Main trends in Protestantism. Main Protestant denominations

Today there is a return to spirituality. All more people thinks about the intangible component of our life. In the article we will talk about whether this is a separate direction of Christianity, or a sect, as some believe.

We will also touch upon the question of different trends in Protestantism. Information about the situation of supporters of this movement in modern Russia will be of interest.
Read on and you will find out the answers to these and many other questions.

Who are Protestants

In the sixteenth century Western Europe there was a separation of a significant part of the believers from This event In historiography it is called “reformation”. Thus, Protestants are a part of Christians who disagree with Catholic principles of worship and some issues of theology.

The Middle Ages in Western Europe turned out to be a period when society became completely dependent not so much on secular rulers as on the church.

Almost no issue was resolved without the participation of a priest, be it a wedding or everyday problems.

Weaving more and more into social life, the Catholic holy fathers accumulated untold wealth. The flashy luxury practiced by the monks turned society away from them. Dissatisfaction grew due to the fact that many issues were prohibited or resolved with the forced intervention of priests.

It was in this situation that Martin Luther had the opportunity to be heard. This is a German theologian and priest. As a member of the Augustinian order, he constantly observed the corruption of the Catholic clergy. One day, he said, an insight came about the true path of a devout Christian.

The result was the Ninety-Five Theses, which Luther nailed to the church door in Wittenberg in 1517, and a campaign against the sale of indulgences.

The basis of Protestantism is the principle of “sola fide” (only through faith). It says that no one in the world can help a person to be saved except himself. Thus, the institution of priests, the sale of indulgences, and the desire for enrichment and power on the part of church ministers are rejected.

Difference from Catholics and Orthodox

Orthodox, Catholics and Protestants belong to one religion - Christianity. However, in the process of historical and social development Several splits occurred. The first was in 1054, when it separated from the Roman Catholic Church. Later, in the sixteenth century, during the Reformation, a completely separate movement appeared - Protestantism.

Let's see how different the principles are in these churches. And also why former Protestants more often convert to Orthodoxy.

So, as two fairly ancient movements, Catholics and Orthodox believe that their church is true. Protestants have diverse views. Some movements even deny the need to belong to any religion.

Among Orthodox priests allowed to marry once, monks are prohibited from marrying. Among Catholics of the Latin tradition, everyone takes a vow of celibacy. Protestants are allowed to marry; they do not recognize celibacy at all.

Also, the latter have absolutely no institution of monasticism, unlike the first two directions.

In addition, Protestants do not touch upon the issue of “filioque,” ​​which is the cornerstone of the dispute between Catholics and Orthodox. They also do not have purgatory, and the Virgin Mary is perceived as the standard of the perfect woman.

Of the seven generally accepted sacraments, Protestants recognize only baptism and communion. There is no confession and the worship of icons is not accepted.

Protestantism in Russia

Although it is the Russian Federation, other faiths are also common here. In particular, there are Catholics and Protestants, Jews and Buddhists, supporters of various spiritual movements and philosophical worldviews.

According to statistics, there are about three million Protestants in Russia who attend more than ten thousand parishes. Of these communities, less than half are officially registered with the Ministry of Justice.

Pentecostals are considered the largest movement in Russian Protestantism. They and their reformed offshoot (neo-Pentecostals) have over one and a half million followers.

However, over time, some convert to the traditional Russian faith. Friends and acquaintances tell Protestants about Orthodoxy, sometimes they read specialized literature. Judging by the reviews of those who “returned to the fold” native church, they feel relieved to no longer be deluded.

To other currents common in the territory Russian Federation, include Seventh-day Adventists, Baptists, Minnonites, Lutherans, Evangelical Christians, Methodists and many others.

Calvinists

The most rational Protestants are Calvinists. This trend was formed in the mid-sixteenth century in Switzerland. The young French preacher and theologian, John Calvin, decided to continue and deepen the reform ideas of Martin Luther.

He declared that not only should things be removed from churches that were contrary to the Holy Scriptures, but also those things that were not even mentioned in the Bible. That is, according to Calvinism, the house of prayer should contain only what is prescribed in the holy book.

There are some differences in doctrine held by Protestants and Orthodox Christians. The first consider any gathering of people in the name of the Lord to be a church; they deny the majority of saints, Christian symbols and the Mother of God.

In addition, they believe that a person accepts faith personally and through sober judgment. Therefore, the rite of baptism occurs only in adulthood.

The Orthodox are the complete opposite of Protestants in the above-mentioned points. In addition, they adhere to the belief that the Bible can only be interpreted by a specially trained person. Protestants believe that everyone does this to the best of their abilities and spiritual development.

