Different castes in christianity
Catholicism
Main article:
Catholicism
Catholicism consists of the Catholic Church itself, as well as a number of independent churches and movements that self-identify as Catholic. They all claim continuity (based upon
apostolic succession) with the early Church.
Catholic Church[edit]
Main article:
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church is composed of 23 Churches: the Western or
Latin Church and the 22
Eastern Catholic Churches.
The Latin Church[edit]
Main article:
Latin Church
The Latin Church (not to be confused with the
Roman Rite, which is one of the
Latin liturgical rites, not a particular Church) is the largest and most widely known of the 23
sui iuris Churches that together make up the
Catholic Church.
Eastern Catholic Churches[edit]
Main article:
Eastern Catholic Churches
All of the following are
Particular Churches of the Catholic Church. They are all in
communion with the
Bishop of Rome and acknowledge his claim of universal jurisdiction and authority. They have some minor distinct theological emphases and expressions (for instance, in the case of those that are of Greek/Byzantine tradition, concerning some non-doctrinal aspects of the Latin view of
Purgatory).
[6] The Eastern Catholic churches and the Latin church (which together compose the worldwide Catholic Church) share the same doctrine and sacraments, and thus the same faith.
The Catholic Church considers itself the
One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church that
Christ founded.
[7] As such, the Catholic Church does not consider itself a denomination, but rather considers itself pre-denominational, the original Church of Christ.
Other churches and movements[edit]
Independent (self-identified as Catholic)[edit]
Main article:
List of Catholic organizations not in communion with the Roman Catholic Church
See also:
Sedevacantism
Eastern Orthodoxy[edit]
Main article:
Eastern Orthodox Church
See also:
Eastern Orthodox Church organization and
Eastern Orthodox Christian theology
The Eastern Orthodox Church is organized as a communion of
autocephalous (self-headed) jurisdictions, some of which also contain within them several autonomous (self-ruling) units. They are in
full communion with each other and claim continuity (based upon
apostolic succession) with the early Church.
In addition, there exist a number of churches or jurisdictions which consider themselves Eastern Orthodox but are not in communion with the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Eastern Orthodox Church[edit]
Main article:
Eastern Orthodox Church
This is the main body of Eastern Orthodoxy, consisting of jurisdictions in communion with each other. Some of them have a disputed administrative status (i.e. their autonomy or autocephaly is only partially recognized), and are marked as such, but all remain in communion with each other as one Church. This list is provided in the official order of precedence. Indentation indicates autonomy rather than autocephaly.
The Eastern Orthodox Church considers itself to be the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church that Christ founded. As such, the Eastern Orthodox Church does not consider itself a denomination, but rather considers itself pre-denominational, the original Church of Christ.
Other churches[edit]
These are churches that consider themselves Eastern Orthodox but are not in communion with the main body of Eastern Orthodoxy.
Oriental Orthodoxy[edit]
Main article:
Oriental Orthodoxy
Oriental Orthodoxy comprises those Christians who did not accept the
Council of Chalcedon (AD 451). Other denominations often erroneously label these Churches "
Monophysite"; however, as the Oriental Orthodox do not adhere to the teachings of
Eutyches, they themselves reject this label, preferring the term
Miaphysite.
Historically, many of the Oriental Orthodox Churches consider themselves collectively to be the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church that Christ founded. Some have considered the Oriental Orthodox communion to be a part of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, a view which is gaining increasing acceptance in the wake of the ecumenical dialogues.
Other Churches[edit]
The following Churches affirm a Miaphysite christological position but are not in communion with any of the ancient Oriental Orthodox Churches for various reasons:
Church of the East[edit]
Main article:
Church of the East
The Church of the East is said to have been formed by
St Thomas. It has also been known as the Persian or Sassanid Church. The Church did not attend the
Council of Ephesus (AD 431). Historically, it has often been incorrectly referred to as the
Nestorian Church. Although at some points throughout their history, Assyrian Christians have been willing to accept the label of Nestorians, they now consider this term pejorative. Recent Christological agreements with the
Roman Catholic Church and some of the
Eastern and
Oriental Orthodox Churches have substantially resolved this semantic debate permanently, clearing the way for ecumenical relations.
In the twentieth century, it was divided into two groups which have recently been working towards reunification:
The Church of the East considers itself to be a part of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church that Christ founded.
Other early Christians[edit]
Christian groups appearing between the beginning of the Christian religion to the
First Council of Nicaea in 325.
Main articles:
Early Christianity,
History of early Christianity and
List of Gnostic sects
Medieval sects[edit]
Groups of Christians appearing between the First Council of Nicaea and the
Protestant Reformation which are generally considered extinct as modern and distinct groups.
See also:
History of Christianity during the Middle Ages
Protestantism[edit]
Main articles:
Protestantism and
Protestant Reformation
See also:
Protestantism by country
These are the churches "which repudiated the papal authority, and separated or were severed from the Roman communion in the Reformation of the 16th century and of any of the bodies of Christians descended from them."
[8]
Diagram showing major branches and movements within Protestantism
Proto-Protestant Groups[edit]
Lutheranism[edit]
Main article:
List of Lutheran denominations
See also:
Lutheran church bodies in North America
Anglicanism[edit]
Main article:
Anglicanism
Anglican Communion[edit]
Main article:
Anglican Communion
Anglicanism has referred to itself as the
via media between Catholicism and Protestantism. It considers itself to be both
Catholic and
Reformed. Although the use of the term "Protestant" to refer to Anglicans was once common, it is controversial today, with some rejecting the label and others accepting it.
The Anglican Communion also includes the following
united churches:
Other Anglican Churches[edit]
As secessionist churches, these churches are not in
full communion with the
Anglican Communion. A select few of these churches are, however, recognized by certain individual provinces of the Anglican Communion.
