Tracing the undivided apostolic church, through the Great Schism, the Protestant Reformation,
and later renewal movements that spread across multiple traditions.
One, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church; united in doctrine, sacrament, and episcopal authority; centered on the Eucharist; guided by the apostles and their successors.
Maintained apostolic tradition; conciliar authority; rejection of papal supremacy; emphasis on theosis (union with God); continuity of ancient liturgy.
Papal supremacy; sacramental theology; apostolic succession; doctrinal continuity; global missionary expansion.
Salvation by faith alone (sola fide); scripture alone (sola scriptura); rejected papal indulgences and Roman authority.
Scripture as sole authority; rejection of Catholic sacramental system; emphasis on God’s sovereignty; foundation of Reformed theology later systematized by Calvin.
Predestination and God’s absolute sovereignty; covenant theology; rejected Lutheran views of the Eucharist; a central systematizing stream within the broader Reformed tradition.
Calvinist theology applied to governance by elected elders rather than bishops.
Local congregations self-governing and autonomous; an English reform impulse shaped by Reformed convictions.
Royal supremacy over the church; political break from Rome over annulment; theological reformation followed under Edward VI and Elizabeth I.
Between Catholic and Protestant traditions; retained liturgical and episcopal structure.
Personal conversion, sanctification, holy living, itinerant preaching, and renewal emerging from the Anglican tradition.
Entire sanctification; second work of grace; pursuit of holy living; rooted in Methodism.
Believer’s baptism; voluntary church membership; separation from state authority; radical discipleship; persecuted by both Catholics and other Protestants.
Believer’s baptism by immersion; congregational governance; church-state separation; shaped by Anabaptist influence and English Separatist currents.
Direct inner experience of God’s inner light; no clergy, sacraments, or creeds; radical pacifism and social equality; silent worship.
Personal devotion; small group Bible study; experiential faith; renewal within Lutheranism.
New birth; authority of Scripture; evangelism; revival preaching; cross-denominational identity spanning multiple Protestant branches.