The ARDA's Religious Classification Guide

Transcription

ARDA LEARNING RESOURCESReligious Classification GuideThe ARDA’sReligious Classification GuideLearn how the ARDA categorizes religious groups intotraditions and familiesCOPYRIGHT ASSOCIAT ION OF RELIGION DATA ARCHIVES 1 of 39

ARDA LEARNING RESOURCESReligious Classification GuideTABLE OF CONTENTSPart 1: Religion by TraditionIntroduction . . 4Evangelical Protestant . 5Mainline Protestant . 5Black Protestant . . 6Roman Catholic . . 6Orthodox . . 6Other . . 7Part 2: Religion by FamilyIntroduction . 9Adventist Family . 9Anglicanism Family . 10Baptist Family. . . 10Christian Science Family . . 11Communal Family. . 11Congregationalist Family (UCC). 11Eastern Liturgical Family (Orthodox). 12European Free-Church Family. 12Holiness Family. 13Independent Fundamentalist Family. 14Judaism Family. 14Latter-day Saints Family. 14Liberal Family. 15Lutheran Family. 15Methodist/Pietist Family. 15Other Groups. 16Pentecostal Family. 17Presbyterian-Reformed Family. 17Restorationist Family. 18COPYRIGHT ASSOCIAT ION OF RELIGION DATA ARCHIVES 2 of 39

ARDA LEARNING RESOURCESReligious Classification GuideSpiritualist Family. 18Western Liturgical Family (Catholicism). 18AppendicesAppendix A. Listed Religious Groups by Tradition. 20Appendix B. Listed Religious Groups by Family. 27COPYRIGHT ASSOCIAT ION OF RELIGION DATA ARCHIVES 3 of 39

ARDA LEARNING RESOURCESReligious Classification GuidePart 1:Religion by TraditionIntroductionChristian groups in America are often placed into five main traditions: EvangelicalProtestant, Mainline Protestant, Black Protestant, Orthodox and Roman Catholic.There is wide variation within each of these five traditions. The most difficult toclassify are the Evangelical and Mainline Protestant, with the evangelical groupsbeing more theologically and socially conservative than the mainline groups. Severalsources were used for categorizing the many Christian groups into religioustraditions, beginning with an article by Brian Steensland and colleagues entitled "TheMeasure of American Religion: Toward Improving the State of the Art" published inSocial Forces. This article places many of the denomination into one of thosetraditions. For Christian denominations not included in Steensland and colleagues'scheme, two additional sources were consulted: J. Gordon Melton's Encyclopedia ofAmerican Religions (8th edition) and Frank S. Mead and Samuel S. Hill's Handbookof Denominations in the United States (12th edition). In addition to those inSteensland and colleagues' classification scheme, the “Other” category was created forIslam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Jehovah'sWitnesses and other religious groups that fall outside of the five main Christiantraditions. On the U.S. Congregational Membership Reports, the ARDA also shows anumber for the “unclaimed” population, those that are not adherents of any of thereligious groups included in the Religious Congregations & Membership Study,2010. 1 Using these sources the staff at the Association of Religion Data Archives(theARDA.com) placed each group into a Religious Tradition.1 NOTE: This number should not be used as an indicator of irreligion or atheism, as it also includesadherents of groups not included in these data.COPYRIGHT ASSOCIAT ION OF RELIGION DATA ARCHIVES 4 of 39

ARDA LEARNING RESOURCESReligious Classification GuideEvangelical ProtestantEvangelical Protestant denominations and churches emphasize conversion andevangelism, hold biblical authority in high regard and tend to seek more separationfrom the broader culture. Evangelical Protestantism is usually seen as moretheologically and socially conservative than mainline Protestantism, although there isobviously variation among evangelical denominations, congregations and individuals.Evangelical Protestant denominations include the Southern Baptist Convention,Assemblies of God and the Seventh-day Adventist Church.Here are some other examples of Evangelical Protestant groups: American Baptist AssociationApostolic Christian Church of America, Inc Churches of Christ Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) Church of Nazarene Evangelical Lutheran SynodWisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Evangelical Free Church of America Presbyterian Church in America Amish (Mennonite) Mainline ProtestantMainline Protestant denominations typically emphasize a proactive view on issues ofsocial and economic justice and a tolerance of varied individual beliefs. Whilemainline Protestantism is usually seen as more theologically and socially liberal thanevangelical Protestantism, there obviously is variation among mainlinedenominations, congregations and individuals. Examples of Mainline Protestantdenominations include the Presbyterian Church (USA), the United Methodist Churchthe Reformed Church in America, the Episcopal Church, the United Church of Christand the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.Here are some other examples of Mainline Protestant groups: Reformed Church in America United Church of Christ Episcopal Church Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)Friends (Quakers) Metropolitan Community Churches Moravian Church in AmericaCOPYRIGHT ASSOCIAT ION OF RELIGION DATA ARCHIVES 5 of 39