Lutherans

In fact, Lutherans are the continuators of the true aspirations of Martin Luther. It was after their performance in the city of Speyer that the movement began to be called the “Protestant Church.”

The term "Lutherans" appeared in the sixteenth century during the polemics of Catholic theologians and priests with Luther. This is how they called the followers of the father of the Reformation in a derogatory manner. Lutherans call themselves “Evangelical Christians.”

Thus, Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox Christians strive to achieve the salvation of their souls, but each has different methods. The differences, in principle, are based only on the interpretation of Holy Scripture.

With his Ninety-Five Theses, Martin Luther proved the inconsistency of the entire institution of priests and many of the traditions that Catholics adhere to. According to him, these innovations relate more to the material and secular sphere of life than to the spiritual. This means they should be abandoned.

In addition, Lutheranism is based on the belief that Jesus Christ, with his death on Calvary, atoned for all the sins of mankind, including the original sins. Everything you need for happy life, is to believe this good news.

Lutherans are also of the opinion that any priest is the same layman, but more professional in terms of preaching. Therefore, a chalice is used to give communion to all people.

Today, more than eighty-five million people are Lutherans. But they do not represent unity. There are separate associations and denominations based on historical and geographical principles.

In the Russian Federation, the most popular in this environment is the Lutheran Hour Ministry society.

Baptists

It is often jokingly said that Baptists are English Protestants. But there is also a grain of truth in this statement. After all, this movement emerged precisely from among the Puritans of Great Britain.

In fact, Baptistism is next stage development (as some believe) or simply a branch of Calvinism. The term itself comes from the ancient Greek word for baptism. It is in the name that the main idea of ​​this direction is expressed.

Baptists believe that only a person who, in adulthood, came to the idea of ​​renouncing sinful actions and sincerely accepted faith into his heart can be considered a true believer.

Many Protestants in Russia agree with similar thoughts. Despite the fact that the majority are Pentecostals, which we will talk about later, some of their views completely coincide.

To briefly express the basics of the practice of church life, Protestant Baptists are confident in the inerrancy of the authority of the Bible in all situations. They adhere to the ideas of a universal priesthood and congregation, that is, each community is independent and independent.

The presbyter does not have any real power, he simply reads sermons and teachings. All issues are resolved at general meetings and church councils. The service includes a sermon, hymns accompanied by instrumental music, and extemporaneous prayers.

Today in Russia Baptists, like Adventists, call themselves evangelical Christians, and their churches - houses of prayer.

Pentecostals

The most numerous Protestants in Russia are Pentecostals. This current entered our country from Western Europe through Finland at the beginning of the twentieth century.

The first Pentecostal, or, as he was then called, “Oneness,” was Thomas Barratt. He came in 1911 from Norway to St. Petersburg. Here the preacher declared himself a follower of evangelical Christians in the apostolic spirit, and began to rebaptize everyone.

The basis of Pentecostal faith and practice is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They also recognize the rite of passage with the help of water. But the experiences that a person experiences when the Spirit descends on him are considered by this Protestant movement to be the most correct. They say that the state that the baptized person experiences is equivalent to the feelings of the apostles who received initiation from Jesus Christ himself on the fiftieth day after his resurrection.

Therefore, they name their church in honor of the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, or Trinity (Pentecost). Followers believe that the initiate in this way receives one of the Divine gifts. He gains the word of wisdom, healing, miracles, prophecy, the ability to speak foreign languages or discern spirits.

In the Russian Federation today, three of the Pentecostals are considered the most influential Protestant associations. They are part of the Assembly of God.

Mennonites

Mennoniteism is one of the most interesting branches of Protestantism. These Protestant Christians were the first to proclaim pacifism as part of their creed.
The denomination arose in the thirties of the sixteenth century in the Netherlands.

Menno Simons is considered the founder. Initially, he abandoned Catholicism and adopted the principles of Anabaptism. But after some time he deepened significantly individual features this creed.

So, Mennonites believe that the kingdom of God on earth will come only with the assistance of all people, when they establish a common true church. The Bible is the unquestioned authority, and the Trinity is the only thing that has holiness. Only adults can be baptized after they have made a firm and sincere decision.

But the most important distinctive feature Mennonites are considered a refusal military service, army oath and litigation. In this way, supporters of this movement bring to humanity the desire for peace and non-violence.

The Protestant denomination came to the Russian Empire during the reign of Catherine the Great. Then she invited part of the community to move from the Baltic states to Novorossia, the Volga region and the Caucasus. This turn of events was simply a gift for the Mennonites, as they were persecuted in Western Europe. Therefore, there were two waves of forced migration to the east.

