Protestantism

Protestantism is a branch of Christianity. There are approximately 801 million Protestants, 37% of all Christians. Protestants were originally groups of dissidents who, claiming that the Catholic Church had been making numerous theological errors, broke away from it in the XVI, in a process called the Protestant Reformation. Since then, Protestants deny the primacy of the Apostle Peter and therefore the apostolic succession of the bishops of Rome and the efficacy of the sacraments. Protestants believe in the priesthood of all believers, salvation by faith alone and not by faith. good works, and the supreme authority of the Bible above apostolic tradition (sola scriptura).

• The main global organizations that collect most Protestants are:
  • World Council of Churches
  • World Communion of Reformed Churches
  • Global Evangelical Alliance
  • Anglican Communion

The term Protestant originally referred to supporters of the Lutheran ideas of the Reformation in Germany as a result of their protest and resistance to imperial edicts that attempted to seek religious uniformity in Germany. For others, the name was attributed to them when the princes who followed Martin Luther protested against being able to attend the Diet of Speyer in 1529, appealing to the council.

Lutheran doctrine (some central elements of Martin Luther's proposals, in addition to the ninety-five theses of the manifesto placed on the door of the Church of All Saints in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517, are presented in his works 'Larger Catechism' and 'The Articles of Smalkalda') would revolve around the idea that the Bible is the only authority in matters of faith for the Church and in the absolute necessity of God's grace so that man, through faith alone in Christ and the Gospel, can be saved by God in an act of interior conversion.

Protestantism also upholds the doctrines of the utter depravity of man and his total need for God, the sole mediation of Christ, the unique sacramentality of baptism (when a person acknowledges his sinful nature), and the Lord's Supper (when are not perceived as symbols) and good works as the fruit of faith alone. In addition, it rejects the authority of the pope, salvation by indulgences, infant baptism, purgatory, the bloodless sacrifice of the mass, devotion to saints and veneration of religious images, the sacrament of penance, the intercession of the Virgin Mary. and the departed saints.

Protestantism is very diverse, and is considerably more heterogeneous than the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, both from a theological and ecclesiastical point of view. Protestantism does not have a supreme authority nor does it have structural unity. Protestants developed the idea of the "invisible Church", which is opposed to the Catholic position, which sees in the Catholic Church the only true Church, founded by Jesus.

Due to the diversity of groups that joined Protestantism and its doctrinal differences, it does not correspond to the model of a single church or a homogeneous doctrine. Despite the original coincidences expressed mainly in the Five Solas, even in their origins, one could not speak of a solidly uniform movement in this regard. Protestantism is usually expressed in three types of movements or congregations:

• The one that corresponds to historical churches of a national character, such as the Church of England (anglicanism) in the United Kingdom and the scope of its exonyms, the Lutheran churches in Germany and Scandinavia, and the Calvinist churches (reformed and presbytery) in Switzerland, the Netherlands and Scotland. (Methodist churches and some Baptist churches, although without a national character, are grouped into this first type).
• One that corresponds to historical churches of a congregational character, such as the Congregationalist churches, the Puritan churches, the Anabaptist churches (menonites, brothers) and most Baptist churches; or to evangelical churches, of a free and generally Calvinist character, though anabaptists. They usually call themselves churches of the second reform.
• The one that corresponds to Pentecostal or charismatic movements, arising from various Protestant churches or without historical continuity.

There are more than 800 million Protestants in the world, distributed in different denominations that follow different lines of interpretation of the Bible.

Etymology

The term Protestant derives from the Latin protestari, meaning 'public statement or protest', in the protest of the five Electors and 14 German imperial cities against the decision of the Diet of Speyer in 1529, which reaffirmed the edict of the Diet of Worms of 1521, in which it was outlawed to believe and teach Lutheran doctrines. The term Protestant was not originally used to describe the reformers, but later to describe the different dissident groups from Catholic orthodoxy. Since then it has been used in different ways, being common to refer to those devotees who do not belong to the Catholic or Orthodox Church.

It is one of the main divisions of Christendom, along with the Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Western Orthodox Churches and the Catholic Church. The doctrines of the various Protestant branches vary, but they are practically unanimous in what implies a direct personal relationship of the individual with God without any institution in between and the Bible as the ultimate authority in matters of faith, known as sola scriptura.

