Christian Denominations

This is a transcript of an eight-part video series by Matt Baker (of UsefulCharts), presented as a single comprehensive video tracing the family tree of Christian denominations from ancient Israelite religion to the present day. Below is a structured review of the significant points and lists, drawn entirely and faithfully from the transcript content.

Skip to time-codes if you prefer:
00:00:00 - Origins & Early Schisms, 00:21:42 - Roman Catholics & Eastern Orthodox
00:47:01 - Lutherans, Anglicans & Reformed, 01:07:21 - Anabaptists & Quakers
01:27:20 - Baptists & Methodists, 01:52:48 - Mormons, Adventists & JWs
02:17:43 - Pentecostals & Charismatics, 02:35:51 - Miscellaneous Groups

Chapter 1: Origins & Early Schisms

Ancient Israelite Religion (c. 1000–600 BCE)

Two competing views are presented:

• Biblical/literal view: God revealed himself to Abraham; Israelites enslaved in Egypt; Moses led them to Canaan; a kingdom was established and split into two (Israel and Judah). Disobedience led to destruction — Israel fell to Assyria, Judah to Babylon.
• Academic/secular view: Israelites were likely a subset of Canaanites who survived the Bronze Age collapse, forming a tribal confederation that evolved into the Kingdom of Israel. Originally polytheistic, some priests advocated henotheism (worship of one God without denying others' existence). The Kingdom of Israel was conquered by Assyria, but Judah and Jerusalem's First Temple became the new centre, growing increasingly monotheistic. Judah fell to Babylon; the First Temple was destroyed; elites experienced the Babylonian Exile (c. 586–516 BCE).

Second Temple Judaism

After Persia conquered Babylon, Jews returned and rebuilt the temple (Second Temple). Key influences:

• Zoroastrianism (Persian religion) likely influenced ideas of Satan and an "end of the world" where good triumphs over evil.
• Hellenism (Greek culture) also shaped Jewish thought.

Four Main Sects of Second Temple Judaism

Destruction of the Second Temple (70 CE)

This was pivotal for both Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism:

• Christianity adapted by focusing on Jesus as the new spiritual high priest and his sacrifice as a replacement for temple sacrifices.
• Rabbinic Judaism adapted by emphasising Torah study and synagogue prayer.

Three Early Branches of Christianity (post-70 CE)

Key Dates and Councils

Arian vs. Nicene Christianity

• Arian Christianity (Arius): Jesus was made by God and is subordinate; Holy Spirit distinct from Father and Son. Found mainly among Germanic tribes (Goths, Vandals, Lombards). Faded over time.
• Nicene Christianity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are co-eternal; God is one essence, three persons.

The Pentarchy

Five key centres of Christianity, each led by a patriarch:

1. Rome
2. Constantinople
3. Alexandria
4. Antioch
5. Jerusalem

Oriental Orthodox Churches (Miaphysite)

Believe Jesus had one nature (a mix of divinity and humanity), versus Chalcedonian churches which believe Jesus was one person with two natures. Members include:

• Coptic Orthodox Church (Egypt) — patriarch: Tawadros II (also uses the title Pope)
• Syriac Orthodox Church (Syria) — patriarch: Ignatius Aphrem II
• Armenian Apostolic Church
• Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church — became independent from Coptic Church in 1959; ~40 million members; largest Oriental Orthodox church; led by Patriarch Mathias
• Eritrean Church — independent from Ethiopia in 1991
• Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (India) — independent since 1912

Assyrian Church of the East

Traces roots to the Church of the East; based primarily in Northern Iraq; led by Patriarch Awa III; ~400,000 members.

Chapter 2: Roman Catholics & Eastern Orthodox

The Great Schism (1054)

Two main disputes:

1. Papal authority: Rome claimed the pope had authority over the entire church; Constantinople viewed the pope as merely "first among equals."
2. The Filioque: Catholics/Protestants say the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son; Eastern Orthodox say He proceeds from the Father only.

Note: Both churches trace origins to the first century — they were united until 1054, not "started" then.

Eastern Orthodox Church

• Sees itself as a single church but divided into 15 autocephalous churches (each self-governing).
• Patriarch of Constantinople (currently Bartholomew I) holds special precedence as "first among equals" / Ecumenical Patriarch.
• Initially five autocephalous churches (four pentarchy patriarchates plus the Church of Cyprus).