Today in the Russian Federation this movement has actually united with the Baptists.

Adventists

Like any devout Christian, a Protestant believes in the second coming of the Messiah. It was on this event that the Adventist philosophy was originally built (from Latin word"coming")

A former United States Army captain, Miller became a Baptist in 1831 and later published a book about the certain coming of Jesus Christ on March 21, 1843. But it turned out that no one showed up. Then an adjustment was made for the inaccuracy of the translation, and the Messiah was expected in the spring of 1844. When the second time did not come true, a period of depression began among believers, which in historiography is called the “Great Disappointment.”

After this, the Millerite movement splits into a number of separate denominations. Seventh-day Adventists are considered the most organized and popular. They are centrally managed and strategically developed in several countries.

IN Russian Empire this movement appeared through the Mennonites. The first communities were formed on the Crimean Peninsula and the Volga region.

Because of their refusal to take up arms and take the oath, they were persecuted in the Soviet Union. But at the end of the seventies of the twentieth century there was a restoration of the movement. And in 1990, at the first congress of Adventists, the Russian Union was adopted.

Protestants or sectarians

Today there is no doubt that Protestants are one of the equal branches of Christianity, with their own creed, principles, principles of behavior and worship.

However, there are some churches that are very similar in organization to Protestants, but, in fact, are not. The latter, for example, include Jehovah's Witnesses.

But in view of the confusion and uncertainty of their teaching, as well as the contradiction of early statements with later ones, this movement cannot be unambiguously attributed to any direction.

Jehovah's Witnesses do not perceive Christ, the Trinity, the cross, or icons. They consider the main and only God, whom they call Jehovah, like the medieval mystics. Some of their provisions echo Protestant ones. But such a coincidence does not make them supporters of this Christian movement.

Thus, in this article we have figured out who Protestants are, and also talked about the situation of different branches in Russia.

Good luck to you, dear readers!

PROTESTANTISM (from Latin protestans, gen. protestantis - publicly proving), one of the main trends in Christianity. Broke away from Catholicism during the Reformation in the 16th century. Unites many independent movements, churches and sects (Lutheranism, Calvinism, Anglican Church, Methodists, Baptists, Adventists, etc.)

In society there is such a phenomenon as Protestant churches, or as they are often called in our country - “sects”. Some people are fine with it, others are very negative about it. You can often hear that Baptists, who are Protestants, sacrifice babies, and Pentecostals turn off the lights at meetings.

In this article we want to provide you with information about Protestantism: to reveal the history of the Protestant movement, the basic doctrinal principles of Protestantism, and to touch upon the reasons for the negative attitude towards it in society.

Big Encyclopedic Dictionary reveals the meaning of the words “Sect”, “Sectarianism”, “Protestantism”:
SECT (from Latin secta - teaching, direction, school) is a religious group, community that has broken away from the dominant church. IN figuratively- a group of people isolated in their own narrow interests.

SECTANTISM - religious, designation of religious associations that are in opposition to one or another dominant religious movement. In history, social and national liberation movements often took the form of sectarianism. Some sects acquired features of fanaticism and extremism. A number of sects cease to exist, some turn into churches. Known: Adventists, Baptists, Doukhobors, Molokans, Pentecostals, Khlysty, etc.

PROTESTANTISM (from Latin protestans, gen. protestantis - publicly proving), one of the main trends in Christianity. Broke away from Catholicism during the Reformation in the 16th century. Unites many independent movements, churches and sects (Lutheranism, Calvinism, Anglican Church, Methodists, Baptists, Adventists, etc.). Protestantism is characterized by the absence of a fundamental opposition between the clergy and the laity, the rejection of complex church hierarchy, simplified cult, lack of monasticism, celibacy; in Protestantism there is no cult of the Mother of God, saints, angels, icons, the number of sacraments is reduced to two (baptism and communion).

The main source of doctrine is Holy Scripture. Protestantism is widespread mainly in the USA, Great Britain, Germany, Scandinavian countries and Finland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, Latvia, Estonia. Thus, Protestants are Christians who belong to one of several independent Christian churches.

They are Christians, and together with Catholics and Orthodox Christians they share the fundamental principles of Christianity. For example, they all accept the Nicene Creed, adopted by the first Council of the Church in 325, as well as the Nicene Creed of Constantinople, adopted by the Council of Chalcedon in 451 (See box). They all believe in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, in His divine essence and future coming. All three schools accept the Bible as the Word of God and agree that repentance and faith are necessary to have eternal life.