Theology

The Ninety-Five Theses of Martin Luther

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther, a German Augustinian friar, published the Ninety-five Theses, which, according to tradition, he nailed to the door of the Wittenberg Palace Church, a common practice at the time. The theses condemned greed and paganism in the Catholic Church as an abuse, and called for a theological dispute on what indulgences could give. However, in his thesis he did not directly question the authority of the pope to grant indulgences. Luther was particularly critical of the then common practice of selling indulgences, which the Catholic Church under Leo X made extensive use of to raise funds for the construction of St. Peter's Basilica, which he considered against biblical teachings., questioning the authority of the pope and the doctrine of purgatory. Luther maintained that salvation was guaranteed by faith alone, stating that good works and the sacraments administered by the Catholic Church were not necessary to be saved. Luther sent a copy of the theses to his bishop, who forwarded them to Rome. After initially ignoring Luther, Pope Leo X wrote a scholarly rebuttal of his thesis. In it he maintained papal authority over the Church and condemned every "deviation" as an apostasy. Luther retorted, initiating a controversy that culminated in Luther's excommunication by Pope Leo X on January 3, 1521 through the bull Decet Romanum Pontificem.

The five alone

Just as one cannot speak of a single Protestant church, neither can one speak of a single coherent and cohesive Protestant doctrine. In fact, the doctrinal variety that Protestantism has been adopting throughout its evolution has been one of the causes of its fragmentation. Even with everything, it is possible to speak of a minimum doctrine that, with different intensity, is shared by all the churches that are heirs to the Reformation. Traditionally, this common doctrine is usually summarized in the “five solas”, which, when developed, comprise the core of the Protestant faith:

• The doctrine of “sola scriptura” is the belief that any source of authority in matters of faith should be extracted with exclusivity from the Word of God, the Bible. This position, common to all Protestant churches, varies in its intensity, from the end of the rejection of any content of faith other than the Bible (the most radical evangelical protestantism) to the subjection of tradition and customs to the Bible without being rejected if a manifest incoherence or incompatibility (historic Protestant churches) cannot be argued.
• The doctrine of the “trust only” is the belief that only through faith in Christ man receives salvation free of charge. This faith in Christ is described as a living faith that implies a total conversion of man, that is, a faith that produces a transformation that implies a change in the beliefs, works and aspirations of the believer.
• The doctrine of “only gratia” is the belief that salvation is received from God, by man, free of charge, without it being able to deserve it or acquire it by its own strength. The doctrine of grace in Protestantism is similar to the Augustinian doctrine, whether emphasized or for some misunderstood. Protestantism presents the condemned man and incapable of working for his salvation because of original sin. In this situation of depravity, man needs God for his salvation from even the very moment he becomes, for without the grace of God he could not receive the grace of faith either. Within Protestantism this doctrine has been understood in various forms. There are some churches that defend the idea that man is totally incapable even of accepting grace or resisting it, so that his freedom is completely nullified and everything depends on the divine choice (most extreme Calvinism) to positions very similar to the Catholic doctrine that defend the idea that man, still not deserving or being able to achieve salvation by his merits, once God has freely accepted or rejected it.
  • As a consequence of the radicality of the doctrine of grace and faith in Protestantism, the role of works as acts that may merit the salvation, holiness or favor of God is generally rejected or greatly attenuated as a secondary product of faith. Still, Protestantism often argues that a life of faith that does not produce works is a life of dead faith, that is, it is not a life of faith based on the Biblical quote of James 2:17.
• The doctrine of “solus Christus” is the belief that there is only one mediator capable of redeeming man before God, and that this is Christ. From a theological point of view, this doctrine is shared by all Christian churches. However, in Protestantism it adopted a series of new implications that do differentiate it. The most important implication was the rejection of the intercession of the Virgin Mary and the saints in our favor from heaven. It also rejected the worship and veneration of these and other popular beliefs that even the Catholic Church itself does not recognize as correct. Another important implication was the rejection of what was perceived as an appropriation by the clergy of certain means of salvation or forgiveness of sins, such as the celebration of the sacrament of penance and indulgences.
• The doctrine of “Soli Deo Gloria” is the belief that only God can be given glory and worship. It is also the belief that angels and all creation (including men) give glory to God and that therefore God created them. Protestantism also includes the rejection of the veneration of the saints and of any angel, man or thing.

Other doctrines present in Protestantism

In addition to the “five alone”, Protestantism, like most currents of Christianity, also shares beliefs in the Trinity, classical Christology or the first ecumenical councils, the celebration of the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper (eucharist), although with important differences, the belief in the Last Judgment and the resurrection of the body, etc. Some of its churches adhere to the Niceno-Constantinopolitan and Athanasian creeds (Anglican Church, Lutheran Church, Methodist Church, Presbyterian Church and Calvinists in general, etc.).

