Introduction
The church’s origin can be traced back to the life of Christ and his teachings, especially after his resurrection. Christianity was derived from following the instructions of Jesus Christ, the son of God and redeemer of the world. As Christ ascended into heaven, he gave power to his disciples to baptize people in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Catholic Church was the earliest, and Apostle Peter became the first pope. The church began as one unit; however, the great schism occurred due to disagreements and political conflicts, and the church split into denominations.
Reformation and Restoration Movements
Reformation Movements
The continued disagreements in the original church led to the rise of reformation movements. The reformers thought the church’s leadership was not meeting the people’s expectations. The Reformation movement became rampant in the 16th century, led by leaders such as Martin Luther, a German monk. The reformist movement resulted in the formation of the protestant church, which split from the Roman Catholic Church (Mattox, 1961). The Reformation movements further led to the split and the formation of Lutheranism, Anglicanism, and other denominations, each with unique teachings and beliefs.
Causes of the Reformation Movements
The Reformation movements emerged in the church because of church politics and other theological misunderstandings among the leaders. The Catholic Church clergy were accused of corruption and immorality, which was against the teachings. The reformists stated that the actions were against the divine teachings of Jesus Christ. Martin Luther developed a ninety-five-thesis statement that exposed the ills of the Catholic Church in 1517, and people were convinced that reforms were mandatory in religious organizations. The emergence of the printing press further played a pivotal role in ensuring that the people got the bibles and other theological works, which made them interpret and understand the bible differently (Howlett, 2022). The teachings by John Calvin, which emphasized the importance of the scripture, were against the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and led to the split among the churches.
Process
The reformation of the church was not spontaneous, as it followed an elaborate process enabled by the proponents. The initial step in the process was the criticism of the church’s activity, such as corruption, which made people gain thoughts on what was expected of the religious organization. The second step was the dissemination of ideas through the writing of some prominent church leaders, such as Martin Luther and John Calvin, who made people understand the evils committed by the mainstream church (Howlett, 2022). However, the differing opinions led to internal wars in the church, eventually leading to the split.
Proponents and Places
The proponents of the Reformation movements were not in one place, as they were spread worldwide, but all had a single aim: ensuring that the church did not divert from its primary mandate. Martin Luther was a major proponent and a German monk, while John Calvin was a French theologian (Mattox, 1961). Huldrych Zwingli was a Swiss priest who observed the issues in the church and fought for the true gospel.
Impacts
The Reformation movements had numerous impacts, such as the church split and the formation of numerous branches. Numerous churches, such as Lutheranism and Anglicanism, among other denominations. Further, the authority of the Catholic Church was challenged, and numerous people were free to move out of the church. As the printing press spread worldwide, the scripture was produced in vernacular language (Howlett, 2022). The critical impact of the Reformation movement was the restoration of the bible’s authority.
Restoration Movements
The restoration movements emerged in the 18th and 19th centuries, mainly to restore church unity. The proponents of the restoration movements wanted the churches to reunite and return to their original teachings, which meant spreading the true gospel and ensuring that they thought it was deteriorating. The movements originated in the United States of America, led by Alexander Campbell and others (Howlett, 2022). The main themes advocated by the restoration movements were the bible’s authority and ensuring that the believers were united and able to practice all the modes of worship as in the early church.
Causes of the Restoration Movements
Restoration movements emerged in the USA to reunite the church and serve God in truth and spirit. The leading cause of the restoration movement was a reaction to denominationalism, where different denominations had different teachings. Denominations were competing against themselves, and the initial motive of preaching Christ was abandoned. The call for the unity of believers was one of the critical causes because the God preached in the denomination was a unifying factor.
The Process
The restoration movements followed a specific trajectory and did not result from conflict. The initial step was the criticism of denominationalism, where the true gospel was abandoned, and the prosperity gospel was preached in most denominations. The call for church unity and emphasis on the bible’s teaching of unity led to numerous impacts on the people (Howlett, 2022). The final step in the restoration movements was the formation of independent churches whose primary focus was preaching the true gospel and spreading love among the people.
Proponents and Places
Most proponents of the restoration of church unity were from the United States of America. Thomas Campbell was an American Presbyterian minister who advocated for unity among clergy and believers to return to the original simplicity practiced in the early church (Mattox, 1961). Alexander was the son of Campbell, who followed in his father’s footsteps and advocated for unity in the church. Walter Scott and Barton Stone were famous ministers in the USA who advocated for the church’s unity.
Impacts
The continuous calls of the restoration proponents led to the universal call for unity among the church and reduced the emphasis on the denomination. Diversity was encouraged, and the denominations were fragmented, with church unity the most important. The restoration movement led to the reformation of social teachings, significantly impacting how people related to the churches (Howlett, 2022). One of the most significant impacts of the restoration movement was the influence on the protestant churches as denominationalism was reduced and biblical authority emphasized.
Results of the Movements and Impact on Current Denominationalism
The results of both movements played a significant role in denominationalism as they emphasized the authority of the bible over people’s thoughts and ideologies. In the past, the different denominations had unique teachings despite serving the same God. The movements led to doctrinal diversification, where the scripture had paramount importance. Religious freedom was emphasized by the movements that gave people the power to choose and decide which religious movement to follow (Mattox, 1961). Denominationalism was rejected, and most people were encouraged to worship God in truth and spirit as the denominational practices were being eroded.
Conclusion
The church started as a unified religious identity meant to follow the teachings of Christ. After the death of Jesus, he left the divine instruction to preach the gospel to all the people in the world. However, differences in the church led to the separation, and denominations emerged. Each denomination had a unique teaching until the restoration movement emerged and the unity of Christianity was emphasized. The results of the movement were to stamp the authority of scripture and embrace church unity and simplicity.
References
Howlett, D. J. (2022). The RLDS church, global denominations, and globalization: Why the study of denominations still matters. Journal of Mormon History, 48(3), 1–14. Web.
Mattox, F. W. (1961). The eternal kingdom: Church history Gospel Light.