Key Autocephalous Churches and Dates

• Russian Orthodox Church is by far the largest; led by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow.
• Ukraine situation: Three churches existed (UAOC, UOC-MP, UOC-KP); in 2018, they merged into the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), recognised by Constantinople but not Moscow. ~80% of Ukrainian Orthodox Christians belong to the OCU. Moscow broke communion with Constantinople over this. Kirill supports the war in Ukraine; Bartholomew opposes it.

Roman Catholic Church

• Over 1 billion members (>50% of all Christians).
• The Latin Church is one of 24 churches comprising the Roman Catholic Church; the other 23 are Eastern Catholic Churches.
• Organised into provinces, dioceses, and parishes, led by bishops, archbishops, and parish priests.
• Pope Francis is the current pope (Bishop of Rome).
• Vatican I (1870): Declared papal infallibility (only for ex cathedra statements). Dissenters formed the Old Catholic Church (Church of Utrecht).
• Vatican II (1960s): Decided mass could be in local languages. Dissenters became Sedevacantists (believe the papal office has been vacant since Vatican II).

Eastern Catholic Churches (10 largest highlighted)

• Chaldean Catholic Church — from 1552 schism in the Church of the East
• Syro-Malabar Catholic Church (India) — Eastern Syrian traditions
• Syro-Malankara Catholic Church (India) — Western Syrian traditions
• Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church — largest Eastern Catholic Church, ~5 million members
• Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church — broke away from Serbian Orthodox Church
• Armenian Catholic Church — from Armenian Church
• Coptic Catholic Church — from Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria
• Three churches from the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch

Competing Patriarchs

• Alexandria: Eastern Orthodox (Theodore II), Coptic Orthodox (Tawadros II), Catholic
• Antioch: Eastern Orthodox (John X), Syriac Orthodox (Ignatius Aphrem II), three Catholic churches
• Jerusalem: Eastern Orthodox, Catholic (Latin), Armenian
• Rome: Pope Francis
• Constantinople: Bartholomew I (Eastern Orthodox); also an Armenian patriarch

Corrections from comments

• Maronite Catholics were independent and affiliated with Rome in the 1100s (after the First Crusade), not a breakaway from Eastern Orthodox.
• Coptic and Syriac Catholics broke away from Oriental Orthodox patriarchates, not Eastern Orthodox.
• Georgian Orthodox Church has deep roots to 1010, not merely stemming from Russia.
• Added Old Believers (broke from Russian Orthodox Church in 1666 over reforms).

Chapter 3: Lutherans, Anglicans & Reformed

The Protestant Reformation (1517)

Started when Martin Luther published his Ninety-five Theses, challenging the Catholic Church.

Proto-Protestants

Three Initial Branches of Protestantism (plus a fourth)

Lutherans

• Luther's key ideas: sola fide (justification by faith alone, not good works) and sola scriptura (Bible as ultimate authority, not pope or church).
• Luther was declared a heretic; protected by German princes. Some states adopted Lutheranism from ~1521.
• Scandinavia: Denmark, Sweden, and Norway aligned with Lutheranism in the 1530s; only the Church of Denmark remains an official state church today.
• Prussian Union of Churches (1817): Merged Lutheran and Calvinist churches in Prussia; led to migration of German Lutherans to the American Midwest.
• US Lutheran denominations: Conservative Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod and liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA); also smaller Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (most conservative).
• Germany: After WWII, the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) formed in 1948; largest Protestant denomination in Continental Europe; includes both Lutherans and Calvinists.
• Second largest Lutheran denomination worldwide: Mekane Yesus Church in Ethiopia (founded by Swedish missionaries).

Anglicans

• Church of England established 1534 when Henry VIII broke with Rome over his marriage annulment.
• Same churches/priests continued; they simply stopped reporting to the pope.
• Archbishop of Canterbury is spiritual leader (currently Justin Welby) — "first among equals," not a pope.
• Head of the Church of England is the monarch (currently Charles III).
• Church of Ireland: State church 1536–1869; most Irish remained Catholic.
• Church in Wales: Independent since 1920.
• Episcopal Church (USA): Split from Church of England when American colonies broke away; "episcopal" means led by bishops.
• Anglican Communion: 42 autonomous churches; third largest division within Christianity (after Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy). Two largest after Church of England: Church of Nigeria and Church of Uganda.
• Potential schism: Western churches (UK, US, Canada, Australia) support blessings for same-sex couples; Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (including Nigeria, Uganda) voted in February 2023 to no longer recognise the Archbishop of Canterbury. Anglican Church in North America split from Episcopal Church / Anglican Church of Canada; in communion with Global South but not Canterbury.