Regarding ecclesiology, Protestantism conceives of the Church as one, holy, universal and apostolic just like other Christian churches. What is peculiar about his ecclesiology is that he defends the idea of a double dimension of the church, one invisible and the other visible. It is invisible because it is the reunion of all the saints in the mystical body of Christ in all times and places, the unity and holiness of the Church is guaranteed, then, in Christ. It is visible in the denomination or local church in which the believer congregates. The existence of different jurisdictions in the church is accepted and the idea that it should be governed by a single person or by a single institution is rejected. Ecumenism is perceived as the need to seek essential doctrinal unity and the intercommunion of all Christians, but an ecumenism that leads to the construction of a single church governed by a single institution is not accepted.

Doctrines established in the dialectic with the Catholic Church (differences)

To understand the Protestant doctrine, it must be taken into account that in its genesis it was a reform movement of the Catholic Church. For this reason, many of the Protestant doctrines only make sense and owe their existence to Catholicism and the need or intention to correct what were perceived as errors by the Protestant reformers. An example that makes clear this dialectical genesis of certain Protestant doctrines is, for example, the denial of purgatory. Purgatory in Protestantism simply has no place in its theology or in any sense in its positive developments, but even so it is usual doctrine in Protestant confessions and catechisms to say: "purgatory does not exist." Some Protestant doctrines with this origin are:

• Denial of papacy and papal infallibility. Some Protestant churches only recognize the pope as one more bishop (historical Protestant churches) or simply reject any role this may have in the Church. Nor is the authority of Orthodox patriarchs recognized as heads of the Church.
• Except in Angliccanism and Lutheranism, episcopate and apostolic succession are rejected. The presbyterate (old) and the diaconate are preserved as ordained ministries, although not by a sacrament or in apostolic succession.
• It is denied that the councils of the Church or any declaration of their hierarchy have an authority similar to that of the written Word of God, that is, the Bible. The canon of the Bible for Protestants is 66 books, since according to the Jesuit tradition only those books that are characteristic of the Hebrew Tanaj (Ancient Testament) are accepted as inspired. The Greek tradition (Biblia de los Setenta), which is used by the Catholic Church, is not taken into account. The books not used by Protestants are called deuterocanonic or apocryphal.
• Any role worthy of salvation in works is denied. This doctrine is not exactly contrary to Catholic doctrine, although it has been a point of great controversy.
• Except in Angliccanism and Lutheranism (in part) only two sacraments or ordinances, the baptism and the supper of the Lord (Eucharist). The sacramental doctrine presents great differences between Protestants. These range from a symbolic conception to even positions very close to Catholicism.
• The Eucharist generally rejects transubstantiation, the incrucent sacrifice of Christ on the altar, the presence of Christ outside the liturgical use of the sacrament and blessings and worships with the sacrament. The presence of Christ is explained from a real presence (substantiation, spiritual presence) to a mere symbolic presence.
• Some Churches (anabaptists, Baptists, brothers, Pentecostals and other evangelical Churches) do not baptize newborns, baptizing those who were children again. They consider baptism as a conscious decision represented by baptism in public form, with which the individual decides to follow the teachings of Christ. On the other hand, the historical Protestant Churches (anglicans, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, etc.) recognize and practice puerile baptism (paidobautism), not only as a means of incorporating the child into the Church, but also as a sign of regeneration, sonship and performance of God's Grace. The Catholic Church generally recognizes as valid (although illicit for a Catholic) the baptism of the historical churches of the Reformation.
• In most Protestant churches (except in the Anglican, Methodist and Lutheran) the liturgy is conceived as unnecessary for the celebration of worship. Only those who are perceived as obligatory in the Bible are preserved (the baptismal formula, water baptism and the celebration of the Lord's Supper with bread and wine, although without the need to repeat the words Christ used in it). Anglicanism, Methodism and Lutheranism, instead, consider that the liturgy is an important part of the cult and establish books of prayer and celebration; the liturgy (except the Methodist) of these two churches is very similar to the Latin Catholic liturgy.
• The veneration of images and relics is rejected.
• It is not believed in the need to resort to atrial confession or absolution by an ordained minister so as to receive forgiveness of sins. Anglicans and Lutherans even accepting this lack of necessity have not suppressed this medium even though they kill by observing that it is repentance and confession to God that forgives and not absolution.
• The doctrine of purgatory is rejected and therefore prayers for the deceased.
• The Immaculate Conception of Mary is rejected and there is no credit for Mary's assumption in body and soul to heaven. Most Protestant churches do not use the title of “Mother of God” for the confusion that could provoke and support the view that Mary could have had or had children after Jesus was born. [1];

The doctrinal texts of Protestantism

Originally, Protestants expressed their doctrinal positions through Confessions of Faith, short apologetic documents. In Lutheranism, the Augsburg Confession stands out. In the field of Calvinist reform, the Scottish Confession (1560), The Second Helvetic Confession (1531) and the Westminster Confession of Faith (1647). In Anglicanism, the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion of the Church of England stand out, reconciling Anglican and Reformed positions. Baptist and evangelical churches also have their own declarations and confessions of faith. Barmen's theological statement, against the Nazi regime, and the short statement of faith of the Presbyterian Church in the United States are examples of recent statements.^{[citation needed]}

Education in Protestantism

The doctrinal teaching in Protestantism is usually carried out in the church through preaching and Sunday school, predominantly the ethical and religious aspect.