Calvinism[edit]
Main articles:
Calvinism and
List of Reformed denominations
Continental Reformed churches[edit]
Main article:
Continental Reformed church
Presbyterianism[edit]
Main article:
Presbyterianism
See also:
List of Presbyterian denominations in North America
Congregationalist Churches[edit]
Main article:
Congregational Church
Anabaptists and Schwarzenau Brethren[edit]
Main article:
Anabaptists
See also:
Subgroups of Amish
Plymouth Brethren and Free Evangelical Churches[edit]
Methodists[edit]
Main article:
Methodism
Pietists and Holiness Churches[edit]
Main articles:
Pietism and
Holiness movement
See also:
Higher Life movement,
Holiness Tabernacles and
Third Great Awakening
Baptists[edit]
Main article:
Baptists
See also:
Baptist beliefs,
List of Baptist confessions and
List of Baptist sub-denominations
Note: All Baptist associations are
congregationalist affiliations for the purpose of cooperation, in which each local church is governmentally independent. The most prominent Baptist organizations in the United States are the
American Baptist Churches USA, tending to be more
liberal, the
National Baptist Convention, tending to be more moderate and the
Southern Baptist Convention, tending to be more
conservative.
Spiritual Baptists[edit]
Note: The
Spiritual Baptist Archdiocese of New York, Inc has
congregationalist affiliations for the purpose of cooperation, in which each local church is governmentally independent.
Apostolic Churches – Irvingites[edit]
Main article:
Catholic Apostolic Church
Pentecostalism[edit]
Main article:
Pentecostalism
See also:
List of Christian denominations § Oneness Pentecostalism
Charismatics[edit]
Main article:
Charismatic movement
See also:
Catholic Charismatic Renewal
Neo-Charismatic Churches[edit]
Main article:
Neo-charismatic churches
African Initiated Churches[edit]
Main article:
African Initiated Church
Messianic Judaism / Jewish Christians[edit]
Main article:
Messianic Judaism
See also:
Messianic Movement and
Messianic Jewish theology
United and uniting churches[edit]
Main article:
United and uniting churches
Churches which are the result of a merger between distinct denominational churches. Churches are listed here when their disparate heritage marks them as inappropriately listed in the particular categories above.
Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)[edit]
Main article:
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), is considered historically to be a Protestant Christian denomination. It has gone through a small number of doctrinal
schisms in its history as a Christian church. Today, the Society exists as several distinct and separate Quaker branches, and it also has an emphasis on Christian belief which ranges from evangelical to liberal.
Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement[edit]
Main article:
Restoration Movement
See also:
Christian primitivism and
Second Great Awakening
Southcottites[edit]
Main article:
Southcottism
Millerites and comparable groups[edit]
Main article:
Millerites
See also:
List of Christian denominations § Bible Student groups
Adventist (Sunday observing)[edit]
Adventist (Seventh Day Sabbath/Saturday observing)[edit]
Church of God movements (Sunday observing)[edit]
Church of God movements (Seventh Day Sabbath/Saturday observing)[edit]
Sabbath-Keeping Movements, Separated from Adventists[edit]
Sacred Name groups[edit]
Main article:
Sacred Name Movement
Movements not related to the Millerites but comparable to them[edit]
Sabbath-Keeping movements, predating the Millerites[edit]
Other[edit]
Nontrinitarian groups[edit]
Main article:
Nontrinitarianism
Christians who do not believe in the traditional doctrine of the
Trinity ("one God in three co-equal Persons")
Latter Day Saints[edit]
Main articles:
Latter Day Saint movement and
Mormonism
See also:
List of sects in the Latter Day Saint movement and
Mormonism and Christianity
Most Latter Day Saint denominations are derived from the
Church of Christ established by
Joseph Smith in 1830. The largest worldwide denomination, and the one publicly recognized as
Mormonism, is
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some sects, known as the "Prairie Saints", broke away because they did not recognize
Brigham Young as the head of the church, and did not follow him West in the mid-1800s. Other sects broke away over the abandonment of practicing
plural marriage after the
1890 Manifesto. Other denominations are defined by either a belief in Joseph Smith as a
prophet or acceptance of the
Book of Mormon as
scripture.
Original denomination
"Prairie Saint" denominations
- Community of Christ - formerly called the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (RLDS)
"Rocky Mountain" denominations
Other denominations
Oneness Pentecostalism[edit]
Main article:
Oneness Pentecostalism
Unitarianism and Universalism[edit]
Main articles:
Unitarianism and
Christian Universalism
Bible Student groups[edit]
Main article:
Bible Student movement
Swedenborgianism[edit]
Main article:
The New Church
Christian Science[edit]
Main article:
Christian Science
Other non-Trinitarians[edit]
New Thought[edit]
Main article:
New Thought
The relation of New Thought to Christianity is not defined as exclusive; some of its adherents see themselves as solely practising Christianity, while adherents of
Religious Science says "yes and no" to the question of whether they consider themselves to be Christian in belief and practice, leaving it up to the individual to define oneself spiritually.
Esoteric Christianity[edit]
Main articles:
Esoteric Christianity and
Western esotericism
Racialist groups[edit]
Main article:
Racialism
Syncretistic religions incorporating elements of Christianity[edit]
Main article:
Syncretism
See also:
Afro-American religion
The relation of these movements to other Christian ideas can be remote. They are listed here because they include some elements of Christian practice or beliefs, within religious contexts which may be only loosely characterized as Christian.
Other[edit]
Christian Movements[edit]
Main article:
List of Christian movements
Internet Churches[edit]
Main article:
Internet church
LGBT-affirming Christian denominations[edit]
Main article:
LGBT-affirming Christian denominations
Interdenominational (ecumenical) churches and organizations[edit]
Main article:
Ecumenism