry Sanger

          Maybe I should be going to a church like that.

  4. Stefano

    Hello Sir Larry Sanger, I’m here because I stumble across your interview vids on youtube and was really invested in your perspective about Bible stories. I’m from Indonesia and was Catholic my whole life until my teenage years, then I convert to Christianity and it’s not because I care about what religion I’m in, but more so about Christians are more willing to dissect bible openly than Catholic in my community. Moreover, these days Christian apologetics movement are getting traction, and being more knowledgeable about the Bible from various perspective can bring others salvation as well, that’s why I’m more eager to understand the Bible better and knowing my God better with all the helps from all the scholars I can learn from. Nonetheless, I’m really interested in joining the Telegram for Bible study or the Bible reading that if I’m not mistaken will start in April ? I don’t really know where to get the links and hopefully I can get it e-mailed.

    Reply
  5. Gini Owen

    I just watched one of your interviews and wanted to let you know it is so important that you do get yourself into a local church. One of the things I do when searching for a church is attend a bible study held there. I travel extensively so I am always in a new town. Recently I lived in Ridgecrest California and the church I chose has 2 services about every 6 weeks in which questions are asked by the parishioners to the pastor. I highly recommend Athey Creeks online sermons, they are located outside Portland Oregon, and Mike Wingers weekly online questions and answers. It is getting harder and harder to find Bible based churches in America but so far everywhere I’ve gone I’ve been able to find one. I was brought up in a Lutheran church, but have found the pastors coming out of seminary are no longer even taught most of the bible is true. The most luck I’ve had is with Calvary Chapel, Church of the Nazarene and non denominational churches. Your questions you are asking are good ones but keep in mind you will not be able to find the perfect church. Look fir one who believes Jesus is the Son of God and that He died to save our sins. No prayers to the saints or to the dead. A church that acts out it’s faith. I’m praying you find the right fit.

    Reply
  6. Em War El

    I’m 57 and have been in church continuously for the past 29 years. IMO, if you are a student of the Bible and consider it (either for doctrinal reasons or the most pragmatic of reasons) to be the ultimate rule of faith and practice, you will not be in agreement with everything your church believes. Many people look to their church to settle all biblical questions for them, they embrace those answers, and they settle into that camp. My current church is reformed, right down the line. Personally I would say that I am reformed in the five solas sense, but I utterly reject Calvinist determinism. I believe the Lake of Fire is terminal. I do not believe in the intermediate state. My pastor knows this because I am open about it, and knows that I am not looking to promote my own pet theology or be disruptive, and trusts me to serve as a deacon. Our church is like a small family, and I feel very blessed.

    Reply
  7. Bruno

    Hi Larry.

    I’m within the Reformed tradition (and would happily be part of a Presbyterian, Anglican or Baptist church with a Reformed confession, though I’m more comfortable at Presbyterianism), so the points below are more intramural (and mostly liturgical), and only help to distinguish between congregations. However, they are important to me personally (though only secondarily — i.e., I could be part of a church that does not agree with me on some or all of the points below if there is no other option).

    1. Does the church sing Psalms also or only hymns/songs?
    2. How often is the Lord’s Supper celebrated? Weekly, monthly or quarterly?
    3. Are kids ushered out of the service for the sermon or do they stay in the whole service?
    4. Is the first day of the week kept as the Lord’s Day (the “Christian Sabbath”)?

    Point 4 is actually more important than it seems, as it will necessarily lead you to a study of continuities and discontinuities between the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Reformed framework to answer that question will be that of “covenant”, which may also lead to infant baptism (not so much via original sin as someone commented, since we don’t believe in baptismal regeneration [perhaps excluding some notable exceptions]). Note, however, that some Baptists (e.g., John Bunyan and Charles Spurgeon) also taught Sabbatarianism.

    Reply
  8. Kathryn Waltrip

    Ahhhh, finding a church. That seems to be the more difficult aspect of Christianity, to me. I’ve been a professing Christian for 34 years and still have difficulty with belonging to a particular church. I’ve attended different ones over the years. Lately however, I’ve discovered that I was taught and participated in some unscriptural practices. In the beginning as a baby Christian, my needs were few. Wanted a church with a Sunday school for my children. There was only one in our mountain village. Then as I read and understood scripture more, I found that church had what seemed to me gaping holes in their theology and practices. So I changed my church. We moved across the country to an area where there was a very wide variety of churches to choose from. Attended one for years. Grew in my faith. That was always my litmus test of a church. Am I growing in my faith? Am I closer to God, loving Him more? I attended numerous seminars, workshops, studies and so on. Some of those were disastrous as I found out later, coming up with many forms of craziness. These tended to be charismatic churches. 34 years later, I’m without a home church. I attend one upon occasion for the fellowship. I attend a Bible study. I have a prayer partner with whom I meet weekly for intercession. Christians need other Christians. I only submit myself to the authority of the Pastor as I keep in mind that he is only human, makes mistakes and is a sinner same as me. I do expect my Pastor to keep growing as well. My only real authority if God, His Word. If something does not line up with scripture, it is not of God. If I don’t understand it, keep digging, keep praying. Iron sharpens iron.