The education that the Reformation implanted from its beginnings with Luther, supposed the reading of the Bible, arising the need to teach everyone to read, which led the reformers to become interested in popular education. It should be noted that each branch of Protestantism has its own characteristics in each country, in addition to the fact that the doctrines began to be taught in vernacular languages, that is, in the language of each country.

Several authors have highlighted the important role played by the Protestant Reformation in promoting education and public literacy, if this is compared with the situation in Catholic countries, emerging as an ecclesiastical reaction, but with a religious character, Insistently encouraging personal and collective Bible study, as well as the active participation of all members (laity and ministers) in formation for evangelization. Generally, preaching is the most used means, although there are catechisms such as the Heidelberg and the Major in Lutheranism or the Westminster in Presbyterianism. Seminaries and Bible schools are the centers of higher theological study.

History

The Pre-Reformation (1366-1517)

Execution of Jan Hus in 1415.

Due to the mistakes of the Catholic Church, which had long hoarded material goods and engaged in a struggle for earthly power, the lower social layers, peasants, artisans, and merchants, were discontented with the ecclesiastical hierarchies, who took the tithe of their goods and from whom they received practically nothing in return. The life of luxury and sin of the cardinals and bishops in Rome was well known to the entire population of Europe and even kings and emperors felt resentment towards the Papacy that frequently interfered in the government. However, as far back as the XIII century, with Francis of Assisi, the question was raised as to whether the Church should accumulate wealth or should distribute them among the poor.

The movement started by John Wyclif, an English pilgrim of Jewish origin who wanted people to interpret the Bible for themselves instead of the Church making lifestyle decisions for them, is called the “Pre-Reformation Period.” people. In the XIV century, Wyclif defended, in his native England, various views that undermined the authority of the Church, criticizing the riches of the papacy and the indulgences through which the rich could buy forgiveness for certain sins, even in advance. Likewise, he had the Bible translated into English and entrusted his disciples, known as "The Preachers of the Poor", to preach in English, when the Holy See imposed Latin on all preaching. Wyclif and William Tyndale were able to translate the Bible into English against the Catholic Church, so that people could read it in their vernacular. Very few of these translated books were printed, around 6,000 copies.

After his death, the Church considered him a heretic and had his body dug up and burned at the stake forty-four years after his death, but his ideas struck a chord with Jan Hus, a bohemian reformer who started a campaign against the Church. His execution as a heretic in 1415 sparked a civil war in Bohemia that was put down by the emperor and the pope. Throughout all this time, both the Lollard or Wycliffite Movement, as well as the Hussite Movement and the mystical-evangelical protest of Girolamo Savonarola, objectively and frontally pointed out the different opinions on Christianity in the Middle Ages, within a perspective Biblical and Evangelical.

The Reformation

Martin Luther

The development of the printing press in the mid-XV century made anti-clerical ideas more widespread, and when Martin Luther published, in 1517, his ninety-five theses against papal indulgences, he was able to spread his ideas much more than his predecessors. Excommunicated by the pope, condemned by the emperor, persecuted by armies and priests, Luther hid for more than a year in the Wartburg castle, translating the Bible into German and writing articles that were widely published and distributed. The result was a revolt of the peasants who thought to find a release from ecclesiastical tyranny. Luther, however, did not intend to start a war, so he published a pamphlet in which he urged the peasants to lay down their arms. Faced with this conciliatory attitude of Luther to said rebellion, many nobles became his supporters.

After the end of the revolt, Carlos V granted that each State could decide, within its own territory, on religious matters, but in 1529 the Catholic majority had this rule repealed. Lutherans raised their strongest protest, which earned them the aforementioned nickname of "Protestants." Charles V was bent on stamping out the Lutherans, but distracted from him by various wars against France and the Turkish Empire, he was unable to send troops until fifteen years later. By then it was too late. Lutheranism had become the faith of more than half the population of Germany, and although battles were lost at first, Lutherans managed to win religious freedom.

Within two more decades, the Reformation had spread through most of northwestern Europe. In England, King Henry VIII rejected papal authority over the Church, and the Church of England entered into a reformation that made it essentially a Protestant entity (although Anglicans, also called Episcopalians, are often classified separately). In Switzerland, France, parts of Germany, Scotland, and the Netherlands, a second stream of non-Lutheran reform began, influenced mainly by John Calvin, the Frenchman turned Genevan, and the Swiss leader Ulrich Zwingli.