However, the views of Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants on some issues differ. Protestants value the authority of the Bible above all else. Orthodox and Catholics value their traditions more highly and believe that only the leaders of these Churches can interpret the Bible correctly. Despite their differences, all Christians agree with the prayer of Christ recorded in the Gospel of John (17:20-21): “I pray not for these only, but also for those who believe in Me through their word, that they may all be one... "

HISTORY OF PROTESTANTITY One of the first Protestant reformers was priest, professor of theology Jan Hus, a Slav who lived in the territory of modern Czech Republic and became a martyr for the faith in 1415. Jan Hus taught that Scripture is more important than tradition. The Protestant Reformation spread throughout Europe in 1517 when another Catholic priest and theology professor named Martin Luther called for renewal of the Catholic Church. He said that when the Bible conflicts with church traditions, the Bible must be obeyed. Luther said that the Church was doing wrong by selling the opportunity to go to heaven for money. He also believed that salvation comes through faith in Christ and not through trying to "earn" eternal life good deeds.

The Protestant Reformation is now spreading throughout the world. As a result, such churches as Lutheran, Anglican, Dutch Reformed, and later Baptist, Pentecostal and others, including charismatic, were formed. According to Operation Peace, there are about 600 million Protestants, 900 million Catholics and 250 million Orthodox Christians worldwide.

At first glance, it may seem that Protestants appeared on the territory of the CIS only with the collapse of the USSR and came from America. In fact, Protestants first came to Russia during the time of Ivan the Terrible and by 1590 they were already in Siberia. Over a nine-year period (from 1992 to 2000), 11,192 Christian communities were registered on the territory of Ukraine, of which 5,772 (51.6%) were Orthodox and 3,755 (33.5%) Protestant (According to State Committee Ukraine for Religious Affairs).

Thus, Protestantism in Ukraine has long gone beyond the boundaries of “a group of people secluded in their own narrow interests,” since more than a third of all churches in the country cannot be called a “sect.” Protestant churches are officially registered by the state, they are open to everyone and do not hide their activities. Their main goal remains to convey to people the Gospel of the Savior.

DOCTRINAL PRINCIPLES

CHURCH TRADITIONS Protestants have nothing against church traditions, except when these traditions contradict Scripture. They substantiate this primarily with the remark of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew (15:3, 6): “...Why do you also transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?... Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.”

BAPTISM Protestants believe in the Bible's statement that baptism should follow only repentance (Acts 2:3) and believe that baptism without repentance is meaningless. Protestants do not support infant baptism because an infant cannot repent due to his ignorance of good and evil. Jesus said, “Suffer the little children and do not hinder them from coming to Me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14). Protestants rely on the fact that the Bible does not describe a single case of infant baptism, especially since even Jesus waited until he was 30 years old for his baptism.

ICONS Protestants believe that the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:4) prohibit the use of images for worship: “You shall not make for yourself an idol or any image of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth below, or that is in the water under the earth.” Leviticus 26:1 says: “You shall not make idols or graven images for yourselves, neither shall you set up pillars for yourselves, nor shall you place gravestones with images on your land to bow down to them; for I am the Lord your God.” Therefore, Protestants do not use images for worship for fear that some people may worship these images instead of God.

PRAYERS TO THE SAINTS Protestants prefer to follow the instructions of Jesus, where He taught us to pray saying: “Pray like this: Our Father who art in heaven!” (Matt. 6:9). Moreover, there are no examples in Scripture of anyone praying to Mary or the saints. They believe that the Bible forbids praying to people who have died, even to Christians in heaven, basing this on Deuteronomy (18:10-12), which says: “You shall not have anyone who inquires of the dead.” God condemned Saul for contacting Saint Samuel after his death (1 Chron. 10:13-14).

THE VIRGIN MARY Protestants believe that Mary was a wonderful example of Christian obedience to God and that she remained a virgin until Jesus was born. The basis for this is the Gospel of Matthew (1:25), which says that Joseph, her husband, “knew her not before she gave birth to her firstborn Son,” and other passages from the Bible that talk about the brothers and sisters of Jesus ( Matthew 12:46, 13:55-56, Mark 3:31, John 2:12, 7:3). But they do not believe that Mary was sinless because in Luke 1:47 she called God her Savior; if Mary had been without sin, she would not have needed a Savior.

CHURCH Protestants believe that there is only one true Church, but do not believe that it is part of any man-made organization. This true Church consists of all people who love God and serve Him through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, regardless of what denomination they belong to.

