CHRISTENDOM Series: Congregationalist

CONGREGATIONALIST

(Mainline Protestant/Anglican-{Calvinistic at one time})

And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle:

Genesis 13:7 And just like Abram & Lot split up - so too has the Congregationalist.

CHRISTENDOM Series Outline Link:
http://master1844-dc.blogspot.com/2015/06/christendom-series-outline.html



Ever wondered what happened to the Church of the Pilgrims?
Congregationalists came out of Anglicanism (Church of England) --the basic thrust of the Congregationalist movement - pushed by Anglican priest Robert Browne- was to purify the Church of England (Anglican) of all vestiges of Catholicism. In their early years they were heavily influenced by Calvinism (Predestination of the elect). Although by the late 1700's, they were fractured by multiple theological views. Not all remained over the

decades Calvinists.
Baptism is by sprinkling & although they practice infant baptism-it isn't considered the same as adult baptism.
Congregationalists hold a congregational church structure, and most today are Amillennial. (During the 1700's & 1800's they were largely post-millennial). Soteriology today is Arminian, Unitarian, Deist or even Transcendental. (In the past Calvinistic-though not all always agreed with predestination). It has become a very liberal theological church (except one faction). --{If the Pilgrims only knew how liberal their church has become}....

...1957...The Split...
Most congregations voted to join with the Evangelical & Reformed Church (ERC) to form a new church. But the few who stayed Congregationalists split into 2 groups themselves.
***The Evangelical & Reformed Church was itself a union of 2 denominations before WW1. The Evangelical Synod was a church of German Lutheran & Calvinists who mixed in colonial America and moved across the Great Lakes region-especially Indiana & Ohio. / The Reformed Church was the German Reformed Church in America. (German Calvinists). These 2 fused into the Evangelical & Reformed Church. Also, a few Hungarian Reformed congregations joined them in the early 1900's.

United Church Of Christ - 1957, was the result of the merger of the ERC & the

majority of Congregationalist congregations. Since then, the church has become very liberal (gay marriage, gay clergy, women ordination, no condemnation of abortion, active in both the social gospel & GREEN gospel of today, evolution, etc.---is also the denomination of Obama & Jeremiah Wright).
The Church has staked out foreign policy views hostile towards Israel & supportive of the Palestinians. The church also has produced sex education courses for the youth based upon secular viewpoints of the matter.
But since it is very congregational in church structure--some of the more rural congregations remain somewhat theologically conservative. About 2,000,000 members.
 National Association of Congregational Christian Churches

(NACCC) / (National Congregationalists) - 1955. formed 2 years before the UCC was formed. It was to preserve the Congregationalist Church from the coming split of 1957. It is generally the liberal wing. Many are Arminian or hold the liberal views of soteriology already stated above. About 70,000 members.
Conservative Congregational Christian Conference (CCCC) - 1955, Split before the merger with the ERC in 1957. This is the more conservative Congregationalist Church. Opposed to women ordination, gay marriage & abortion. On

soteriology, some still hold Calvinistic views (along the lines of watered down predestination, etc.), while others are Arminian. Some believe in evolution, some creation, and many hold the position that it doesn't matter to faith. About 42,000 members.