ARDA LEARNING RESOURCESReligious Classification GuideBlack ProtestantHistorically Black Protestant churches are those that minister to predominantlyAfrican American congregations in the United States. The first black churches werefounded by free blacks in the 18th century. Historically black churches have long beenthe centers of communities, serving numerous important functions. While thereligious-meaning system and social organization of these denominations are similarto those found in white evangelical denominations, African American Protestantsemphasize different aspects of Christian doctrine, especially the importance offreedom and the quest for justice. Black Protestants tend to be liberal on economicattitudes and conservative on social issues. The seven major Black Protestantdenominations are: the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the African MethodistEpiscopal Zion Church, the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, the Church of Godin Christ, the National Baptist Convention of America, the National BaptistConvention, USA, Inc. and the Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.Here are some other examples of Black Protestant groups: African Union Methodist ProtestantReformed Zion Union Apostolic Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America Church of God By Faith Church of the Living GodChurch of the Lord Jesus Christ Seventh Day Pentecostal First Church of Jesus Christ Pentecostal Assemblies of the World United House of Prayer Roman CatholicRoman Catholicism is an ancient, liturgical, sacramental and western form ofChristianity. Roman Catholic doctrine emphasizes the Trinity and Jesus Christ’sincarnation. The Roman Catholic organizational structure is hierarchical with thepope presiding over all Roman Catholics. The Roman Catholic Church is currently thelargest religious body in the United States. This family also includes the PolishNational Catholic Church and the United Catholic Church.OrthodoxOrthodox Christianity represents one of the three great divisions of Christianity; theothers are the Protestant churches and the Roman Catholic Church. The Catholic andOrthodox churches originally were united, but they parted in the 11th century, whenthey differed over several points of doctrine, including the supreme authority of theCOPYRIGHT ASSOCIAT ION OF RELIGION DATA ARCHIVES 6 of 39

ARDA LEARNING RESOURCESReligious Classification Guidepope, which Orthodox Christians reject. Since the 20th century, the Catholic andOrthodox churches have made greater efforts toward reconciliation. Orthodoxchurches include the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and the OrthodoxChurch in America.Here are some other examples of Orthodox groups: Albanian Orthodox Diocese of America American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Antiochian Orthodox ChristianArmenian Apostolic Church Armenian Church of America Eastern Orthodox — Other Russian Orthodox Church Serbian Eastern Orthodox Church Ukranian Orthodox ChurchOtherDenominations listed in the "other" category simply are those that do not fit into theEvangelical, Mainline, Black Protestants, Orthodox or Catholic categories. Thisincludes Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Latter-day Saints (Mormons),Jehovah's Witnesses and other religious groups.Here are some other examples of groups in this category: Conservative Judaism Orthodox Judaism Reform Judaism Liberal Catholic Churches Christian Science ChurchesSwedenborgian Churches Metaphysical Spiritualist Churches/Organizations Church of Scientology Non-Denominational Churches Baha'i FaithSikh Society Muslim Congregations Unitarian Universalist AssociationCOPYRIGHT ASSOCIAT ION OF RELIGION DATA ARCHIVES 7 of 39

ARDA LEARNING RESOURCESReligious Classification GuideREFERENCESMead, Frank, Samuel Hill, and Craig Atwood (Eds.). 2005. Handbook ofDenominations in the United States. 12th ed. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.Melton, J. Gordon (Ed). 2009. Melton's Encyclopedia of American Religions. 8thEdition. Detroit: Gale, Cengage Learning.Steensland, Brian, Jerry Z. Park, Mark D. Regnerus, Lynn D. Robinson, W. BradfordWilcox and Robert D. Woodberry. 2000. The Measure of American Religion: TowardImproving the State of the Art. Social Forces 79(1): 291-318.COPYRIGHT ASSOCIAT ION OF RELIGION DATA ARCHIVES 8 of 39