CHURCH FATHERS Protestants respect and value the teachings of the Church Fathers (church leaders who lived after the apostles) when these teachings are in agreement with Scripture. This is based on the fact that often the Church Fathers do not agree with each other.

POWERS OF SAINTS Protestants do not believe that the relics of saints contain any special power because the Bible does not teach this. Protestants believe that the Bible does not indicate that Christians should honor the bodies of the dead.

CUTANES AND THE TITLE “FATHER” Protestant ministers do not wear cassocks because neither Jesus nor the apostles wore any special clothing. There is also no indication in this regard in the New Testament. They are not usually called "father" because Jesus said in Matthew 23:9, "And call no one on earth your father..." which, in their opinion, means that we should not declare anyone -or your spiritual master.

SIGN OF THE CROSS AND THE CROSS Protestants do not object to the sign of the cross, but since Scripture does not teach it, they do not teach it either. The Protestant and Catholic Churches, unlike the Orthodox Church, prefer to use a simple cross.

ICONOSTASES Protestants and Catholics believe that the iconostasis symbolizes the veil that separates people from the Holy of Holies in the Temple of Jerusalem. They believe that when God tore it in two at the death of Jesus (Matt. 27:51), He was saying that we are no longer separated from Him because of the blood He shed so that we could be forgiven.

WORSHIP PLACES Jesus said in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.” Protestants believe that worship is sanctified not by the place where the service is held, not by the building, but by the presence of Christ among the believers. The Bible also says that Christians are the temple of God, not buildings: “Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16). The Bible shows that the early Christians held services in many various places: in school (Acts 19:9), in Jewish synagogues (Acts 18:4, 26; 19:8), in the Jewish temple (Acts 3:1), and in private homes (Acts 2:46; 5:42; 18:7; Philip.1:2; 18:7; Col.4:15; Rom.16:5 and 1 Cor.16:19). Evangelism services, according to the Bible, took place near the river (Acts 16:13), in the street crowd (Acts 2:14) and in the public square (Acts 17:17). There is no evidence in the Bible that the first Christians held services in a church building.

REASONS FOR NEGATIVE ATTITUDES TOWARDS PROTESTANTS Officially, Orthodoxy came to the territory of present-day Ukraine in 988, then the rulers of Rus' introduced Orthodox Christianity How state religion. Much earlier, the disciples of Christ came to the land of the Scythians in order to convey the Good News of the Savior to the barbarian peoples. The most famous is the coming to Kyiv of Jesus’ disciple, Andrew, who was popularly called “The First Called.” At that time, there was no division of Christianity into Roman and Byzantine, that is, into Catholic and Orthodox, and Andrei represented completely Protestant views - he preached based only on the word of God; held meetings wherever possible (there were no churches yet); baptized only adults.

With the strengthening of the position of the Orthodox Church in Rus', and then in Tsarist Russia, everything non-Orthodox has become anti-state. At first this was due to wars in which Catholics fought against Orthodox Christians, and then to the strengthening of the power of the sovereign, since it is much easier to manage one religion than several. Protestants or “non-believers” were expelled to remote regions, and everyone who remained hid from persecution. The authorities and leadership of the Orthodox Church in every possible way encouraged the humiliation of the rights of other religions.

After 1917, the new government tried to completely get rid of the “opium of the people” by destroying churches and physically exterminating believers. But after certain difficulties and discontent of the population, the power of the councils left only one church to exist - the Orthodox. And Protestants, along with Catholics, Greek Catholics, and representatives of other denominations, are either serving time in camps or hiding from the authorities. In such conditions, the only way to hold Protestant meetings was in houses and basements, and to protect them from the eyes of “well-wishers,” the lights were turned off. At the same time, to discriminate against anti-state religions, stories about the sacrifices of Baptists, the low cultural and educational level of Pentecostals, the witchcraft of charismatics, and more are spread in the press and among the people. Thus, for decades, society has subconsciously cultivated a negative attitude towards everything non-Orthodox. And now it is very difficult for people to overcome these negative stereotypes and accept Protestants as Christians.

Now that you know the history of the Protestant movement, its basic doctrinal principles, and understand the reasons for the negative attitude towards Protestantism in society, you can decide for yourself whether or not to accept Protestants as Christians. But today says the following: Protestants are 3755 churches in Ukraine in 9 years!

Yes, they differ from the usual Orthodox Church in some matters, but the goal of both the Orthodox, Catholics, and Protestants is the same - to preach the Gospel and lead people to Salvation. And Protestants cope with it in Lately everything is better. It is Protestants who conduct mass evangelism and meetings in which more and more people come to Jesus Christ. It is Protestants who tell people about the Savior through all types of media.