Reformed (Calvinist)

• Associated with John Calvin; often summarised by the acronym TULIP (Five-Point Calvinism), though not all Calvinists hold strictly to all five points.
• Core difference: belief in some form of predestination.
• Dutch Reformed Church (1571): Main Protestant church in the Low Lands for 400+ years; spread to South Africa. In 2004, merged to form the Protestant Church in the Netherlands.
• Huguenots (France): Persecuted minority; most now belong to the United Protestant Church of France.
• Church of Scotland: Led by John Knox to embrace Calvinism and Presbyterianism (government by presbyters/elders).
• Presbyterian Church (USA): Formed from splits and mergers; the 1861 Civil War split created the PCUS (Southern), reunited in 1983 as PC(USA). Conservatives split earlier to form the Presbyterian Church in America.
• Congregationalism: Each local church is independent; state religion in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire. Harvard, Yale, and Dartmouth were founded by Congregationalists. In 1957, merged with the E&R Church to form the United Church of Christ.

Chapter 4: Anabaptists & Quakers

Ten Largest Christian Communions Worldwide (infographic)

• If all Pentecostals united, they would rank above the Eastern Orthodox Church as the second largest.
• If all Baptists united, they would rank just above the Anglicans.

Anabaptists

• Key distinctive: believer's baptism (adults only, not infants) — hence "Anabaptist" = "Re-baptisers."
• Originally called themselves "Brethren"; started in Switzerland ("Swiss Brethren").

Three Original Anabaptist Groups

• Later Anabaptist groups: Apostolic Christian Church (1832, Samuel Froehlich) and Bruderhof (1920, Eberhard Arnold).
• Mennonite Brethren: Formed in Russia under Radical Pietist influence; later migrated to North America.
• Mennonite Church USA: Formed 2002 from merger of two main conferences.

Pietism

• Emerged late 1600s–early 1700s; emphasised "religion of the heart" over theology.
• Radical Pietists established new groups: Schwarzenau Brethren (German Baptists/Dunkers), led by Alexander Mack; main denomination: Church of the Brethren.
• Other Pietist-derived churches (not Anabaptist/"peace churches"): Evangelical Church of America and Evangelical Covenant Church — from Scandinavian free churches.

Quakers (Religious Society of Friends)

• Founded by George Fox; name from his admonition to "tremble (quake) at God's word" (Isaiah 66:2).
• Distinctive: emphasis on the Inner Light — every person can experience God from within; traditional meetings are unplanned and silent.
• English Separatists included Quakers, Baptists, Diggers, Enthusiasts, Ranters, Seekers, and Muggletonians — only Quakers and Baptists survive.
• Pennsylvania founded 1681 by Quaker William Penn; allowed all religious groups.
• Flushing Remonstrance (1657): Letter from settlers in Flushing, Queens, asking that Quakers and all religious groups (including Jews and Muslims) be allowed to worship — set the stage for the First Amendment.

Quaker Schisms

• Quaker Oats was not founded by Quakers — the founder chose the name for its association with integrity. Actual Quaker-associated product: chocolate — Cadbury's, Rowntree's, and Fry's were all founded by Quakers.

Chapter 5: Baptists & Methodists

Baptists

• Originated from English Separatists in the 1600s; founders: John Smyth and Thomas Helwys (former Anglicans who moved to Holland, encountered Anabaptists, adopted believer's baptism).
• Better seen as an offshoot of Anglicans rather than Anabaptists (despite sharing believer's baptism).
• Landmark Baptists hold the "Trail of Blood" hypothesis: Baptist tradition traced to the first century through fringe movements (Paulicians → Bogomils → Cathars → Waldensians → Anabaptists → Baptists). Most scholars reject this; these groups likely practised Gnosticism.
  • Paulicians: Armenia, 600s
  • Bogomils: Bulgaria, 900s
  • Cathars: Southern France, 1100s

Two Early Types of Baptists

• Baptists follow congregationalist governance — each congregation is independent.
• First Great Awakening (from c. 1730s): Marked the start of Evangelical Christianity — focus on individual conversion ("born again"), repentance, missionary work. Led by preachers like Jonathan Edwards.
• The Particular/General distinction became less important; most became Missionary Baptists; those opposed to mission boards became Primitive Baptists (very small minority; Westboro Baptist Church was associated, though removed from chart later).

