Questions tagged [protestantism]

Protestantism is a broad tradition referring to the churches which broke from the Roman Catholic Church during the 16th Century and those that descended from them.

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If marriage is not a sacrament for reformed churches, how to interpret Ephesians 5:32?

As far as I know, Martin Luther in his "Vom ehelichem Leben" indicates that marriage is not a sacrament. Calvin mentioned in the Institutes that it was Gregory I who denoted marriage as a sacrament. ...
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What are the protestant arguments against a sacramental economy?

Given that all the 7 sacraments (Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Marriage, Holy Orders Anointing of the Sick and Reconciliation) are each explicitly mentioned in the Bible as commands put forth ...
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How do we reconcile the futility of Ecclesiastes with the reward of heaven? [closed]

There's no question that Christianity believes in heaven. We have a tag here heaven filled with questions about it. Having said this, there are many places in the Old Testament that speak of the ...
Richard's user avatar
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How did the Born Again teaching be associated with one first believing in Jesus Christ?

Many Protestant Christians believe that you become born again as soon as you believe on Jesus Christ. Many believe that this teaching is clear in the opening verses of John chapter 3. How did this ...
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Do any Protestant denominations practice meditative or contemplative prayer?

Having read David's answer to How much are psalms and other prayers from Bible understood as actual prayer in Protestantism?, I wonder whether any Protestants practice meditative or contemplative ...
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Did Philip Melanchthon teach penal substitution?

This question is a follow-up to my question, "Did Martin Luther teach penal substitution?" The Wikipedia article on Philip Melanchthon states in its opening paragraphs: Philip Melanchthon . ...
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Did John Calvin help Nicolas Cop write his infamous inaugural address?

Early in John Calvin's career, he was involved in a controversy that forced him to flee Paris and live in hiding for a time. Calvin's friend, Nicolas Cop, delivered an address that many considered ...
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Are there any Protestant denominations or churches that reject penal substitution?

I come from a background in Protestant/Evangelical churches. The trademark salvation message in those churches is that Christ bore the wrath of God for your sins to satisfy his justice that we have ...
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Do any trinitarian Protestant traditions teach that anyone who denies the Trinity is necessarily unsaved?

The traditional understanding of the Trinity, "one God in three Persons," is a widespread belief within Christianity, but there are nonetheless many nontrinitarians who associate themselves with ...
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Is the Wesleyan Quadrilateral present in Luther or in any other pre-Wesley theologians, Protestant or Catholic?

The Wesleyan Quadrilateral, also known as the Methodist Quadrilateral, is a method of theological reflection and of arriving at theological conclusions based on scripture, tradition, reason, and ...
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Why are Independent Baptist Fundamentalists labelled Protestants?

Something that always bothers me which I witness to Catholics: the well-meaning ones tell me I am a Protestant and say that "we protested the Catholic Church". This isn't true, the Baptist Church was ...
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Is "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" preaching heresy?

I love the song "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing." It's beautiful, and the backstory is pretty amazing. My problem is that I always shudder every time I sing this line in the third verse: O to ...
Affable Geek's user avatar
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Why don’t Christians accept Muhammad as the true prophet?

Jews had prophets and received Scriptures from those prophets. Later, came Christians who had apostles and through them received Scriptures. Still later, Muslims come along and they have one prophet ...
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Why did Protestants abandon Liturgy of the Hours?

In Divine office or Liturgy of the Hours as it is practiced in Catholic Church there's nothing bad for Protestants (or at least nothing of which I know that Protestants consider bad); prayer is good ...
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What is the difference between belief and faith, from a Protestant perspective?

I want to know what is the difference between belief and faith from a Protestant perspective. Can anyone explain this to me?
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Do Protestants accept the similarity between Mary and the Ark of the Covenant?

Catholics believe that Mary is the Ark New Testament and they believe it on a scriptural basis (source).This is the same stance Orthodoxy has (source). Do Protestants accept the similarity between ...
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How can Psalm 137:9 be defended?

Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones. Whenever I debate someone about Bible literal-ism they usually mention Psalm 137:9 KJV. Based on the Protestant ...
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When were Protestants first called 'Protestants' and what were they, originally, protesting about?

I am asking, precisely, the first time when 'Protestants' were so called, either among themselves or by others. And what, precisely, they were in protestation regarding. There is a previous question ...
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How do protestants understand Jesus' statement that unless we eat the flesh of the Son of Man we will have no life? [duplicate]

Catholics teach that they literally eat the body of Jesus during communion, a belief called Transubstantiation. Protestant churches mostly do not share this belief and there is no obligation to ...
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Paul's suggestion to not marry vs Great Protestant Theologians

Paul states: 1 Cor: 27 Are you pledged to a woman? Do not seek to be released. Are you free from such a commitment? Do not look for a wife. Yet, if we look at the great Protestant theologians: ...
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What is the Protestant argument against Immaculate Conception?

The Roman Catholic Church teaches the idea of Immaculate Conception, which is defined by Pius IX as follows: "In the first instance of her [Mary's] conception, by a singular privilege and grace ...
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What are the main differences between the Catholic and Protestant definitions of Biblical inerrancy?

What are the main differences between the Catholic and Protestant definitions of Biblical inerrancy? Please include a summary of both the Catholic and Protestant definitions in the answer.
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Can Grace be irresistible and still be a gift?

According to TULIP Calvinism grace is "irresistible". If grace is irresistible then what role does faith play in salvation and can it still be considered a gift?
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What is considered to be free choice in the context of "choosing to go to hell"?

Let me preface this by stating that I received a Christian education and have seen the idea that individuals choose to go to hell (rather than God sending them there), mostly from a vaguely ...
Zahnpatient's user avatar
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Why can't there be another fall?

Some disagree on whether a Christian in this life may fall utterly and lose or forfeit eternal life. However, most Christians do agree that after death, the Christian is eternally secure in heaven (...
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What is the difference between "Elder led" and "Elder ruled"?

In the church government and polity documents (as well as the myriad of meta discussion on the internet) for various Protestant traditions it is common to find either the term "Elder led" or "Elder ...
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What do protestants who believe our old bodies will be resurrected think that will look like?

Some Protestants believe that in the "resurrection" we will receive new bodies. Other Protestants believe that in the resurrection, our old bodies will literally rise up out of the ground for us to ...
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What is the biblical basis for baptism by immersion?

There are two modes of water baptism of which I am familiar--immersion and sprinkling. As far as I know Catholics practice sprinkling along with many Protestant traditions, although many other ...
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Protestant numbering of the 10 Commandments

With the exception of Lutherans (who apparently use the same numbering system for the Decalogue as Catholics) Do other Protestants have a consistent method for numbering the 10 commandments? ...
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According to the Protestant denominations that hold to the doctrine of clarity of scripture, is Trinitarianism clear?

The doctrine of the clarity of Scripture (often called the perspicuity of Scripture) is a Protestant Christian position teaching that "...those things which are necessary to be known, believed, ...
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How do the Personal Ordinariates differ from Anglicanism?

In 2009 Pope Benedict published an Apostolic Constitution called Anglicanorum Coetibus providing for the creation of Personal Ordinariates for Anglicans who wished to join the Roman Catholic Church. ...
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Did Pelagius believe in "faith alone"?

The doctrine of "faith alone," or sola fide, teaches that people are justified only by their faith in Christ, not by any works they do. It was emphasized during the Protestant Reformation, where it ...
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Do angels possess 1) a body, soul and spirit, 2) a soul and spirit or 3) just a spirit?

My personal understanding is that plants have a body, animals have both a body and a soul, and mankind has a body, a soul and a spirit. However, angels, as I understand, do not have a body that is ...
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In what sense is the bible is "clear"/perspicuous?

