![Ukrlckremenec](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/Ukrlckremenec.jpg)
The term Eastern Protestant Christianity (or Eastern Reformed Christianity as well as Oriental Protestant Christianity) encompasses a range of heterogeneous
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
Christian denominations that developed outside of the
Occident
The Occident is a term for the West, traditionally comprising anything that belongs to the Western world. It is the antonym of ''Orient'', the Eastern world. In English, it has largely fallen into disuse. The term ''occidental'' is often used to ...
, from the latter half of the nineteenth century, and yet keep elements of
Eastern Christianity, to varying degrees. Some of these denominations came into being, when existing Protestant churches adopted
reformational variants of
Eastern
Eastern may refer to:
Transportation
*China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai
*Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways
*Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991
*Eastern Air Li ...
and
Oriental Orthodox liturgy and worship. Some others are the result of reformations of Orthodox beliefs and practices, inspired by the teachings of Western Protestant missionaries.
Some Eastern Protestant Churches are in
communion with similar Western Protestant Churches.
However, Eastern Protestant Christianity does not constitute a
single communion. This is due to the diverse polities, practices, liturgies and orientations of the denominations which fall under this category.
List of churches
*
Armenian Evangelical Church
The Armenian Evangelical Church ( hy, Հայաստանեայց Աւետարանական Եկեղեցի) was established on July 1, 1846, by thirty-seven men and three women in Constantinople.
History
In the 19th century there was an intellectua ...
*
Assyrian Evangelical Church
The Assyrian Evangelical Church is a Presbyterian church in the Middle East that attained a status of ecclesiastical independence from the Presbyterian mission in Iran in 1870.
Members
Its members are predominantly ethnic Assyrians, an Eastern ...
*
Assyrian Pentecostal Church
*
Believers Eastern Church of India
* Eastern Rite Community in Germany and the Czech Republic
* Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia
*
Evangelical Church of Egypt (Synod of the Nile)
The Evangelical Church of Egypt (Synod of the Nile) (also called the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Egypt, Egyptian: الكنيسة الإنجيلية المشيخية ''El-Kenisa El-Engileyya El-Mashyykhia'') is a Protestant church that start ...
*
Evangelical Church of Romania
The Evangelical Church of Romania ( ro, Biserica Evanghelică Română) is a Protestant denomination that emerged out of the Romanian Orthodox Church. It is one of Romania's eighteen officially recognised religious denominations.
History
The chu ...
*
Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovenia
The Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovenia ( sl, Evangeličanska cerkev augsburške veroizpovedi v Sloveniji) is a Lutheran denomination in Slovenia. It is led by Bishop Leon Novak. It is a member of the Lutheran World Federation ...
*
Evangelical Orthodox Church
The Evangelical Orthodox Church (EOC), founded on January 15, 1979, is a small Christian syncretic denomination established by former leaders of Campus Crusade for Christ, who, reacting against the freewheeling Jesus People movement, developed t ...
*
Kosovo Protestant Evangelical Church
*
Mar Thoma Syrian Church
*
P'ent'ay - Ethiopian and Eritrean Evangelical Churches
* Russian Evangelical Church
*
Society for Eastern Rite Anglicanism
*
St. Thomas Evangelical Church of India
* St. Valentine's Fellowship
*
Ukrainian Lutheran Church
The Ukrainian Lutheran Church (ULC; Українська Лютеранська Церква), formerly called the Ukrainian Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession, is a Byzantine Rite Lutheran Church based in Ukraine. The Eastern Christia ...
Ukrainian Lutheran Church
The
Byzantine Rite Lutheranism
Eastern Lutheranism (also known as Byzantine Lutheranism or Byzantine Rite Lutheranism) refers to Lutheran churches, such as those of Ukraine and Slovenia, that use a form of the Byzantine Rite as their liturgy. It is unique in that it is based o ...
refers to
Lutheran Churches, such as those of
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
and
Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
, that use a form of the
Byzantine Rite as their liturgy.
It is unique in that it is based on the Eastern Christian rite used by the
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops vi ...
, while incorporating theology from the
Divine Service contained in the ''
Formula Missae
Formula missae et communionis pro ecclesia Vuittembergensi (1523) was a 16th-century Latin liturgy composed by Martin Luther for Lutheran churches in Wittenberg.
''Formula missae'' was based on the medieval Mass, only replacing the Canon of the ...
'', the base texts for Lutheran liturgies in the West.
Mar Thoma Syrian Church
![Mar Thoma Bishop](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Mar_Thoma_Bishop.jpg)
The Mar Thoma church has its origins in a reformation movement in the
Malankara Church, in the latter half of the nineteenth century. India was part of the British Empire at the time and the Malankara Church with its Oriental Orthodox traditions, in communion with the
Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch
, native_name_lang = syc
, image = St_George_Syriac_orthodox_church_in_Damascus.jpg
, imagewidth = 250
, alt = Cathedral of Saint George
, caption = Cathedral of Saint George, Damascu ...