By basing their ministry directly on the Bible, Protestants provide people with another path to Christ, a path to salvation. By fulfilling the instructions of Jesus Christ, Protestants bring His Salvation closer!

Roman CAT

Christian newspaper "Word of Awakening" http://gazetasp.net/

Protestantism(from Latin protestatio - to proclaim) - one of the main directions of Christianity, which is a collection of independent churches and denominations associated by their origin with the Reformation - the anti-Catholic movement of the 16th century in Europe. The founder of Protestantism is considered to be Martin Luther (1483–1546), who expressed not only the ideas of church reform that had been expressed since the 14th century (the Waldensians, Hussites, and Cathars are considered the forerunners of the Reformation), but to a large extent his own spiritual experience (as well as others figures of the Reformation, Luther's contemporaries John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli, Philip Melanchthon). In 1517, Luther began the struggle to cleanse the church and nailed the “95 Theses against Indulgences” to the door of the castle church in Wittenberg, where he spoke out against the church’s trade in heavenly grace. Subsequently, Luther’s “Theses” were distributed throughout Europe, helping to mature an active popular movement and the struggle of secular authorities for religious and national independence from the papacy. Protestantism is based on five principles: Sola Scriptura (“by Scripture alone”), Sola fide (“by faith alone”), Sola gratia (“by grace alone”), Solus Christus (“Christ alone”), Soli Deo gloria (“God alone”) glory"). All movements of Protestantism adhere to these principles in various variations and to varying degrees. From the very beginning of its existence, Protestantism became a broad movement, which included the most diverse movements without a single center and one spiritual leader. Currently, this movement includes several dozen large areas and up to two thousand smaller ones. There are about 600 million Protestants in the world.

Lutheranism- national churches in a number of European countries (Germany, Scandinavian countries, Russia), as well as in the USA. State churches in European countries, as a rule, are liberal, while in the United States they are conservative (Missouri Synod, Wisconsin Synod). They are distinguished by a centralized hierarchical structure and follow the liturgical tradition in worship. In Russia, Lutheranism appeared during the life of Martin Luther in last years board Vasily III(1524–1533), subsequently the German and Scandinavian traditions (Church of Ingria) existed on an equal basis with each other, in the 2000s purely Russian Lutheran jurisdictions appeared.

Calvinism and Reformation- the second major movement of the European Reformation after Lutheranism. John Calvin (1509–1564) systematized Protestant theology in his Instructions Christian faith" Calvin developed and clearly formulated the idea of ​​double (complete) predestination: God initially, even before the creation of the world, predestined the salvation or condemnation of people, and people are obliged to trust his verdict. But a person in earthly life can see a sign of his chosenness and the correctness of his actions. Such a criterion is success in earthly work to which God has called a person. In Russia to end of XVI centuries, there already existed permanent Reformed communities in Moscow, Arkhangelsk, Vologda and other trading cities. WITH

Introduction

3. Main directions of Protestantism

4. Modern Protestant churches in Russia

5. Religious content of Protestantism

Conclusion

List of used literature

Introduction

PROTESTANTISM, a religious movement that includes all those Western faiths that do not go beyond the Christian tradition, but differ from the Roman Catholic tradition. The word "Protestant" was first used at the Reichstag in Speyer (1529) to designate the signatories of the Protestatio, a document that openly expressed disagreement with the Reichstag's decision to prohibit a number of reforms within the church. Later, “Protestants” began to be called all those who disobeyed the pope during the coup of the 16th century, which went down in history under the name of the Reformation. Since then, Protestantism has fragmented into numerous families of churches and unrelated sects, and the word has become a collective concept, behind which there was no specific denomination.

1. The emergence of Protestantism. Reformation

Protestantism as a movement of Christianity belongs not only to the history of Christianity. He is still an influential spiritual and intellectual force today. The point is not only in the hundreds of millions of his followers, but also in the spiritual heritage of such masters of modern thought, Western philosophers as Karl Barth (1886-1968), Karl Jaspers (1883-1969), Martin Luther King (1929-1968) .), Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965), Billy Graham (b. 1926) and others.

The history of Protestantism is associated with the names of the greatest representatives of humanity and its culture. To understand this, let's look at the facts. The beginning of the 16th century in Europe is a great era of radical change in European culture, when the foundation for its development is laid for centuries to come. This is the time of noble impulses and the burning of “heretics”, hobbies ancient culture and witch hunts, pious disputes and sophisticated torture. All this flows into a single stream of social development and forms a worldview that heralds the onset of the bourgeois era.

