CHRISTIANITY'S FAMILY TREE
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Christianity and World Religions
For more information, please go to www.abingdonpress.com
ADAM HAMILTON
CHRISTIANITY'S
FAMILY TREE
WHAT OTHER CHRISTIANS BELIEVE AND WHY
ABINGDON PRESS
NASHVILLE
CHRISTIANITY'S FAMILY TREE:
WHAT OTHER CHRISTIANS BELIEVE AND WHY
Copyright © 2007 by Abingdon Press.
All rights reserved.
No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed in writing to Abingdon Press, 201 Eighth Avenue South, P.O. Box 801, Nashville, TN 37202-0801 or e-mailed to [email protected].
Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyrighted © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America, and are used by permission.
Some Scripture quotations in this publication are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. All rights reserved.
This book is printed on acid-free, elemental chlorine-free paper.
ISBN 978-0-687-49116-2
07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16—10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
To my friends Jeff Adams, Vernon Armitage,
Paul Brooks, Doug Rumford, and George Westlake.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book would not be possible without the support of the congregation I serve as senior pastor, the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection. This book was first a sermon series during which, for eight weeks in a row, we changed our worship style each week to reflect the worship patterns of the various denominations and traditions we were studying. Many congregations would have chafed under the weekly disruption of their own worship traditions, but our members were energized by it. The end result of this series of sermons was that I felt our congregation members had grown in their faith and in their appreciation of other Christians. It was this result that led me to believe others would benefit from a book based upon these sermons.
I am grateful for the staff and pastors at the Church of the Resurrection who helped in implementing the sermons and whose ideas and thoughts helped shape my own thoughts in ways too numerous to mention. I am humbled and honored to serve Christ with such a remarkable group. I want specifically to mention Sue Thompson, my assistant, whose research and work in setting up interviews with each of the denominational leaders I interviewed for this study were invaluable. I would also mention Connie Stella and Kristin Thompson, whose work made possible the video interviews in the small-group resource that can be used alongside this book.
I am indebted to each of the denominational leaders I met with and interviewed for this book: Father Timothy Sawchak of the Russian Orthodox Church, Dr. Claude Sasso of the Roman Catholic Church, Bishop Gerald Mansholt of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Dr. Doug Rumford and Dr. Tom Are of the Presbyterian Church of America, the Very Reverend Terry White of the Episcopal Church, Dr. Jeff Adams of the Independent Baptist Church, Dr. George Westlake of the Assembly of God Church, and Bishop Scott Jones of The United Methodist Church.
Thanks also to Dr. Bill J. Leonard, dean and professor of church history at Wake Forest University Divinity School, for reading the manuscript and making suggestions.
Finally, my special thanks to Rob Simbeck, whose help in editorial revisions and transforming my sermon manuscripts into book chapters was invaluable.
CONTENTS
Introduction
A Family Reunion
Chapter 1
Orthodoxy: Mystery, Liturgy, and Tradition
Chapter 2
Catholicism: Sacrament and Mass
Chapter 3
Lutheranism: Word and Faith
Chapter 4
Presbyterianism: The Sovereignty of God
Chapter 5
Anglicanism: Common Prayer
Chapter 6
Baptists: Baptism, Conversion, and Scripture
Chapter 7
Pentecostalism: The Power of the Spirit
Chapter 8
Methodism: People of the Extreme Center
Conclusion
Christianity's Family Tree
For Further Reading
INTRODUCTION
A FAMILY REUNION
Imagine yourself walking into a big family reunion. People stand around the room in little groups, talking and laughing. Some are beginning to line up at a long table filled with an incredible array of homemade food. They fill their plates, walk to tables, and begin dining. As you look around, you see folks you simply do not recognize. There are others that you recognize but are unable to place with certainty on the family tree and still others who prompt you to think, Are you sure I'm related to them? Inevitably, some of those in attendance will be quite a bit different from you. Your natural inclination as you fill your plate might be to sit with folks you already know and see with some regularity, to avoid talking with those you seldom see.
My mother's side of the family had a reunion not long ago; and I found that when it came time to eat,