The mainline (also sometimes called mainstream) or mainline Protestant denominations are those Protestant denominations that were brought to the United States by its historic immigrant groups.[1] The largest of these are the Episcopal (from Anglican), Presbyterian (Scottish), Methodist (English and Welsh), Lutheran (German, Scandinavian, and Baltic) and Dutch Reformed (Dutch and French) churches.
In typical usage, the term mainline is contrasted with evangelical. Mainline churches tend to be open to new ideas and societal changes without abandoning what they consider to be the historical basis of the Christian faith.[2] This places them to the ideological left of the evangelical churches.
Mainline churches tend to belong to organizations such as the National Council of Churches and World Council of Churches.
Contents |
Beliefs
Many or most mainline denominations teach that the Bible is God's word in function, but also remain open to new understandings of it. A 2008 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center found that only 22% of 7470 the mainline Christians surveyed said the Bible is God's word and is to be interpreted as literally true, word for word. 38% thought that the Bible is God's Word, but isn't to be taken literally, word for word. 28% said the Bible was not the Word of God, but was of human origin.[3] Most mainline denominations encourage the of use critical exegesis to seek a deeper knowledge of Holy Scripture.
Theologically, most mainline denominations are Trinitarian, meaning they accept and/or require belief in the doctrine that God exists as one "essence" in three "persons": the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit. They proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and Son of God and often adhere to the historic creeds (such as the Nicene Creed, the Apostles' Creed, and the Athanasian Creed.)
Unlike Evangelical churches, mainline denominations greatly emphasize the biblical concept of justice, even though theologically conservative critics accuse the mainline churches of "the substitution of leftist social action for Christian evangelizing, and the disappearance of biblical theology," and maintain that "All the Mainline churches have become essentially the same church: their histories, their theologies, and even much of their practice lost to a uniform vision of social progress."[1]
Mainline churches take no set view with regard to military service—all provide chaplains to the United States armed forces and none are historically peace churches except the Church of the Brethren and the Religious Society of Friends—but express reservations about aggressive use of military force for any reason. They have been increasingly open to the ordination of women. They have been far from uniform in their reaction to homosexuals, bisexuals and transsexuals, though generally more tolerant of these issues than either the Catholic Church or the more conservative Protestant churches.[citation needed]
Demographics
Christian adults of mainline churches are 91% white, 2% black, 1% Asian, 3% of mixed race and not of Hispanic origin, and 3% Hispanic, according to the 2008 Pew survey. Members tend to be older than those of evangelical churches, with only 14% aged 18-29, 36% aged 30-49, 28% aged 50-64, and 23% 65 or older. Household income of for members of mainline denominations is overall higher than that of evangelicals, with only 25% reporting less than a $30,000 income per year. 21% reported $30,000-$49,999 per year. 18% reported $50,000-$74,999 per year. 15% reported $75,000-$99,999 per year. 21% reported an income of $100,000 per year or more, compared to only 13% of evangelicals. [4]
Use of the term mainline
While the term mainline may seem to imply a certain numerical majority or dominant presence in mainstream society that is no longer accurate, it actually originated from the Pennsylvania Main Line,[citation needed] a wealthy suburban area near Philadelphia known for its elite White Anglo-Saxon Protestant population. The Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) counts 26,344,933 members of mainline churches versus 39,930,869 members of evangelical Protestant churches.[5] There is evidence that there has been a shift in membership from mainline denominations to other churches.[6]
The inclusion of a denomination in the mainline category does not imply that every member of that denomination, nor even every member of their clergy, accepts some of the beliefs generally held in common by other mainline churches. They allow considerable theological latitude. Moreover, mainline denominations have within them Confessing Movements or charismatic renewal movements which are more conservative in tone.
Some denominations with similar names, and historical ties to mainline groups are not considered mainline. For example, while the American Baptist Churches, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) are mainline, the Southern Baptist Convention, Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, and the Presbyterian Church in America are often considered too conservative for this category, and thus grouped as Evangelical.
Mainline denominations
The largest U.S. mainline churches are sometimes referred to as the Seven Sisters of American Protestantism.*[7] The term was apparently coined by William Hutchison[8] in reference to the major liberal groups of American Baptists, Disciples of Christ, Congregationalists / United Church of Christ, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Methodists, and Presbyterians during the period between 1900 and 1960.