At the same time a more radical brand of Protestantism appeared on the left wing of the movement. Anabaptists, Mennonites, and others renamed Christians and initiated them into a movement that sharply rejected Catholic practices, even those that Lutheranism, Calvinism, and Anglicanism had not rejected.

As mentioned, the Reformation spread from its original bases to Scandinavia and Central Europe, but it barely penetrated into Russia and Southeast Europe, where the Orthodox Church prevailed, or into Southern Europe, which remained firmly catholic. After a series of religious wars from the mid-16th century to the mid-XVII, most Protestants (except radicals) and Catholics adopted the principle that the rulers of a region would determine the religion of that province or state. The separation of Church and State, a principle that other Protestants came to hold in the late 18th century century, began to break Protestant primacy in northwestern Europe.

In the latter part of the 18th century and through the XIX and up to the present, Protestant missionaries spread the movement throughout almost the entire world. Protestant penetration points were many Asian and African coasts, but until relatively recently Protestantism did not reach Catholic Hispanic America. Beginning in 1607, when Anglicans arrived in Virginia, and continuing through the late 19th century century, after large-scale immigration from southern Europe and Ireland, North America, except Quebec, was believed to be largely Protestant territory.

In a somewhat more peaceful way, Protestant ideas infiltrated many European countries, sometimes supported by the bourgeoisie, others by the nobility, and sometimes directly by the monarchy. Barely fifty years after Luther's death, Protestantism had completely changed the map of society.

The fundamental idea of Protestantism is that the Bible is the Word of God but, contrary to what Catholics have always claimed, anyone can interpret and understand it. Thus, free from ecclesiastical authority, Protestants can read the Bible and after meditating on what they have read, they can draw their own conclusions, conclusions that can later be discussed with other people.

This freedom in biblical interpretation has led to the emergence of numerous denominations over the years, each with a different interpretation of various passages from the Bible, but it has also contributed to giving value to the people, free at last of religious authority, which was the first step for the most democratic societies.

The translation of the Bible into various European languages, also favored by the rise of the printing press, has contributed to the spread of culture, causing illiteracy to drop significantly in Protestant countries.

Among the main and most prominent pre-reformation figures are the following: John Wyclif (1324-1384), William Tyndale, Jan Hus (1369-1415) and Girolamo Savonarola (1452-1498).

Causes of the Reformation

The Renaissance, with its critical mentality, brought with it the questioning of the teachings and practices of the Church, confronting humanist principles with medieval scholastic theology.

With the invention of the printing press as a new popularizer, the ideas of the reformers spread rapidly. The growth of the city and its intellectual element, the University, was a catalyst for the Reformation.

Berlin Cathedral, Evangelical Church in Germany.

The strengthening of European national monarchies created palpable friction between powers. The decline of the dogmatic postulates of the Cluniac-ecclesiastical reform, and more specifically of the Popes Gregory VII, Innocent III and Boniface VIII on the supreme power of the papacy, as well as the corruption of the highest leadership of the medieval ecclesiastical hierarchical system since the beginning of the The fourteenth century XIV with the schisms of Avignon and the West gave rise to theological expositions such as those of Juan Taulero, Guillermo de Occam and Marsilio de Padua from an anti-papal background. The conciliar thesis arises. The growing European nationalist fervor led to a distrustful view of and repudiation of papal rule over the different nations of the old continent. Many monarchs saw in the Protestant Reformation a way to strengthen the national State and its monarchical or imperial power. In central and northern Europe there were countries, such as Switzerland or Sweden, where the Reformation was one of the most effective instruments in the fight against the Catholic countries that dominated them.^{[citation required]}

The rapid decline of scholasticism and the resurgence of Augustinian theology with some renewing characteristics also had an influence, returning with greater vigor the reading and study of the theology of Saint Augustine to the detriment of Thomistic theology.

Reform Program

The main reformers, with a vast theological and humanistic culture, considered themselves faithful Christians who aspired to return to apostolic doctrines and to renew the Christian Church in practice and doctrine.

John Calvin studied at the Sorbonne and his father worked with a bishop; Luther was a monk and a university professor of the Bible; Zwingli was a priest and a humanist. In accordance with the program of the humanists, they looked to the sources of Christian antiquity for the basis for a renewal. They reread the Holy Scriptures and the Fathers of the Church (especially Saint Augustine), interpreting a vision of faith and a more biblical and Christocentric doctrine, disregarding, on the other hand, all the cultural and religious tradition accumulated by the Church since the first centuries.