Major Black Baptist Denominations (US)

Major White Baptist Denominations (US)

• UK Baptists: Most belong to Baptists Together; Seventh Day Baptists originated in the UK.

Methodists

• Founded by John Wesley, his brother Charles Wesley, and George Whitefield — all former Anglicans. Name from the "Holy Club" at Oxford where members methodically pursued Christian living.
• 1739: Began open-air preaching after contact with Moravians; attracted working-class people.
• John Wesley's theology: Salvation available to all; emphasised the "second work of grace" (entire sanctification — transformation into a more holy person). Whitefield's theology was Calvinist.

US Methodist Denominations

• UK: Methodist Church of Great Britain formed 1932 from merger of Wesleyan Methodist Church with smaller denominations.
• Salvation Army: Roots in British Methodism; Holiness Movement aligned; founded 1865 by William and Catherine Booth; ministers called "officers" with military-style ranks.
• United Church of Canada (1925): Merger of Methodists, Presbyterians, and Congregationalists; largest Protestant denomination in Canada.
• Uniting Church of Australia: Similar merger of Congregationalists, Presbyterians, and Methodists.
• Church of South India: Merger of Anglicans, Methodists, and South India United Church (Congregationalists + Presbyterians); largest Protestant denomination in South Asia.
• Church of North India (1970): Similar merger.

Chapter 6: Mormons, Adventists & Jehovah's Witnesses

Second Great Awakening

• Mostly US-based; more non-Christians converted for the first time (due to Enlightenment ideas spreading).
• Many new churches sought to restore the "true church" — hence Restorationism.

Stone-Campbell Restorationists

• Founded by Barton Stone and Thomas Campbell (both originally Presbyterians); sought a primitive form of Christianity.
• Stone's followers called themselves "Christians"; Campbell's followers called themselves "Disciples of Christ."
• Merged in 1832; split in 1906:

• Christian Churches further split in 1968: liberal Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) vs. conservative loose network (Christian Church / Church of Christ).

Seven Mainline Protestant Denominations (US)

1. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
2. Episcopal Church
3. Presbyterian Church (USA)
4. United Church of Christ
5. American Baptist Churches USA
6. United Methodist Church
7. Disciples of Christ

"Mainline" = older, more liturgical, more liberal, focused on social justice; from churches found along the "main railway line" in early America. Contrasted with "mainstream" (dominant/conventional) and with Evangelical churches.

Latter-day Saints (Mormons)

• Founded by Joseph Smith, who claimed to have found and translated the Book of Mormon — a third testament equal in authority to the Old and New Testaments.
• LDS theology is non-Nicene: rejects the traditional Trinity; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three distinct beings.
• Smith assassinated in 1844 at age 38, causing splits.

Major Mormon Groups

Adventists

• Name from focus on the Second Advent (return of Jesus).
• William Miller taught Jesus would return in 1843 (revised to 1844) based on calculations from the Book of Daniel. When this failed, it was called the "Great Disappointment."
• Two camps emerged: those who kept revising dates, and those who believed something did happen in 1844.

Adventist Groups

Plymouth Brethren

• Different from Anabaptist Brethren; originated in UK as a split from Anglicanism.
• John Nelson Darby (founder of Exclusive Brethren) became the father of Dispensationalism — a theological framework dividing history into six dispensations plus one to come:
  1. Innocence (Adam and Eve)
  2. Personal conscience (until the flood)
  3. Human government (up to Abraham)
  4. Family-based/patriarchal period
  5. The Law (Moses to Jesus)
  6. Church-based dispensation (current)
  7. Future: Jesus returns, world recreated
• Clarence Larkin: notable Baptist dispensationalist chart maker.

Chapter 7: Pentecostals & Charismatics

Third Great Awakening & Holiness Movement

• Grew out of Methodism; key idea: entire sanctification can occur instantaneously (promoted by Phoebe Palmer in mid-1800s).