The Catholic Church is a fierce defender of medieval orders. She still enjoys enormous power. However, by this time the anti-church movements reached their highest point. In England, this trend was represented in the sermons of Oxford University professor John Wycliffe (1320-1384), who demanded the subordination of the English church in civil matters to the king. He also opposed the extortions of the popes from England, doubted the church's right to indulgences, and insisted on the priority of Holy Scripture over church tradition.

His ideas influenced the views of Prague University professor Jan Hus (1369-1415), who preached the church’s renunciation of wealth and the sale of indulgences. The burning of Huss at the stake on June 6, 1415, according to the verdict of the Council of Constance, caused outrage in the Czech Republic.

These ideas gave rise to a movement called the Reformation. His social base was extremely diverse. To unite these disparate forces, some kind of general program. And it appeared: on October 31, 1517, in Wittenberg, local priest Martin Luther nailed theses to the gates of the cathedral. These theses, as F. Engels noted, “had a flammable effect, like a lightning strike on a keg of gunpowder.” Initially, Luther did not think about any radical reform of the church. main idea his thesis was that salvation requires internal repentance of sinners, which cannot be replaced by external monetary sacrifice.

Rome responded to Luther with threats of excommunication and physical harm. But, as they say, the scythe hit the stone, and the Wittenberg priest Martin Luther refused to submit to the force. But dad could not give in - the conflict by this time had received wide publicity. Mutual attacks and accusations began to escalate, and on December 10, 1520, Luther publicly burned the papal Bull (decree) excommunicating him from the church.

The essence of the conflict was that the Catholic Church, as a social institution of feudalism, could not be defeated without destroying the dogmatic foundation on which it based its dominance in society. In dogmatic terms, such a role was played by the theological teaching that the salvation of people is impossible without the help of the church, without the grace contained only in it.

In order to reject this theological construction within the framework of Christianity, it was necessary to contrast the earthly limitations of the church with the omnipotence of God himself. In other words, the freedom of people from the claims of Catholicism could be justified by emphasizing the complete, absolute dependence of man on the creator, the inability of a sinner to influence the highest divine will with his behavior (holy deeds and deeds of piety). Therefore, the reformers decisively rejected the Holy Tradition, which established the church as a special divine social institution, and declared the Bible to be the only source of faith.

At the same time, the peculiarities of religious consciousness, as well as real, increasingly complex social conditions led in practice, even at the beginning of the Reformation, to the emergence of various, often warring, currents. The Reformation brought forward several outstanding figures: Martin Luther (1483-1546), Thomas Münzer (1490-1625), John Calvin (1509-1564), Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531). But the main thing, of course, is not the personality of the reformers themselves, although this is very important, but, first of all, the difference in the socio-political background of their views, the social practice that they are able to illuminate. Luther opposed Rome, motivated primarily by the experience of knowing God. He was paving the way for a new theology and could not see the whole path in advance. Calvin is younger than Luther, and he finds Protestant ideas already formed. At the age of 26, he published “Instructions in the Christian Faith” (1536), in which he set out Protestant doctrine in a systematic, ruthlessly consistent form, which soon became an encyclopedia of Protestant thought.

The emergence of Protestantism was turning point throughout European culture. The spiritual revolution was carried out by the titans in strength of thought, passion and character, in versatility and learning: Leonardo da Vinci, Machiavelli, Erasmus of Rotterdam. These undoubtedly include Luther and Calvin. They were people of faith and the new spirituality for them lay through religious feeling, through the revival of the “apostolic faith.” For a medieval person, the idea of ​​God is not an abstract, abstract dogma. For them, God is the highest truth around which all their ideas and ideas were grouped.

A group of German princes carried out evangelical reforms in their dominions. In 1529, they declared a “protest” against the abolition by the Speyer Reichstag of the right to decide the question of the religion of their subjects, which they achieved in 1526. The origin of the term “Protestantism” is connected with this event, which began to be used to designate a set of Christian denominations genetically related to the Reformation.

2. Features of Protestant doctrine, organization and cult

In accordance with the general teaching of Christianity, Protestantism of all varieties takes the position that knowledge of religious truth is given to man by divine revelation. However, a significant question arises about the criterion of what of human knowledge relates to the revealed truth and what does not correspond to it or even contradicts it, where is the guarantee of the divine revelation of this or that theological thesis.

In Christianity there is no doubt that the main source of revelation is the Bible. But it contains many contradictions, as well as incomprehensible passages that require interpretation and clarification. For Catholicism, the right of such interpretation belonged only to the church, and so immutably that the laity was even forbidden to read the Bible without guidance from the clergy.