    Reply
    1. Laurel

      I appreciate this answer. I think we struggle because we know and want our ultimate authority to be the Lord and his word because Jesus is the word. We want to have grace and trust our leaders, while also understanding they are fallible humans, and so to some degree we do need to be on guard even with our leaders. The church we have found ourselves at and have stayed here for the several years is a reformed Presbyterian Church. Although we don’t completely agree with every tenant, we agree with the most basic and important ones, but I will say all of the churches I’ve been to, since becoming a Christian, agreed with the most basic tenants.. I think the reason we have stayed here and left other churches- is because we have found the people to be most humble here. In other words, it is impossible to trust in an authority who cannot admit their own human frailty, and their need for continued growth in the Lord. As long as that leader continually points back to the Lord and to scripture and does not point to himself with any man-made ideas, then we have found where we can be with the level of spiritual safety. When human beings and leaders start making up their own rules or start to justify their own wills outside of biblical humility, it’s usually when we have left a church. When the church has leaders that start accepting ideas that are clearly unbiblical, even if the basic tenants and belief of the church is still theologically sound, that is where we sense danger and are not comfortable anymore being under that authority. So, although we have to have Grace with our leaders, I am not comfortable submitting myself to the leadership of anyone who is not proclaiming that they themselves are submitted to God in his scriptural authority alone, and other others who are submitted to the same authority. Then, as long as that person‘s love and humility as a Christian, seems to line up with the authority of , then I feel comfortable accepting their authority.

      Reply
  9. Lu

    I am a beginner and trying to learn more about God, Jesus, and the Bible by reading books written by Christians, I think, for beginners like me, e.g. C. S. Lewis, John Lennox, N.T. Wright, John Scott, Andrew Ollerton, and listening to N. T. Wright’s lectures. Now your blog is another place for me to learn. So thank you. And thank God for guiding me to your blog.

    Reply
    1. Larry Sanger

      Always seek a second opinion, and don’t stop with mine! I don’t want to be blamed, if I got something wrong!

      Reply
      1. Lu

        Mistakes, if any, prove that you are an honest human being and serious thinker. I respect your open-mindedness and intellectual rigour, which make your blog a good learning place for me, but in no way the final stop. It is a gateway to more reading, learning and thinking. Thanks again.

        Reply
  10. Taylor

    I do wonder if approaching things from a “what separates the denominations from each other” perspective already sleights the hand toward certain kinds of communities/traditions as opposed to others. That feels different from diving in and experiencing the life and worship of the people of God and letting God do the leading and teaching through what he brings you into and through.

    Perhaps I’m over-reading my own tendencies into your post, but I think the NT model (and that of the early fathers after them) of entering into the faith is more than just a “thinking and picking” sort of model; it’s a “come-and-see” or “follow me” sort of model. It’s a kind of ground-up journey that doesn’t just look at things from the abstract, but also attends to the way God is actively working in one’s own life and that continuously trusts oneself to him. I think this would sound familiar to many people in the NT, as well as many people throughout Christian history (eg, Ignatius of Loyola, John Calvin, a host of Pentecostals, the people in the New Testament, Athanasius, etc.).

    At the historical level, I think Robert Louis Wilken’s book The Spirit of Early Christian Thought is helpful. A group of people at my church (some with theology or church history PhDs) read it year after year, despite it being aimed at a more general audience. He also has a book called The First Thousand Years, which is a broad history of, well, the first thousand years of Christianity that provides a backdrop for later discussions of theological development. Perhaps a swathe of historical theology might be helpful as well (eg, Tertullian, Cyprian, and Origen on the Lord’s Prayer, or Athanasius’ Life of Antony, among many possible others). There is a way they approach knowledge and membership in the community of God that isn’t quite as “idea-first”, but is grounded in the ways that God is working in people’s lives and also communities, which seems very consonant with how the New Testament understands the life of the believer. (Regarding patristic vs modern epistemologies, Andrew Louth’s Discerning the Mystery I have heard is excellent in this regard, but I’ve not read much of it yet.)

    Sorry if this is opaque. I’ve found this epistemological orientation helpful as I’ve gone from a liberal Christian to evangelical (of various sorts) to high-church Anglican who continues to wrestle with his heritages. I do not regret having been a part of the traditions with which I have since parted ways, even despite any pain there may be from them and despite any real disagreements I may have with them. God’s used them and brought me through them thus far.

    Blessings

    Reply
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