ARDA LEARNING RESOURCESReligious Classification GuidePart 2:Religion by FamilyIntroductionMany religious groups in America are formed through a complex series of schismsand mergers. As a result, many religious groups share a common historicalbackground, even if they now hold substantially different religious beliefs. Thereligious families listed below organize religious groups based on their religiousancestry or heritage. For more information on the Religion Families and the religiousgroups within each family, please refer to the ARDA's Religion Family Trees andProfiles: tist FamilyAdventist churches originate from founder William Miller in the late 19th century,who taught that Christ soon would return to earth and that Saturday rather thanSunday should be observed as the Sabbath. The Adventist family includes theSeventh-day Adventist Church, which was founded by Ellen Gould White and JamesSpringer White, as well as offshoots such as the Advent Christian Church.Here are some other examples of Adventist groups: Church of God (Seventh Day), Denver, ColoradoCOPYRIGHT ASSOCIAT ION OF RELIGION DATA ARCHIVES 9 of 39

ARDA LEARNING RESOURCESReligious Classification Guide Church of God (Seventh Day, Salem, West Virginia) Church of God General Conference (Oregon, IL and Morrow, GA)For more information on the Adventist family, please refer to:http://www.thearda.com/Denoms/Families/F 98.aspAnglicanism FamilyAnglican churches originated in England and broke with Roman Catholicism duringthe 16th century Reformation while retaining a hierarchical structure. The AnglicanChurch is sometimes viewed as a "middle way" between Catholicism andProtestantism, since both traditions have influenced Anglican theology and practice.Churches in the Anglican family include the Anglican Orthodox Church of NorthAmerica and the Episcopal Church in the United States.Here are some other examples of Anglican groups: Apostolic Episcopal Church Reformed Episcopal ChurchFor more information on the Anglicanism family, please refer to:http://www.thearda.com/Denoms/Families/F 88.aspBaptist FamilyBaptists originated from 17th century English Puritanism. The term "Baptist" camefrom their insistence that baptism should be reserved for those old enough tocomprehend and confess a personal faith in Jesus. Modern Baptists are a group ofChristian denominations and churches who subscribe to a theology of believer'sbaptism (as opposed to infant baptism), salvation through faith alone, Scripture aloneas the rule of faith and practice, and the autonomy of the local church. Churches inthe Baptist family include the Southern Baptist Convention, the National BaptistConvention of America and the American Baptist Churches in the USA.Here are some other examples of Baptist groups: American Baptist Association Baptist Bible Fellowship International Baptist General ConferenceBaptist Missionary Association of America Conservative Baptist Association of America (CBAmerica) General Association of General Baptists General Association of Regular Baptist Churches National Association of Free Will BaptistsCOPYRIGHT ASSOCIAT ION OF RELIGION DATA ARCHIVES 10 of 39

ARDA LEARNING RESOURCESReligious Classification Guide National Primitive Baptist Convention, Inc. North American Baptist Conference Primitive Baptists Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.United BaptistsFor more information on the Baptist family, please refer to:http://www.thearda.com/Denoms/Families/F 96.asp Christian Science FamilyChristian Science churches follow the teachings of founder Mary Baker Eddy (18211910), who believed that personal healing was the central message of Christianity.She believed that the correct interpretation of Scripture would alleviate disease,suffering, and even death according to her book Science and Health with Key to theScriptures (1875). The movement became more of an institution in 1879. Worshipservices include readings from the Bible as well as Eddy's "Science and Health." Thelargest group in the Christian Science family is the Church of Christ Scientist. DivineScience also belongs to the Christian Science family.For more information on the Christian Science family, please refer to:http://www.thearda.com/Denoms/Families/F 102.aspCommunal FamilyThe Communal family consists of churches where members often live together andshare living activities, such as common meals, as an expression of their faith. TheHutterian Brethren and United Society of Believers (Shakers) are examples ofcommunal churches.Here are some other examples of Communal groups: Amana Church SocietyTemple SocietyFor more information on the Communal family, please refer to:http://thearda.com/denoms/families/F 101.asp Congregationalist (UCC) FamilyCongregationalism stems from the English Puritans of the 17th century and is nowfound in the United States in the United Church of Christ and smallerCongregationalist bodies.COPYRIGHT ASSOCIAT ION OF RELIGION DATA ARCHIVES 11 of 39