- United Methodist Church 7,931,733 members (2008)[9]
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 4,709,956 members (2008)[9]
- Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 2,140,165 members (2008)[10]
- Episcopal Church (United States) 2,116,749 members (2008)[9]
- American Baptist Churches in the USA 1,358,351 members (2008)[9]
- United Church of Christ 1,145,281 members (2008)[9]
- Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) 691,160 (2008)
The Association of Religion Data Archives also considers these denominations to be mainline:[5]
- Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) 350,000 members
- Reformed Church in America 269,815 members (2005)[11]
- International Council of Community Churches 108,806 members (2005)[12]
- National Association of Congregational Christian Churches 65,569 members (2000)[13]
- North American Baptist Conference 64,565 members (2002)
- Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches 44,000 members (1998)[14]
- Moravian Church in America, Northern Province 24,650 members (2003)[15]
- Moravian Church in America, Southern Province 21,513 members (1991)[16]
- Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 12,000 members (2007)
- Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church
- Congregational Christian Churches, (not part of any national CCC body)
- Moravian Church in America, Alaska Province
The Association of Religion Data Archives has difficulties collecting data on traditionally African American denominations. Those churches most likely to be identified as mainline include these Methodist groups:
Further reading
- Ahlstrom, Sydney E. A Religious History of the American People (1976; 2004) excerpt and text search
- Balmer, Randall. Grant Us Courage: Travels along the Mainline of American Protestantism (1996) online edition
- Balmer, Randall, and Fitzmier, John R. The Presbyterians (1993). 274 pp. survey by two scholars
- Billingsley, K. L. From Mainline to Sideline: The Social Witness of the National Council of Churches (1991)
- Coalter, Milton J.; Mulder, John M.; and Weeks, Louis B., eds. The Mainstream Protestant "Decline": The Presbyterian Pattern. (1990). 263pp.
- Hutchison, William R. ed. Between the Times: The Travail of the Protestant Establishment in America, 1900-1960 (1990) excerpt and text search
- Marty, Martin E. "The Establishment That Was," Christian Century November 15, 1989, p. 1045. online
- Roof, Wade Clark, and William McKinney. American Mainline Religion: Its Changing Shape and Future (1990) excerpt and text search
- Tipton, Steven M. Public Pulpits: Methodists and Mainline Churches in the Moral Argument of Public Life (2008) excerpt and text search
- Wuthnow, Robert, and John H. Evans, eds. The Quiet Hand of God: Faith-Based Activism and the Public Role of Mainline Protestantism, (2002), 430 pp.; essays by scholars
References
- ^ a b The Death of Protestant America: A Political Theory of the Protestant Mainline by Joseph Bottum, First Things (August/September 2008)[1]
- ^ The Decline of Mainline Protestantism
- ^ U.S. Religious Landscape Survey: Religious Beliefs and Practices, Diverse and Politically Relevant. Washington D.C.: Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. June 2008. Acessed online on September 27, 2009 at http://religions.pewforum.org/pdf/report2-religious-landscape-study-full.pdf.
- ^ U.S. Religious Landscape Survey: Religious Beliefs and Practices, Diverse and Politically Relevant. Washington D.C.: Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. June 2008. Acessed online on September 27, 2009 at http://religions.pewforum.org/pdf/report2-religious-landscape-study-full.pdf.
- ^ a b Mainline protestant denominations
- ^ "The U.S. Church Finance Market: 2005-2010" Non-denominational membership doubled between 1990 and 2001. (April 1, 2006 report)
- ^ Protestant Establishment I (Craigville Conference)
- ^ Hutchison, William, Between the Times: The Travail of the Protestant Establishment in America, 1900-1960 (1989), Cambridge U. Press, ISBN 0-521-40601-3
- ^ a b c d e NCC - 2009 Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches
- ^ "FAQ / Interesting Facts". http://www.pcusa.org/research/statistics_faq.htm.
- ^ Reformed membership
- ^ ICCC membership
- ^ NACCC membership
- ^ UFMCC membership
- ^ Moravian Northern Province membership
- ^ Moravian Southern Province membership
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
