Comparative Confessions
Protestant Traditions
Lutheranism, the Reformed tradition, Anglicanism, Methodism, Baptists, Pentecostalism
Protestantism is not a single body but a family of confessional traditions which share the five solas while diverging over ecclesiology, the sacraments, church government and spirituality. Some nine hundred million Christians belong to it.
Lutheranism
| Aspect | Classical Lutheran position | Normative text |
|---|---|---|
| Scripture | Sola Scriptura as the norming norm, though reason has a place in interpretation, an emphasis owed to Melanchthon. | Augsburg Confession art. I; Apology IV |
| Justification | The articulus stantis vel cadentis ecclesiae: forensic justification by faith alone, with simul iustus et peccator. | Augsburg art. IV; Apology IV |
| The Supper | Real, corporeal and substantial presence “in, with and under” the elements. | Smalcald Articles (1536); Formula of Concord, art. VII |
| Baptism | A regenerating sacrament; paedobaptism is retained. | Luther’s Small Catechism; Formula of Concord, art. II |
| Government | Variable: episcopal in the Nordic and Baltic churches, consistorial in Germany, synodal in the United States. No single polity is prescribed. | Augsburg art. XXVIII |
The Lutheran World Federation gathers 148 member churches in 99 countries. It signed the Joint Declaration with Rome in 1999.
The Reformed tradition
| Aspect | Classical Reformed position | Normative text |
|---|---|---|
| Scripture | Sola Scriptura in the strict sense: Scripture alone is norma normans non normata, the confessions being norma normata. The inward testimony of the Spirit gives certainty. | Westminster I §4-5; Second Helvetic art. I |
| Election | Unconditional election and a double decree: God sovereignly chooses the elect and leaves the rest in their deserved condemnation. | Canons of Dort I; Westminster III |
| The Supper | A real but spiritual presence, efficacious for those who receive in faith; not a bare memorial. | Consensus Tigurinus (1549); Second Helvetic ch. XXI |
| Baptism | Sign and seal of the covenant of grace; paedobaptism is retained since the children of believers belong to the covenant people. | Westminster XXVIII; Heidelberg Q/A 74 |
| Government | Presbyterian and synodal: ministers and lay elders govern collegially, with no sacramental episcopate. | Calvin, Institutes IV.3; Genevan Ecclesiastical Ordinances (1541) |
| Preaching | Central and extended; the pulpit dominates architecturally. The preaching of the Word of God is the Word of God. | Second Helvetic art. I: praedicatio verbi Dei est verbum Dei |
The World Communion of Reformed Churches, formed in 2010, gathers 230 member churches in 108 countries and acceded to the Joint Declaration in 2017.
Other Protestant traditions
| Tradition | Origin | Distinctive features | Adherents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anglicanism | Henry VIII and Cranmer, 1534 | A via media between Rome and Geneva, framed by the Thirty-Nine Articles (1571). Apostolic succession is claimed. Internally diverse: high, low and broad church. | ca. 90 million |
| Methodism | John and Charles Wesley, eighteenth century | A pietist renewal within Anglicanism, Arminian in theology, marked by the doctrine of entire sanctification and a strong social orientation, notably in abolitionism. | ca. 80 million |
| Baptists | Smyth and Williams, 1609 | Credobaptism alone and congregational independence. Separation of church and state, first realised in Rhode Island in 1636. Internally divided between Calvinist and Arminian streams. | ca. 170 million |
| Pentecostalism | Azusa Street, Los Angeles, 1906 | Baptism in the Spirit with glossolalia as its sign; the charismata as normative. Explosive growth across the global South. | ca. 280 million |
| Evangelicalism | The eighteenth- and nineteenth-century revivals | A trans-confessional movement rather than a denomination, characterised by biblicism, conversionism, crucicentrism and activism. The Lausanne Covenant (1974) serves as a normative text. | ca. 600 million |
Bibliography
- Bebbington, David W. Evangelicalism in Modern Britain. London: Unwin Hyman, 1989.
- McGrath, Alister E. Reformation Thought: An Introduction. 4th ed. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012.
- Muller, Richard A. Post-Reformation Reformed Dogmatics. 4 vols. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003.
- Noll, Mark A. The Rise of Evangelicalism. Downers Grove: IVP, 2003.
Quiz — Protestant Traditions
What is the classical Lutheran position on the Lord’s Supper?
- A bare memorial without special presence
- A real and corporeal presence in, cum et sub the bread and wine
- Transubstantiation of the elements
- A purely spiritual presence for believers only
Smalcald Articles (1536); Formula of Concord, art. VII