ARDA LEARNING RESOURCESReligious Classification GuideFor more information on the Congregationalist family, please refer to:http://www.thearda.com/Denoms/Families/F 114.aspEastern Liturgical (Orthodox) FamilyThe Eastern Liturgical (Orthodox) family represents one of the three great divisionsof Christianity; the others are the Protestant churches and the Roman CatholicChurch. The Catholic and Orthodox churches were originally united, but they partedin the 11th century, when they differed over several points of doctrine, including thesupreme authority of the pope, which Orthodox Christians reject. Since the 20thcentury, the Catholic and Orthodox churches have made greater efforts towardreconciliation. Churches in the Eastern Liturgical family include the Greek OrthodoxArchdiocese of America and the Orthodox Church in America.Here are some other examples of Eastern Liturgical groups: Albanian Orthodox Diocese of AmericaAmerican Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America Armenian Apostolic Church of America Holy Eastern Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church in North America Holy Orthodox Church in America (Eastern Catholic and Apostolic) Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church of AmericaSerbian Eastern Orthodox Church for the U.S.A. and Canada Ukrainian Orthodox Church of America Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A. For more information on the Eastern Liturgical (Orthodox) family, please refer to:http://www.thearda.com/Denoms/Families/F 89.aspEuropean Free-Church Family(Brethren, Mennonites, Quakers, Amish)European Free-Churches left established and state churches in Europe over the beliefthat congregational activity and membership should be voluntary and free of statecontrol. Examples of these churches include the Society of Friends (Quakers), variousMennonite churches and the Evangelical Covenant Church, which is the result of aschism from the Church of Sweden in the 19th century.Here are some other examples of European Free-Church groups:COPYRIGHT ASSOCIAT ION OF RELIGION DATA ARCHIVES 12 of 39

ARDA LEARNING RESOURCESReligious Classification Guide Apostolic Christian Church (Nazarene)Brethren Church (Ashland, Ohio) Brethren in Christ Church Church of God in Christ, Mennonite Church of the BrethrenConservative Mennonite Conference Evangelical Mennonite Brethren Conference Evangelical Mennonite Church Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches General Conference Mennonite ChurchMennonite Brethren Church of North America (Brüder Gemeinde) The U.S. Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches Mennonite Church USAOld German Baptist Brethren Church Reformed Mennonite Church For more information on the European Free-Church family, please refer to:http://www.thearda.com/Denoms/Families/F 95.aspHoliness FamilyHoliness churches emerged out of the Methodist churches in the United States asthey sought to restore John Wesley's teachings of personal holiness and totalsanctification (perfection). Holiness bodies include the Church of the Nazarene andthe various Church of God denominations.Here are some other examples of Holiness groups: American Rescue Workers Christian and Missionary AllianceChristian Nation Church U.S.A. Christ's Sanctified Holy Church Church of Christ (Holiness) U.S.A Church of the Gospel Churches of Christ in Christian Union Evangelical Church of North AmericaFree Methodist Church of North America Missionary ChurchCOPYRIGHT ASSOCIAT ION OF RELIGION DATA ARCHIVES 13 of 39

ARDA LEARNING RESOURCESReligious Classification Guide Salvation Army Triumph the Church and Kingdom of God in Christ Wesleyan ChurchFor more information on the Holiness Family, please refer to:http://www.thearda.com/Denoms/Families/F 93.aspIndependent Fundamentalist FamilyIndependent Fundamentalist churches left mainline and evangelical denominationsin 1930. Out of the initial 39 men who formed the movement, 12 wereCongregationalists, three Presbyterians, 19 Independents, one Baptist and four withno denominational affiliation. The movement was a response to modernity, as theybelieved that other churches were too liberal in theology. The IndependentFundamental Churches of America is the largest of these separatist bodies.Here are some other examples of Independent Fundamentalist groups: American Evangelical Christian Churches Berean Fellowship of ChurchesChristian Brethren (Plymouth Brethren) Grace Gospel FellowshipFor more information on the Independent Fundamentalist family, please refer to:http://www.thearda.com/Denoms/Families/F 97.aspJudaism FamilyJudaism is a monotheistic religion based on the Torah, Talmud and other texts in theHebrew Bible. There are several Jewish traditions, including Orthodox, Conservative,Reform Judaism, and Reconstructionist. Today, there are 5.2 million Jews in theUnited States.For more on the Judaism family, please refer to:http://www.thearda.com/Denoms/Families/F 106.aspLatter-day Saints Family (Mormonism)Latter-day Saints (Mormon) churches follow at least some of the teachings of JosephSmith, Jr., who published the Book of Mormon in 1830. The largest denomination inthe family is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon), founded in1830 and currently headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. The next largest is theCOPYRIGHT ASSOCIAT ION OF RELIGION DATA ARCHIVES 14 of 39

