What Every Protestant Should Know

[Andrewn]

Either the Protestants are right and the Christian Church went astray somehow from soon after Jesus until at least the early 1200's or the Apostolic Churches are closer to the truth and the Protestants have erred, at least in some respects.

"The Bogomils called for a return to what they considered to be early spiritual teaching, rejecting the ecclesiastical hierarchy, and their primary political tendencies were resistance to the state and church authorities. This helped the movement spread quickly in the Balkans, gradually expanding throughout the Byzantine Empire and later reaching Kievan Rus', Bosnia (Bosnian Church), Dalmatia, Serbia, Italy, and France (Cathars)."

Bogomilism - Wikipedia

According to the article, the Bogomils were dualists or Gnostics and were founded in the 10th century. But the point is that "Apostolic" churches were not the only game in town.

This being said, I personally have no problem with doctrines about which Orthodox & Catholics agree but I do have a problem with veneration of icons and some practices of the clergy.

I consider things like Predestinarianism, Credobaptism, and Dispensationalism to be Protestant heresies.

 

[thecolorsblend]

The Reformers were not ignorant of church history.

I've never said otherwise. I stand ready to criticize Luther, for example, as a rebel and a heretic. But ignorant of history? Nope.

Calvin’s Institutes are full of quotations from Catholic theologians. The Reformers thought the church had started out right, but error built up over time, with the most serious problems being in the last few centuries.

This part talks around a sort of interesting point. Namely, that the og "reformers" had theological views that many modern Protestants would find quite shocking. But a lot of Protestants tend not to realize that because, y'know, we know how well they tend to do with studying history.

 

[Andrewn]

I stand ready to criticize Luther, for example, as a rebel and a heretic.

Do you agree that modern Catholics and Orthodox are beneficiaries of the Protestant Reformation as it corrected many concepts including salvation according to a merit system, indulgences, use of local languages, and other reforms that produced the counter-reformation?

Edit:
10 Great Consequences of the Protestant Reformation - Seedbed

 

[thecolorsblend]

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[tz620q]

Do you agree that modern Catholics and Orthodox are beneficiaries of the Protestant Reformation as it corrected many concepts including salvation according to a merit system, indulgences, use of local languages, and other reforms that produced the counter-reformation?

Edit:
10 Great Consequences of the Protestant Reformation - Seedbed

Reform, an interesting word. Re-form. So it starts with one form and moves to another form; but the essence is the same. The object being reformed does not cease to exist and a new object take its place, like if you drop a crystal glass and break it. You have two options. First, you can throw the broken glass away and get another whole one. Second you can fire up the forge and reform the glass from the broken shards. The first option is much easier than the second. The counter-reformation was the true reformation of Catholicism, where the glass was reshaped; but the essence was the same. What is called the Protestant Reformation was a revolt. Like all revolts, the original church was torn down and a new church built up on the ashes of the old. This new church might have had a lot of the appearances of the old church (just like the new crystal glass can look like the old one); but it is a new church and does not share the essence of the old.

 

[Daniel Marsh]

Apart from the Catholic Church, there also exists;

Assyrian Church East
https://assyrianchurch.net/
Assyrian Church of the East - Home

Greek Orthodoxy
https://www.goarch.org/
Home - Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

Russian Orthodoxy

http://www.patriarchia.ru/

Coptic Orthodoxy
The Coptic Church - CopticChurch.net

Armenian Apostolic Church

The Armenian Church - Մայր Աթոռ Սուրբ Էջմիածին

Syriac Orthodoxy

Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch

Ethiopian Orthodox Church

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church

And there are others, especially in Europe, autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Churches.

All of these Churches can trace their bishoprics back to the Apostles. All of them baptize infants, affirm that it is Truly Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, honor and adore Mary, the Mother of Christ, through hymns and petitions, and offer up prayers for the dead. All of them are Liturgical.

Understanding this and studying these Churches is important. It is important for Protestant Christians to understand not only the history, but also something of the theology and approach to Christian faith and praxis of these ancient Churches.

Because so often, the Catholic Church is attacked or dismissed for being hierarchical, Marian, Sacramental, Liturgical, etc., when in reality, She is close Relative of other Churches not in communion with Her, yet who are also not similar at all to much of Protestantism.

I think it is vital to understand this. Too many theologians, “reformers”, and others, sneer at the Pope, caring nothing for the Bishops of Constantinople, Moscow, Alexandria, and Vagharshapat.

when did each of those churches divide from Catholic Church?

 

[seeking.IAM]

Don't you love it when someone comes along 1,500 - 2,000 years into a movement and says, "Hey, you've been doing it wrong all this time. I know the way it should be done?" Yet, in any other scenario we would probably argue that those closer to an event would prove to be better witnesses than those who came along 1,500 years later. It rather defies logic, I think.

 

[tall73]

when did each of those churches divide from Catholic Church?

This is the general picture, though for details, you would need to look up each group.

This is from wikipedia.
List of Christian denominations by number of members - Wikipedia

Attribution: unknown

 

[tall73]

Some information on locations where apostles ministered.
CHURCH FATHERS: Church History, Book III (Eusebius)

Eusebius Church History (Book III)
Chapter 1. The Parts of the World in which the Apostles preached Christ.

Meanwhile the holy apostles and disciples of our Saviour were dispersed throughout the world. Parthia, according to tradition, was allotted to Thomas as his field of labor, Scythia to Andrew, and Asia to John, who, after he had lived some time there, died at Ephesus.

Peter appears to have preached in Pontus, Galatia, Bithynia, Cappadocia, and Asia to the Jews of the dispersion. And at last, having come to Rome, he was crucified head-downwards; for he had requested that he might suffer in this way. What do we need to say concerning Paul, who preached the Gospel of Christ from Jerusalem to Illyricum, and afterwards suffered martyrdom in Rome under Nero?

 

[thecolorsblend]

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[tall73]

Eastern Orthodox Church organization - Wikipedia

Attribution: Goran tek-en

Eastern Orthodox Church organization - Wikipedia

Attribution: Akhenaten0

 

[tall73]

Catholic particular churches and liturgical rites - Wikipedia

Attribution Ssrel