Dissemination

The spread of Protestant ideas was facilitated by the invention of the printing press, which made it possible to disseminate a vast apologetic, biblical, and devotional literature and encouraged the publication of new translations of the Bible in vernacular languages. These revisions of the text exposed the weak base of some medieval doctrines. The new way of founding authority, together with the rejection of the scholastic formulation now replaced by biblical language, made it difficult for Catholic theologians to refute it.^{[citation needed]} In the At the Council of Trent, pro-Rome Catholic bishops would choose to limit secular access to scripture, establishing the Latin Vulgate as the only authorized Bible and drafting an index of prohibited books.

As a result of the support of national and local governments, the Protestant Reformation achieved success in large areas of Europe. It became predominant in northern Germany and in Scandinavia, in its Lutheran form. In Scotland, the Calvinist-inspired Presbyterian Church prospered. The Reformed Churches also flourished in the Netherlands, in the Swiss cities and in eastern Hungary. Subsequently, France, Poland, Bohemia, Belgium, Hungary and large regions of Germany (especially in the south and west) returned to the influence of Catholicism. However, with the development of the European empires, particularly the British, Protestantism continued its expansion. The XIX and XX witnessed a strong missionary work that expanded it throughout Asia, Oceania, Africa and America. Today, estimates indicate that more than 500 million people would profess some of the various forms of modern Protestantism.

The founders and collaborators of the Reform used all the means at their disposal to spread it, making use of any factor that could favorably contribute to their movement. In relation to this point we can point out some media analyzed and criticized by their detractors (Catholic Church):

• The denunciation of actual and “supposed” abuses in ecclesial life is pointed out — especially at the beginning — as one of the main methods employed by reformists to promote their new ideas. By these means they conquered many who were dissatisfied with the existing conditions and were ready to support any movement that promised a change. But it was especially the explicit differences with Rome and the hierarchy members, nurtured by the constant complaints about abuses, the factor that most efficiently supported the reformists, who soon attacked the accepted papal authority so far.
• It also took advantage of existing divisions in many places between civil and ecclesiastical authorities. The development of the State—in its modern form—between the Christian peoples of the West led to many disputes between the clergy and the laity, between the bishops and the cities, between the monasteries and the territorial lords. When the reformists deprived the clergy of all authority, especially all influences on public affairs, it is pointed out that they allowed the princes and the municipal authorities to finish that long pending contest “for their own advantage”, arbitrarily attributing all the rights in dispute, abolishing the hierarchy whose rights they usurped, and then establishing by their own authority a completely new ecclesial organization. The reformed clergy then possessed, from the beginning, only those rights that civil authorities were pleased to assign to it.
• Over the course of the centuries, an immense number of foundations had been made for religious, charitable and educational purposes, and had been provided with rich material resources. Churches, monasteries, hospitals and schools often had large incomes and extensive possessions, which aroused “the envy of secular governors.” The Reformation allowed these to secularize that vast ecclesial wealth. The princes and municipal authorities were then invited to divide the ecclesiastical property and to employ it for their own purposes. The ecclesiastical principalities, who were responsible to the tenants only as ecclesiastical persons for the administration and usufruct, were, in spite of the law in force, for the exclusion of the tenants, transformed into secular principalities.
• The human emotions, to which the reformists appealed, were another means of expansion of the Reformation. The same ideas that these innovators defended—Christian freedom, license of thought, the right and ability of each individual to find their own faith in the Bible and other similar principles—were very seductive to many.
• At first, many bishops showed great apathy with regard to the reformists, not giving any importance to the new movement; it was thus given a longer time to the heads of the movement to expand their doctrines. Even later, many bishops bowed mundanely, although remaining faithful to the Church, were very lax in the fight against heresy and in the use of adequate means to prevent its subsequent advancement. The same must be said of the parish clergy, which was largely ignorant and indifferent and vainly contemplated the abandonment of people. The reformists, on the other hand, showed greater zeal for their cause. Not leaving any means without using, by word or feather, by constant interaction with people of similar mentality, by the popular elocuence, in the employment of which the leaders of the Reformation were especially skillful, through popular sermons and writings that appealed to the weaknesses of the popular character, through the incitement of the fanaticism of the masses, in addition, by means of a clever and zealous use of all opportunity,
• Many new institutions introduced by the reformists favored the “murder” (according to the Catholic point of view)—e.g. the reception of the chalice by all people, the use of the vernacular language in the divine service, the popular religious hymns used during the services, the reading of the Bible, the denial of the essential differences between the clergy and the laity. In that category they must be included doctrines that had great attraction for many—e.g., justification by the single faith without reference to the “good works”; the rejection of the freedom of will; the personal certainty of salvation in the faith (“subjective trust in the merits of Christ”, according to the Catholic theologians), the universal priesthood, which offered to give everyone a direct part in the priestly functions—

Branches or names

In Germany the Lutheran Church arose. In German-speaking Switzerland, Ulrich Zwingli and others also began an attempt to reform the Catholic Church. But John Calvin was the most prominent leader of the Protestant Reformation in Switzerland. The Reformation that had begun almost simultaneously in Zurich (German-speaking canton) and Geneva (French-speaking) spread to neighboring countries, reaching Scotland at the hands of John Knox, who had been formed in Geneva, giving rise to the Church Presbyterian.