ARDA LEARNING RESOURCESReligious Classification GuideCommunity of Christ (formerly the Reorganized Church of Latter Day Saints),founded in 1860.For more information on the Latter-day Saint family (Mormonism), please refer to:http://www.thearda.com/Denoms/Families/F 100.aspLiberal FamilyThe Liberal family churches and associations stress the primacy of reason andexperience over the authority of doctrine and sacred texts. It emerged in the late 19thand early 20th centuries in hopes of making Christianity more relevant to moderntimes (Reid et al. 1990: 646). The Unitarian-Universalist Association and theAmerican Ethical Union are two examples of such groups.For more information on the Liberal family, please refer to:http://thearda.com/denoms/families/F 99.aspLutheran FamilyLutheran churches follow the teachings of 16h century reformer Martin Luther,particularly his teaching on justification by faith and scripture alone (sola scriptura).It is one of the most liturgical Protestant movements, along with Episcopalianism.Lutheranism is more prominent in the Midwestern United States, particularly amongthose with German and Scandinavian ancestry. Lutheran bodies include theEvangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.Here are some other examples of Lutheran groups: American Association of Lutheran ChurchesApostolic Lutheran Church of America Association of Free Lutheran Congregations Church of the Lutheran Brethren of America Evangelical Lutheran Synod Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church (Suomi Synod) Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran SynodFor more information on the Lutheran family, please refer to:http://www.thearda.com/Denoms/Families/F 90.asp Methodist-Pietist FamilyThe Methodist-Pietist family consists of churches that stress the importance ofinternal faith, spirituality and Christian living over adherence to formal creeds andCOPYRIGHT ASSOCIAT ION OF RELIGION DATA ARCHIVES 15 of 39

ARDA LEARNING RESOURCESReligious Classification Guidedoctrine. The largest among these churches is the United Methodist Church, whichfollows the teachings of John Wesley, who in the 18th century broke away from theChurch of England because of his emphasis on personal holiness. Other Methodistchurches include the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the ChristianMethodist Episcopal Church.Here are some other examples of Methodist-Pietist groups: African Methodist Episcopal Zion ChurchCongregational Methodist Church Evangelical Congregational Church Evangelical Methodist Church Primitive Methodist Church in the U.S.A. Reformed Zion Union Apostolic ChurchSouthern Methodist Church For more information on the Methodist-Pietist family, please refer to:http://www.thearda.com/Denoms/Families/F 92.aspOther GroupsOther religious groups are those that do not fit into the common Religious Familycategories. They include the Baha’i Faith, Buddhist Churches of America and VedantaSociety Church.Here are some other examples of groups in this category: American Mohammedian SocietyAmerican Moslem Brotherhood Association Buddhist Mission of North America Buddhist Society of America Catholic Apostolic Church Christ Community Church (Evangelical-Protestant) Christian Union Church of God, Reformation MovementChurch of Illumination Church of Revelation Liberal Catholic Church, Province of the United States of America National Organization of the New Apostolic Church of North America Reformed Catholic Church (Utrecht Confession), Province of North America COPYRIGHT ASSOCIAT ION OF RELIGION DATA ARCHIVES 16 of 39