Protestantism deprived the papacy and the church of a monopoly on the interpretation of the Bible. To achieve this, Protestants proclaimed the right of every believer not only to independently read, but also to interpret the Bible. As for the Holy Tradition, Protestantism refused it to be a source of revelation. “Only the Bible” - this has become the main motto of all Protestant churches.

The Reformers insisted on a personal relationship between man and God. It is known that in orthodox Catholicism God is conceived as the unity of three persons: God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit. The centuries-old history of the church indicates that it is the formulation and interpretation of the dogma of the Trinity that constitutes a kind of epicenter of theological battles. They were officially started by the Alexandrian theologian Arius (IV century), who questioned the second person of the Trinity - the godlikeness of Jesus Christ.

It was the emphasis on personal communication with God that determined the typological feature of Protestantism. Church uniformity was replaced by religious and theological pluralism. Therefore in different countries and even within the same country, different creeds arose. All of them shared key ideas and ideas that determined their general Protestant character (the concept of “personal faith”, “baptism in the spirit”, chosenness, etc.), but depending on the specifics of the political struggle and social position, familiar symbols and concepts acquired special character. This is how its various movements arose: Anglicanism, Lutheranism, Calvinism.

First of all, Martin Luther's claim was attacked catholic church for heavenly protection and representation. Between man and God, as M. Luther believed, there should be no intermediaries; God gives salvation of his own free will, and is not at all forced by the solicitations of a sinner. A person’s fate is determined not by the church, but entirely by the grace of God, and a believer cannot and is not capable of achieving salvation through his own efforts. He acquires it only when he realizes himself as a hopelessly sinful being and acquires personal faith in God and in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The doctrine of “personal faith” as the only and sufficient condition for salvation forms the foundation of Protestant dogma and involves a rethinking of all traditional teaching.

The word itself "Protestantism" comes from the Latin "protestans", which translates as "publicly proving" This Christian faith is famous for its liberality. According to its ideologists, a person should seek the meaning of one's existence not only in prayers, but also in serving the world around- and do it in the way he sees fit.

History of the schism

The Protestant movement took root in XVIcentury during reformation of the catholic church. The first ideologists of Protestantism felt that Catholicism paid too much attention to the observance of dogmas, while simultaneously forgetting about the living, original spirit of Christianity. In 1517, Martin Luther nailed papers to the church doors with theses, in which condemned the trade in indulgences and called reform the church charter. This gave impetus to the formation of the Protestant movement in Europe.

Today within Protestantism there is many independent movements- starting from Lutheranism and ending with Calvinism. Some of these currents moved quite far from the classical biblical heritage. Due to the diversity of existing branches today, Protestantism plays a large role in ecumenism movement. Currently, Protestantism has received its main distribution in Scandinavian countries, England, Germany, USA.

Don't make a cult out of religion

Today, within the Protestant organization there is no single central governing body. According to Protestants, a complex bureaucratic system serves not religious purposes, but secular ones. Therefore, you should try as much as possible "cultivate your garden" And avoid building a complex intra-system hierarchy.

Within Protestantism worship has been greatly simplified in comparison with the same Catholicism: it is characterized by deliberate simplicity of services. In Protestant houses of worship there is no decor, there no statues or decorations. This kind of house can be considered any building into which the congregation and the priest come to pray. Worship is built around sermons, prayers, and hymn singing. Prayer services are usually read at local national languages.

Just believe

Protestants, like Catholics, believe in the Trinity Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. True, the quantity sacred sacraments in Protestantism it is limited to only two - baptism and communion. It is important that the sacrament of baptism is performed in relation to a Protestant upon reaching conscious age- so that he can be aware of the step he is taking. The main source of faith is considered Holy Bible which every believer can interpret as you see fit.

In Protestantism there is no cult of the Virgin Mary, And no expressed worship of icons and saints. At the same time, saints are considered wise teachers, whose example it would do well for every respectable Protestant to follow. Clergy and laity are not so separated from each other - this is probably what is connected with Protestants’ denial of monasticism. Various rituals, be it marriage or confession, Protestants believe just a ritual— because, first of all, what is important is the meaning that each individual believer puts into them.

Man does not need an intermediary between him and God- this is the fundamental idea of ​​Protestantism. Martin Luther once wrote: " God cannot and does not want to allow anyone to dominate the soul, except to yourself." Perhaps this is why Protestantism has become so widespread - after all, each of us wants our thoughts and prayers from our lips flowed immediately into God’s ears.