Holiness Denominations

Pentecostals

• "Pentecost" = "fiftieth"; refers to the Jewish festival of Shavuot, 50 days after Passover, when the Holy Spirit descended (Acts).
• Speaking in tongues: Pentecostals believe this can be either a human foreign language or a heavenly/angelic language (citing 1 Corinthians 13).
• Three works of grace (early Pentecostal teaching):
  1. Justification (born again)
  2. Entire sanctification (made holy)
  3. Baptism of the Holy Spirit — evidenced by speaking in tongues
• Charles Parham first connected speaking in tongues with baptism of the Holy Spirit; William J. Seymour is credited as founder of Pentecostalism through the Azusa Street Revival (1906, Los Angeles).
  • Azusa Street was remarkable for racial integration during the Jim Crow era — blacks, whites, immigrants, Native Americans all attended.

Major Pentecostal Denominations

• Oneness Pentecostals are placed in the non-Nicene box (reject the Trinity).
• Pentecostals as a whole now make up the second largest group within Christianity after Roman Catholics.
• Fundamentalist vs. Modernist debate: Late 1800s–early 1900s advances in science, archaeology, and textual criticism led to a divide. "Fundamentalists" (from the 1910 book The Fundamentals) emphasised literal Bible interpretation. Pentecostals and Baptists tended fundamentalist; mainline denominations tended modernist.

Charismatics

• Started in the 1960s as a "second wave" of Pentecostalism; mostly led to people within existing denominations (Anglican, Catholic, etc.) embracing Pentecostal-style worship — "Pentecostalism-light."
• Speaking in tongues may or may not be present; focus on spiritual gifts (Greek charisma = gift).
• Largest charismatic church: Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (Brazil).
• Non-denominational churches are often best classified as charismatic. Examples: British New Church Movement (UK), Calvary Chapel (founded by Chuck Smith, breakaway from Foursquare Church; associated with 1960s "Jesus freaks"; founded Maranatha! Music).

Chapter 8: Miscellaneous Groups

Unitarian Universalism

• Merger of Unitarianism and Universalism (1961 → Unitarian Universalist Association).
• Unitarianism (small u): rejects Trinity/divinity of Jesus; in US, grew from Congregationalism; American Unitarian Association formed 1825.
• Universalism: belief that all humans will ultimately be saved (no hell); Universalist Church of America formed 1793.
• Shown as a black and white symbol (like Judaism and Islam) — non-Nicene, arguably no longer part of Christianity.

Other Notable Groups

Metaphysical Groups

Non-Nicene Asian Churches

Christianity in China

• ~5% of population, but by sheer numbers China ranks ~7th most Christian country (higher than Italy and Greece).
• Officially only two churches: Three-Self Patriotic Movement (Protestant coalition) and Catholic Patriotic Association (Roman Catholic, forced to reject papal authority in 1957).
• Underground Catholic Church exists; in 2018, China and the Holy See agreed the pope signs off on bishop appointments.
• Major house church networks: Born Again Movement, Fangcheng Fellowship, China Gospel Fellowship.
• Local Churches (established pre-Communist Revolution by Watchman Nee; connected to Plymouth Brethren); after Nee's imprisonment, Witness Lee continued in Taiwan and US, founding Living Stream Ministry.

African-Initiated Churches

Messianic Jews

• Come "full circle" — Jewish Christians, like the very first Christians.
• No direct, continuous line between early Jewish Christians and modern Messianic Jews; early Jewish Christians who accepted Nicene Christianity were absorbed into the mostly Gentile church.
• The Hebrew Christian movement began in the 19th century; Hebrew Christian Alliance of America established 1915, later renamed Messianic Jewish Alliance of America (largest Messianic Jewish organisation).
• Messianic Jews fully accept the Trinity and Nicene Christianity (shown within the main chart).
• According to all branches of Rabbinic Judaism (Reform to Orthodox), Messianic Jews are Christians, not Jews. A Jew who converts to Christianity is no longer considered Jewish, though a Jew who stops believing in God altogether remains Jewish (Judaism is tribal).

Concluding Note

The series concludes by directing viewers to UsefulCharts.com to purchase the finished chart as a poster. The narrator (Matt Baker) notes his personal journey: raised in the Worldwide Church of God, later attended Assemblies of God and Anglican churches, became an atheist/agnostic, then converted to Judaism — while holding an undergraduate degree in Christian theology and a PhD in Religious Studies, enabling him to teach about Christianity from an academic perspective.