How many types of Christianity are there and their differences

The Christianity, since its foundation, it has evolved to become one of the main religions of the planet, although it has also had crises and schisms that have produced different types of Christian churches, with their own liturgies and professions of faith. Next, in this lesson from unPROFESOR.com, we are going to study how many types of christianity exist and their differences so that you know better all the branches of one of the most followed religions in the world.

Index

1. The rise of Christianity
2. First schisms of Christianity
3. The Catholic Church, one of the most popular branches of Christianity
4. The Eastern Orthodox Churches
5. The Reformation and the churches that arise through it

As a religion, Christianity arises as a branch within Judaism in the middle of the 1st century AD. C. In this 21st century, it has become one of the main religions of the planet, the majority in number, since around a 33% of the population world is Christian.

But within this religion it should be noted that there are different branches and different types of Christianity, with their own churches and institutions. Although Jesus of Nazareth preached for the unity of the faithful, his followers could not maintain it, being born as we have indicated various Christian churches. Some have grown to a large following and others are smaller.

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It should be noted that two historical events were the origin of the main aspects of Christianity:

• First of all, the ‘Great schism’ between East and West, from 1054, due to the differences existing since ancient times between Greek and Latin Christianity.
• The second major schism takes place in the 16th century, which is known as the Reform, giving rise to Protestantism.

Therefore, within this diversity we can differentiate three main trends: Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants. Of these, it is the Catholic that has the largest number of followers, about 1,100 million, following the churches Protestants, with about 500 million faithful and a great diversity of cults, and, finally, the Orthodox, with about 300 millions.

To know the types of Christianity there are and their differences, we will start talking about the Catholic Church. As we have already pointed out, this branch is the one that has a greater number of followers, which recognize the authority of the Dad, the bishop of Rome. This, according to Catholics, would be the vicar of Christ and his representative on earth, being at the top within a hierarchy of cardinals, bishops and priests.

The Pope is elected by an assembly of cardinals, having full authority at his word. It is infallible and binding for all the faithful, on matters related to faith and also to customs, customs and the liturgy.

At the center of the Catholic faith would be practices such as Mass and Eucharist, along with others sacraments such as baptism, confirmation, reconciliation, order, marriage, and the anointing of sick.

In this other lesson from a TEACHER we will discover the differences between Catholicism and Christianity so that you understand what are the main divergences between both concepts.

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When it comes to studying how many types of Christianity exist, we cannot ignore the schism of the Eastern churches that had a fundamental cause: the non-recognition of the supreme authority of the Pope. To this we must also add questions of faith, such as that the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son (filioque), a question that the Orthodox Christian Church rejects today.

The best known Orthodox churches are the Greek and the Russian, although there are others in Europe and the eastern Mediterranean, such as Alexandria, Serbia, Georgia, etc. Unlike the Catholic Church, in the Orthodox there is no authority of any personbut rather an ecumenical council that interprets tradition and settles questions of discipline.

We do find in the national churches the figure of the patriarch, the main one being that of Constantinople, existing others of marked historical character in Jerusalem, Antioch, Athens and Alexandria.

The Protestant Reformation was born in Europe in the 16th century, giving rise to a large number of churches. This is due in part to the plurality of founders it has - Luther, Calvino, T. Müntzer, etc. -, assessing common issues such as the rejection of hierarchy and the displacement of authority to the Bible.

There are three great mottos within Protestantism: only God, only writing and only grace. Therefore, according to this faith, God only makes himself known through writing, not by delegating to institutions; the church would not have a sacred authority nor would it be infallible; and, likewise, no one should be the object of veneration, not the saints, not the Virgin Mary, etc.

In the case of priests, they preach and administer sacraments, being able to be chosen by the congregation. They can also get married unlike what happens in the Catholic and Orthodox Church. They are, therefore, more collegiate than hierarchical churches.

Within these churches we can distinguish the following:

• The Anglican Church: its origin is in England, in the 16th century, with the break with Rome at the time of the Reformation starring Henry VIII. They are churches in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury and have a significant influence from their Catholic past, although reject the authority of the pope.
• The Lutheran Church: followers of the reformer Luther who preached return to the teachings of the Bible and the Gospel in dealing with him any doctrinal problem, it is an institution that only accepts three sacraments, baptism, penance and communion, and denies the value of celibacy. Its form of government is through an assembly chaired by a general superintendent.
• Presbyterian Churches: they are also called as reformed and they follow Calvin's principles. As Protestants, Presbyterians attach great importance to the bible authority, being in front of them priests and conclaves of ministers. Their forms of worship are quite simple, starring the preaching and reading of the Bible, the songs of psalms and hymns.
• Baptist churches: Like the other Reformed churches, they are faithful followers of the Bible, and are noted for their rejection of baptism of children, since this must be taught only by adults.
• Quakers: are characterized by the celebration of worship in silence, without spiritual guidance, religious creed or ritual, rejecting the sacraments and promoting social action and personal independence from governments.
• Methodists: is a group that has its origin in the 18th century within Anglicanism, and that has a open bible vision, in which each individual performs their own interpretation of it. Its churches are organized into circuits and districts, with a government made up of a conference of ministers and members' representatives and a fairly free cult.
• Pentecostal Churches: have a special belief in the direct action of the Holy Spirit and a certain ecumenism, since all the groups are denominated only Christian.
• Evangelists: This church has its origins in English Methodism, Moravian Church and Lutheran Pietism, as well as in the churches that are the product of the American faith missions, a country where it is a movement with great importance. The evangelists give special emphasis to personal commitment to Christ and the sacred texts.
• Jehovah's Witnesses: It is a church founded in the United States by Charles Taze Russell, in the 19th century, which arises from the Protestantism of this country, with very specific characteristics: they don't believe in life in the afterlife or in hell, pointing out that people who have died will live again when God resurrects them; strong monotheism, not accepting the Catholic idea of ​​the Trinitarian God, nor in the holiness of the Virgin; and they maintain a strong sexual puritanism.

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