1839 Meeting of the Methodist Camp during the Second Great Awakening in the United States.

Meanwhile, the Church of England (Anglican) was not initially influenced by Protestantism, but after its break with the Church of Rome, began a gradual and hesitant approach to reformed ideals. Currently the Churches of the Anglican Communion openly declare themselves reformed. From them arose the Methodist Church, which, along with the Presbyterians, and the Baptist churches, among others, are historically known as dissidents.

Outside of that Protestantism, which many scholars call “teaching”, there was another aspect, which was distinguished from both Catholicism and the national Protestant Churches. This current is called the Radical Reform, whose members became known as Anabaptists, who rejected the union of the Christian Church with the State and repudiated infant baptism, constituting independent or segregated churches that gave rise to currents such as the Mennonites, and influenced the founders of others, such as Baptist churches.

Since the late 19th century other different branches began to emerge influenced by revival movements. The main Protestant current that emerged in that period is Pentecostalism, which began in the United States and has spread mainly to Latin America and Africa. Pentecostal churches place greater emphasis on the spiritual gifts described in the New Testament, primarily "speaking in tongues."

Each branch or denomination of Protestantism is often subdivided into various independent groups that are also often referred to as “denominations” or “denominational families.” These groups are usually distinguished from their own branch by differences in emphasis on certain doctrinal points and application of biblical texts, but also by being in different countries or even regions of the same nation. There is also often the case of divisions caused by administrative divergences, although this affects local churches much more than entire groups.

There are also countless local congregations or groups of congregations that do not have a formal link with established denominations, which are often called "independent churches." This type of church has experienced a great proliferation in the last decades of the XX century, especially within Pentecostalism, where the emphasis on revelations divine makes many people decide to have their own ministry, starting their own congregations independently, that is, without institutional ties.

Independent churches often remain local as a single group, even though they experience tremendous numerical growth, which has given rise to various “megachurches,” which are local churches with thousands of members. Even so, there are independent churches that subdivide to the point of becoming denominations themselves, as well as others that unite in fellowships of churches that end up becoming denominations as well.

Ramification of Protestantism over the centuries.

Main branches of Protestantism

Lutherans

• Origin: centuryXVI in Germany, with the breakup with the pope by Martin Luther in what is known as Protestant Reform.
• Featured Doctrines: solo scriptura, solo fideand universal priesthood.
• Sacraments: baptism and Eucharist.
• Implantation: 75 million followers, mainly in Germany and Scandinavia.
• World Lutheran Federation

Anglican

• Origin: centuryXVI, with the break with the pope by Henry VIII of England, creating what is called the middle way of Christianity (between Catholicism and the most reformed Protestantism).
• Featured doctrine: principle of real supremacy, contained in the Acts of Supremacy, which supports the authority of the monarch over the Church.
• Sacraments: Baptism and Eucharist, although they consider the other sacraments of apostolic tradition secondary (e.g. priestly order).
• Implantation: 85 million followers, mainly in England.
• Anglican Communion

Calvinists

• Origin: centuryXVI, with Juan Calvino in Switzerland and France (establishing the Reformed Church, which extends to the Netherlands), arriving in Scotland (where, through John Knox, it is institutionalized as Presbyterian Church) and England (giving origin to the Congregational Church).
• Featured doctrine: predestination.
• Sacraments: baptism and Eucharist.
• Implantation: 85 million (50 million presbyterians, 30 million Congregationals and 5 million Reformed), mainly in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the United States, South Korea, Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa.
• World Communion of Reformed Churches

Baptists

• Origin: centuryXVI The Baptists arose at the end of the centuryXVI and early centuriesXVII as a puritan movement in England, they were of generally and Congregational Calvinist soteriology, and together with the Presbyterians and Congregationals they were part of the movement that tried in its principles to purify the church of England. They have had greater growth in the United States, where they are the majority Protestant branch.
• Featured doctrine: adult immersion baptism.
• Sacraments: baptism and Eucharist.
• Implantation: 100 million followers, mainly in the United States and Latin America.
• Global Alliance

