Home›Christianity›Practice Status›In active religious useBrowse ByIn active religious useThis page groups denominations by whether they still have living adherents today. Wikipedia notes that the Mandaeans "are the last surviving Gnostics from antiquity," a denomination-like religious group reduced to a small surviving remnant. Browsing this way lets a visitor tell a thriving denomination apart from one that has nearly died out.FactsLearn MoreIn active religious useSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0)FactsOverviewWhat Defines This GroupingWell-attestedThe branches of Christianity, divided chiefly over authority - who may define doctrine - and over the sacraments, the ordering of ministry and the reading of scripture. The main fault lines are the Christological divisions of the fifth century, the East-West schism conventionally dated 1054, and the sixteenth-century Reformation. 2StatusStanding as a Comparative CategoryWell-attestedContested: denomination arose in English-speaking Protestantism for bodies that recognise one another as legitimately named parts of one church. The Catholic and Orthodox churches do not accept it as a description of themselves. 2DirectoryCategoryWell-attestedDenominations 1AttestationEra of AttestationWell-attestedThe first enduring divisions date from the Christological controversies of the fifth century, at Ephesus in 431 and Chalcedon in 451, and not from the Reformation. 2Learn MoreThe Branches of Christianity This group gathers the denominations of Christianity, the world's largest religion, whose two-thousand-year history has produced a wide family of churches divided by doctrine, authority, liturgy and history. The major fault lines are the split between the Eastern and Western churches (traditionally dated 1054) and the Reformation of the sixteenth century. The browser will find the great communions, Roman Catholicism, the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the many Protestant families (Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican, Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal and more), together with older and smaller bodies. The entries describe each branch's distinctive teachings and origins without treating any one as the standard against which the others are measured.Unity and division Christian denominations share the core confession of Jesus Christ while differing over questions such as church authority, the sacraments, the role of scripture and tradition, and the path of salvation. Some divisions are ancient and doctrinal; others are national, cultural or the result of later revival and reform. The atlas presents each denomination in its own terms, noting where it stands on the questions that separate it from others and how it understands its relation to the wider Christian body, from claims of unique continuity to the ecumenical movement that seeks reunion.In active religious useFilter Results7 entriesChurch FamilyAllAdventist (1)Lutheran (1)Pentecostal (1)Restorationist (1)Origin EraAll1872 (1)1914 (1)1926 (1)1934 (1)1947 (1)1964 (1)1971 (1)Parent ReligionAllChristianity (1)Originated InAllKorea (1)Mexico (1)United States (1)Liturgical LanguageAllThe vernacular (7)Sexuality PositionAllSame-sex orientation or practice is held to bar full membership or participation (1)Same-sex sexual relationships are held contrary to teaching; LGBT individuals are welcomed as members but not ordained, and same-sex unions are not blessed (1)PolityAllA head temple over affiliated branch temples (1)A single central governing body over the whole movement (4)Autonomous local bodies under a national umbrella association (1)Episcopal: governed by bishops (1)Ordination PracticeAllAn unpaid lay ministry rather than a professional clergy (1)Conferred by appointment from a higher authority (1)Open to women and men (3)Restricted to men (2)BrowseCompareSelect all 7Apostolic Lutheran Church of AmericaIn active religious useCelestial Church of ChristIn active religious useGrace Communion InternationalIn active religious useIglesia ni CristoIn active religious useLa Luz del MundoIn active religious useSaint John Coltrane African Orthodox ChurchIn active religious useWorld Mission Society Church of GodIn active religious useSources1. Divinity Atlas Directory Taxonomy, First Edition Category Treetier 12. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, 3rd revised editiontier 1F. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone (eds.), Oxford University Press, 2005View the SourceDivinity Atlas Directory Prose, First Edition Category Descriptionstier 1Comments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.