What do protestants mean when they say that the bible is "clear"? I would assume that it would mean that people reading the Bible or any part of it generally come up with more or less the same idea of ...
TheIronKnuckle's user avatar
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How widely held among Protestants is the belief that the authors of the books of James and Jude were half brothers of Jesus?

The following Scriptures have been touted as indicating that Joseph and Mary had children of their own, after the birth of Jesus: (all Scripture is quoted from the King James translation) Matthew 12:...
BYE's user avatar
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Have any Protestant Biologists demonstrated through their own research that Evolution is untenable?

Q: Have any Protestant Biologists who don’t believe in evolution posted real research papers showing how evolution is not likely or possible? I think I heard a famous atheist say creation and ...
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Why did Stephen have authority to ask God to forgive the sins of his nonbelieving executioners?

Consider the following verse related to Stephen's stoning: Acts 7:60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell ...
Festus Martingale's user avatar
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How do Protestants deal with pre-Reformation heresies?

Have any of the old heresies (i.e. Manichean, Arian, Nestorian, Iconoclasm) been resurrected and repackaged by main-line denominations -or- Do Protestants, in general, still accept the pre-...
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Why isn't the Eucharist of protestant churches considered valid by non-protestants?

The Catholicism and Orthodox churches do not recognize the Eucharist of protestant churches. Why not?
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How do liberal Protestants reconcile support for transgenderism with scripture?

The Bible does not strike me as welcoming to transgenderism: The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are ...
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What is the Protestant understanding of the Greek "anamnesis" and "poieo" in Luke 22:19?

The Roman-Catholic Church argues that Christ has established the ministerial priesthood (as distinct from the priesthood of all believers, cf. 1 Peter 2:9), at the first supper. Particularly, ...
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Is 'Non-Catholic Non-Orthodox Modern Western Denomination' an ok definition of Protestant?

One meaning of the term "Protestant" is "a church drawing its roots from the Reformation and the denominations of the Reformers in particular". I have also seen the term extensively used to mean "a ...
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Who do mainline Protestants believe an "archangel" (such as Michael) to be?

Some sects including Jehovah's Witnesses believe the archangel Michael to be one in the same with Christ. The basic premise of this claim seems to stem from the unique usage of the role archangel ...
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How do Protestants understand major differences in doctrine between denominations?

As a Catholic I believe that the Catholic Church was established by Jesus and given the authority to teach infallibly on the topics of faith and morals. My understanding is that many Protestants ...
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What is an overview of Protestant critiques of Swedenborgianism?

Swedenborgianism, or the New Church, is a religious movement based on the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772). My understanding is that he saw a series of visions, and based on what he learned ...
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If a Catholic converts to some Protestant religion is he excommunicated or given any official rebuke by the Church?

Contemplating the question do Catholics recognize Protestants as Christian here:Does the Catholic Church officially recognize Protestants as Christians? I am not sure what an official church policy ...
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What do Protestants think about canon laws given by the Church Fathers?

In the seven ecumenical councils, and throughout early Christian history, various Church Fathers gave certain canon laws, or rules that the clergy and laity had to follow. What do Protestants think ...
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When and why did Protestantism begin moving away from liturgy?

I have been to some Protestant churches that have a liturgy on Sunday mornings (Lutherans, Presbyterians, etc) but most of the churches I've attended do not (Baptist, Assembly of God, etc). By liturgy,...
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Is there any historical record of Elizabeth the First's reaction to John Knox's tract on 'the monstruous regimen'?

In his tract The First Blast of the Trumpet against the Monstruous Regimen of Women (see note below about the wording) John Knox appears to be extending Paul's proscription - regarding the place of ...
Nigel J's user avatar
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What's the Biblical basis for "all Christians will be together in heaven some day"?

Christians often say that "some day we will all be together in heaven." I'm wondering if this idea comes from scripture. The closest I can think of is the end of Revelation, which discusses a "new ...
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