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Protestant Christianity

Protestant Christianity is an umbrella term for a broad range of Christian churches and movements that are neither Catholic nor Orthodox, most of which have their origin in the Reformation, a 16th-century western European reaction against Roman Catholicism. Although there are wide variations in structure and doctrine, their beliefs are typically characterized by an emphasis on grace as the means of salvation, scripture as the source of authority, and an expanded role for laity. Having spread from western Europe to all continents, Protestantism is now second only to Catholicism as the dominant strain of Christianity in the world.

Origins

Although it had earlier roots, the Reformation is traditionally said to have begun in 1517, when Martin Luther, a German priest and professor of theology, issued his 95 Theses against perceived abuses within the Roman Catholic Church, such as the sale of indulgences. Luther soon began to formulate key doctrines, such as salvation by faith alone and the sufficiency of scripture as the source of Christian authority, and strongly criticized Catholic notions of sacramental priestly authority. By the time Luther was formally excommunicated from the Catholic Church in 1521, a wide variety of other reform movements, labeled “Protestant” by the Vatican, were springing up in western Europe. John Calvin wrote the Institutes of the Christian Religion in 1536, espousing the absolute sovereignty of God, who offers salvation only to a predestined elect of a totally depraved humanity. His theological ideas and reforms of church structure became normative for a wide range of Calvinist or Reformed Churches. Anglicanism arose at this time in the context of the English monarch's break with Rome, retaining many of the trappings of Catholicism but gradually gaining a more Protestant character. The radical Anabaptists saw church as a free association and held to doctrines such as absolute pacifism; they suffered severe persecution as a result from their fellow Christians.

These various groups dissenting from the Roman Catholic Church formed churches of their own, leading to the present-day diversity of Protestant denominations. Most early Protestants accepted close ties between church and state. But to some of the more radical reformers, such as the Anabaptists and some English Puritans, the Christian church was not a matter of coercion by a secular authority or a clerical hierarchy but a voluntary association of believers responsible to God alone. Based on this principle, the English Noncomformist Free Churches broke from Anglicanism, spawning major Protestant movements such as Congregationalists, Baptists, and Methodists and their innumerable subdivisions. The trend toward sectarianism eventually spawned marginal groups, not generally considered Protestant but arising in a Protestant framework, such as Unitarians, Mormons, and Christian Scientists.

Protestantism in the Western World

Protestantism was initially confined largely to northern Europe and later North America; it was a North Atlantic phenomenon until the 19th century. Early Protestantism (leaving aside the initial reformist wave) was less interested in spreading the faith through missionaries than seeking the support of political leaders and gaining an established status. The geographical expansion of Protestantism began with English colonization in the New World. The American colonies became a haven for nonconformist groups such as the Puritans, and denominations and sects proliferated following American independence, aided by the constitutional prohibition on religious establishment. Immigration added to the diversity of Protestantism in America, adding Anglicans, Calvinists, and Lutherans to the mix; this trend continues with the arrival of Asian and African Protestants as well as Latin American Pentecostals. Major trends in the 20th century include the ecumenical movement, which has reduced the importance of denominations, and the divide between liberals and evangelicals, which has become more salient than other divisions. Protestant Christianity has had a great deal of influence on American politics throughout American history, having both conservative and progressive impulses, and today, a strong Religious Right contends with a less recognized but still active Religious Left. In North America, Protestants of all kinds represent around a third of the population—a less dominant position than was previously the case; evangelical groups have held their ground, but the more liberal mainline denominations have declined in recent decades. In its original homeland in western Europe, although it is still the state religion in some places, secularism has greatly diminished the influence of Protestantism.

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