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American Protestant Awakening

The 18th century brought a series of religious revivals to the American colonies. Preachers traveled through Congregationalist, Presbyterian, Baptist, and Anglican communities, speaking to large crowds, urging renewed piety and personal conversions, and infusing American Protestantism with a lasting individualistic spirit.

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Enlightenment and Revolution



Enlightenment ideals of reason and religious freedom pervaded the American colonial religious landscape. These values were instrumental in the American Revolution and the creation of a nation without an established religion.

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The Protestant Mainstream

In the early 19th century, many so-called “mainstream Protestants”—Congregationalists, Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, and Anglicans—believed themselves to be responsible for the future of the fledgling United States. Although they founded interchurch agencies that worked toward social reform, some religious alliances eventually split as denominations took either “liberal” or “fundamentalist” stances.

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Abolition and Women’s Rights



In the first decades of the 1800s, a growing coalition of Protestants made arguments grounded in scripture for the abolition of slavery. This group laid the foundation for later social movements, including the Women’s Rights Movement. Although cooperation between churches gave momentum to these campaigns, political and religious arguments also led to internal divisions, often along racial and geographic lines. 

 

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Death and Resurrection of Jesus

According to the Gospels, Jesus was executed by crucifixion at the hands of Roman authorities, and resurrected three days later. For Christians, this event affirms the divinity of Jesus and stands as a sign of God’s continuing presence and power in the world.

 

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The Roman Catholic Church and the Catholic Communion



The Church of Rome traces its roots to the apostles Peter and Paul, whose lineage continues through the papacy. Despite the Church of Rome’s separation from the Orthodox churches in 1054, and then with Protestant reformers in 1521, Catholics account for half of the world’s Christians today.... Read more about The Roman Catholic Church and the Catholic Communion

The Modern Era

Since the 17th century, new disagreements among Christians have emerged over how to interpret the Bible, relate religious faith to scientific discoveries, and incorporate broader social changes into church structure. The Second Vatican Council in the 1960s led to Roman Catholic ecclesiastical change, while Protestant churches have offered diverse, sometimes ecumenical and sometimes conflicting, answers to these questions. In more recent years, the world has seen a resurgence of evangelical Christianity as well as the spectacular growth of Pentecostalism, particularly in Latin America, Africa, and the U.S.... Read more about The Modern Era

Orthodox Christian Churches



The Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches are rooted in Greece, the Middle East, North Africa, and India.  These churches are theologically and liturgically distinct from those in the Roman Catholic and Protestant traditions, and have weathered centuries of challenge and change.

 

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Credo: “I Believe. . .”



Statements of belief unite Christians in their articulation of shared commitments. While the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed are two of the oldest and most universal creeds of the church, the process of articulating what it means to give one’s heart to Christ continues in the present. 

 

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Mission to the World



For all of Christian history, missionaries have traveled across the world with the goal of extending the church to new peoples and lands. Following the routes of empire and trade, unique Christian traditions arose across the globe. Some served the interests of colonizing powers, while others, influenced by diverse indigenous cultures and identities, opposed imperialism.

 

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