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RELIGION LIBRARY
Protestantism
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Overview
Origins
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Rituals and Worship
Ethics and Community
Community Organization
Protestantism began with attempts to reform the Church so that it would be in accord with the principles of morality and community found in scripture.
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Leadership
Protestant churches do not have priests, but ministers. This is because all Christians have equal status in God's eyes and direct access to God. There is no special class of Christians. At the same time, some people's "gifts" are well suited to the tasks of preaching and pastoral care, and these people are "called" to the ministry.
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Principles of Moral Thought
Protestants base their moral thought and action on the Bible first and foremost. Corresponding to the theological diversity of Protestantism, there is a diversity of views on moral issues.
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Vision for Society
There is a spectrum of Protestant views of the Kingdom of God, from those who believe that it is a this-worldly possibility, to those who believe that it will only be realized in a not-yet-arrived future, to those who believe that it is only a heavenly reality.
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Gender and Sexuality
Protestant denominations are divided on questions of gender and sexuality. European churches tend to be liberal. Asian, South American, and African churches tend to be conservative. American churches have become increasingly fractured in recent decades.
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Rituals and Worship
Protestantism
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