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Name seven areas of general disagreement among Christians.
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2 Replies
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1. The differences starts with mainline denominations and independent groups of Christians
2. sacramental versus non sacramental
3. Church government -very hierarchical structure (rule by bishops, local session or by presbytery-republican form of government versus government or rule by the people of the congregation or within the church
4. Great cleavage (expressions of writings and/or insights) of John Calvin versus Jacob Arminius.
5. covenantal theology versus -(great covenant with Abraham and subsequent covenants and the unity of the Bible verus dispensationalism (and the discontinuity in varying degrees of the Old Testament.
6.Eschatological views- amillennial, postmillennial and premillennial.
7. Charismatic tradition and Non-Charismatic tradition -
The areas of general disagreement among the Christian lie in the flavor of Christianity that they prescribe to. There are Lutherans, the Presbyterians, the Baptists, the Episcopalians and the Methodists. There are also the independent groups of Christians such as the Bible church movement or the independent churches. A second division that you might have would be between the sacramental expressions of Christianity and the non-sacramental expressions. A sacramental emphasis within Christianity would be, for instance, among Episcopalians or Lutherans or Presbyterians, who in varying degrees see that the grace of God is mediated through the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist. And there are non-sacramental groups as well: a Baptist, for instance, and many Pentecostals de-emphasize the efficacy of baptism and the Lord’s Table and generally see them as expressions or memorials, more than anything else. Episcopalians, for example, tend to emphasize a very hierarchical structure and a rule by bishops. Presbyterians emphasize rule by the local session or by presbytery; it’s more of a republican form of government. Baptists, believe that the locus of authority in church government does not reside in hierarchy, as among Episcopalians and some Methodists, but it resides among the people; power rests in the people.