ARDA LEARNING RESOURCESReligious Classification Guide Theosophical Society in AmericaFor more information on Other groups, refer to:http://www.thearda.com/Denoms/Families/F 113.aspPentecostal FamilyPentecostal churches emerged as a movement in early 20th century America,stressing enthusiastic worship and the restoration of practices evident in NewTestament Christianity, such as speaking in tongues and healing. It is sometimesdivided into "classical Pentecostalism," indicating the movement's historical bodies,and "neo-Pentecostalism," the modern movement emphasizing charismatic renewal.Pentecostal bodies include Assemblies of God and Church of God in Christ.Here are some other examples of Pentecostal groups: Apostolic Faith Mission Church of God Association of Vineyard Churches Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee)Church of the Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith Congregational Holiness Church International Church of the Foursquare Gospel International Pentecostal Church of Christ Pentecostal Assemblies of the World Pentecostal Church of God Pentecostal Church, Inc.United House of Prayer for All People United Pentecostal Church International United Pentecostal Churches of ChristFor more information on the Pentecostal family, please refer to:http://www.thearda.com/Denoms/Families/F 94.aspPresbyterian-Reformed FamilyPresbyterian-Reformed churches are a Protestant tradition based on the teachings ofreformer John Calvin. The Reformed tradition consists both of Presbyterian churchesas well as denominations that developed in continental Europe, such as the Dutchand the German Reformed. American Presbyterianism split over revivalism, slaveryand fundamentalism, but is still one of the leading Protestant families in the UnitedStates. Presbyterian bodies include Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and PresbyterianChurch in America.COPYRIGHT ASSOCIAT ION OF RELIGION DATA ARCHIVES 17 of 39

ARDA LEARNING RESOURCESReligious Classification GuideHere are some other examples of Presbyterian-Reformed groups: Bible Presbyterian ChurchChristian Reformed Church in North America Congregational Christian Churches Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America Evangelical Presbyterian Church Orthodox Presbyterian Church Protestant Reformed Churches in AmericaReformed Church in America Reformed Church in the United States Reformed Presbyterian Church in North America, General Synod Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America Reformed Presbyterian Synod For more information on the Presbyterian-Reformed family, please refer to:http://www.thearda.com/Denoms/Families/F 91.aspRestorationist FamilyRestorationist churches broke away from established American denominationsduring the 19th century to restore what they understood as true New TestamentChristianity, stressing strict adherence to the Bible rather than to creeds.Restorationist churches include the Churches of Christ and the Christian Church(Disciples of Christ).For more information on the Restorationist family, please refer to:http://www.thearda.com/Denoms/Families/F 115.aspSpiritualist FamilySpiritualists teach that believers can communicate with spirits and the deceasedthrough such practices as séances and other paranormal activities. Churches in theSpiritualist tradition include the Swedenborgian Church and the InternationalGeneral Assembly of Spiritualists.Here are some other examples of Spiritualist groups: General Church of the New JerusalemNational Spiritual Alliance of the U.S.A. National Spiritualist Association of Churches COPYRIGHT ASSOCIAT ION OF RELIGION DATA ARCHIVES 18 of 39

ARDA LEARNING RESOURCESReligious Classification Guide Progressive Spiritualist ChurchFor more information on the Spiritualist family, please refer to:http://www.thearda.com/Denoms/Families/F 103.aspWestern Liturgical FamilyWestern Liturgical family represents the Roman Catholic Church or churches thatoriginate from it. Such offshoots include the Old Catholic Church and the PolishNational Catholic Church, which differ from the Roman Catholic Church in theirrejection of the authority of the pope.For more information on the Western Liturgical family, please refer to:http://www.thearda.com/Denoms/Families/F 87.aspCOPYRIGHT ASSOCIAT ION OF RELIGION DATA ARCHIVES 19 of 39

ARDA LEARNING RESOURCESReligious Classification GuideAppendix A. Listed Religious Groups by TraditionReligious Group/DenominationReligious Tradition(Original) Church of GodEvangelical ProtestantAllegheny Wesleyan Methodist ConnectionEvangelical ProtestantAmana Church SocietyEvangelical ProtestantAmbassadors Amish MennoniteEvangelical ProtestantAmerican Association of Lutheran ChurchesEvangelical Prote

Roman Catholic . Roman Catholicism is an ancient, liturgical, sacramental and western form of Christianity. Roman Catholic doctrine emphasizes the Trinity and Jesus Christ's incarnation. The Roman Catholic organizational structure is hierarchical with the pope presiding over all Roman Catholics. The Roman Catholic Church is currently the