Methodists

• Origin: centuryXVIIwith John Wesley in England. Similar to Calvinism (except predestination) and Anglicanism, extending to the United States and Africa, where they experienced great growth.
• Featured doctrine: accent on conversion, preaching and holiness.
• Sacraments: baptism and Eucharist.
• Implantation: 85 million followers, mainly in the United Kingdom, the United States and sub-Saharan Africa.
• World Methodist Council

Evangelicals

• Origin: The origins of the evangelical movement are often traced to English methodologicalism, the Church of Moravia (in particular the theology of its bishop, Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf) and Lutheran pietism.
• Featured doctrines: glosolalia, experience of "born again" when salvation is received, and salvation by grace through faith in the atonement made by Jesus of Nazareth.
• Sacraments: baptism and Eucharist.
• Implantation: 600 million followers, mainly in the United States, the United Kingdom and Latin America.
• Global Evangelical Alliance

Pentecostal

• Origin: between the end of the centuryXIX and early centuriesXX.inspired by Charles Finney and William Seymour. They are mainly composed of independent local churches, although they also include great denominations such as the Assemblies of God.
• Featured doctrine: glosolalia or gift of tongues as evidence of baptism in the Holy Spirit.
• Sacraments: baptism and Eucharist.
• Implantation: 250 million followers, mainly in the United States, Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa and South Korea.
• Pentecostal World Fraternity

Adventists

• Origin: The Adventist movement originated from the ideas of William Miller, an American Baptist farmer who began preaching during the Second Great Religious Awakening, which occurred during the first half of the XIX.
• Featured Doctrine: The Celestial Sanctuary consists of the belief that there is a Sanctuary in heaven and that many aspects of the Hebrew Tabernacle, or earthly sanctuary, are representative of the heavenly realities.
• Sacraments: Baptism and Supper of the Lord
• Implantation: 70 million followers, mainly in Brazil and India.
• Union of Seventh-day Adventist Christian Churches

Protestantism in the world

Countries and regions where Protestantism is the majority

Protestantism in the world.

The country with the largest number of Protestants is the United States, where despite the weight loss of the “WASPs”, traditionally in favor of other groups (especially Hispanics, with a Catholic majority), most Americans belong to to some Protestant denomination. Among those with the largest population, the one with the highest percentage is the United Kingdom, whose majority denominations are the Church of England (Anglican) and the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian).

Place	Country	Protestant population	% of Protestants
1	United States	141,000.000	43.0 %
2	United Kingdom	44.726.678	72.0 %
3	Brazil	42.300.000	22.2 %
4	China	40.520.850	3.0 %
5	Nigeria	34,100,000	23.0 %
6	South Africa	30,000.000	62.0 %
7	Germany	22.036,000	26.6 %
8	Indonesia	15,466	6.5 %
9	Kenya	12.855.244	38.0 %
10	Democratic Republic of the Congo	12.017.001	20.0 %

Cult of the Evangelistic Church Recognise with God, at the social headquarters Enlargement of Temuco. Chile.

Latin America

The main Protestant groups began to establish themselves in Latin America in the 19th century. The Presbyterians settled in Argentina in 1836, in Brazil in 1859, in Mexico in 1872, and in Guatemala in 1882. The Methodists followed a similar itinerary: Mexico in 1871, Brazil in 1886, the Antilles in 1890, Costa Rica, Panama, and Bolivia in the last years of the century; while in Ecuador, Colombia and Peru the Baptists and Pentecostals were first established, as well as a part of the Methodists.

Currently, Protestant communities have been gaining ground against Catholicism in Latin America in general, expanding their penetration in various countries, especially in Central America.

Place	Country	Protestant population	% of Protestants
1	Brazil	42.300.000	25.3 %
2	Mexico	8.386.207	9 %
3	Venezuela	8.111.197	23 %
4	Colombia	7.888,000	17.5%
5	Guatemala	6.275.620	45.0 %
6	Argentina	4.732.740	15.3%
7	Honduras	4.145,000	43 %
8	Peru	3.382.352	17.4%
9	Haiti	3.230.371	28.5 %
10	Dominican Republic	2.655.484	25.0 %
11	El Salvador	2.605.600	40%
12	Chile	2.150.000	18.0 %
13	Nicaragua	1,809,300	35.9 %
14	Ecuador	1.674.591	11.3%
15	Bolivia	1.4 million	16.0 %
16	Costa Rica	989.394	29.0 %
17	Panama	694.916	20.0 %
18	Cuba	600,000	5.0 %
19	Paraguay	544.119	7.3%
20	Uruguay	357.667	11.0 %
21	Belize	86.940	27.0 %