. Concurrently,
Anglican missionaries from England arrived in South India, on a help mission for the Malankara Church. They became teachers at the Church's seminary and made the Bible available in
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...
. Inspired by the teachings of the missionaries and imbibing the ideas of the
Protestant Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and ...
from them, a few priests under the leadership of
Abraham Malpan
Palakunnathu Abraham Malpan (പാലകുന്നത്ത് അബ്രഹാം മൽപ്പാൻ), (30 May 1796 – 9 September 1845) was an Indian cleric and theologian known for the Reformation movement within the Malankara ...
initiated a reformation based on the Bible. Abraham Malpan also managed to get his nephew Deacon Mathew, ordained as bishop Mathews Mar Athanasius, by the Patriarch of Antioch. But many opposed the reforms. The groups for and against reforms engaged in court litigations for the Church and its properties. These ended in 1889, through a verdict favoring the Patriarchal faction. Subsequently, the reformed faction became an independent church. To date, there are 11 bishops, 1149 priests and over a million laity.
While retaining many of the Syriac
high church
The term ''high church'' refers to beliefs and practices of Christian ecclesiology, liturgy, and theology that emphasize formality and resistance to modernisation. Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term originate ...
practices, the
Mar Thoma Church
The Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church, often shortened to Mar Thoma Church, and known also as the Reformed Syrian ChurchS. N. Sadasivan. A Social History of India'. APH Publishing; 2000. . p. 442. and the Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar ...
is
Reformed in its theology and doctrines. It employs a reformed variant of the
Liturgy of Saint James
The Liturgy of Saint James is a form of Christian liturgy used by some Eastern Christians of the Byzantine rite and West Syriac Rite. It is developed from an ancient Egyptian form of the Basilean anaphoric family, and is influenced by the traditi ...
, with many parts in the local vernacular. The Mar Thoma church is in full communion with the
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and other ...
and maintains friendly relations with many other churches.
Saint Thomas Evangelical Church of India
The St. Thomas Evangelical Church of India (STECI) is an
Evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual expe ...
,
Episcopal denomination based in
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. It derives from a
schism in the
Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church
The Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church, often shortened to Mar Thoma Church, and known also as the Reformed Syrian ChurchS. N. Sadasivan. A Social History of India'. APH Publishing; 2000. . p. 442. and the Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar ...
in 1961. STECI holds that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant and infallible Word of God. Adherents believe that all that is necessary for salvation and living in righteousness is given in the Bible. The church is engaged in active evangelism. The headquarters of this church is at
Tiruvalla
Thiruvalla, alternately spelled Tiruvalla, is a town in Kerala and the Headquarters of the Taluk of the same name located in Pathanamthitta district in the State of Kerala, India. The town is spread over an area of . It lies on the banks of ...
, a town in the state of
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
.
Believers Eastern Church
Believers Eastern Church (formerly Believers Church) is a Christian denomination with roots in
Pentecostalism
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement , based in
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. It exists as a part of the
Gospel for Asia
Gospel for Asia (now GFA World) is an independent Christian missionary and humanitarian organization, founded by K. P. Yohannan in 1979, focusing on residents of Asian countries and small parts of Africa. The organization is located about ...
. In 2003, this church acquired
episcopacy
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
, by getting Indian Anglican bishops ordain its founder
K. P. Yohannan, as a bishop. Henceforth this denomination adopted several elements of
Eastern Christian
Eastern Christianity comprises Christian traditions and church families that originally developed during classical and late antiquity in Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, Northeast Africa, the Fertile Crescent and ...
worship and practices like usage of anointed holy oils, yet keeping the principle of ''
sola scriptura
, meaning by scripture alone, is a Christian theological doctrine held by most Protestant Christian denominations, in particular the Lutheran and Reformed traditions of Protestantism, that posits the Bible as the sole infallible source of aut ...
''. Its name was officially changed to
Believers Eastern Church in 2017, so as to "better express its roots in the ancient and orthodox faith".
Eastern Rite Anglicanism
The
Society for Eastern Rite Anglicanism (SERA) is an organization working to promote and sustain a movement towards an established Eastern Rite in the
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and other ...
. Established in 2013, it formulated an Anglo-Orthodox Divine Liturgy. It is based on the
Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom
The Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom is the most celebrated divine liturgy in the Byzantine Rite. It is named after its core part, the anaphora attributed to Saint John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople in the 5th century.
History
It ...
and is used by the society.
Assyrian Evangelical Church
The Assyrian Evangelical Church is a
Middle Eastern Church which attained ecclesiastical independence from the Presbyterian mission in
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, in 1870. Its membership comprise mostly of
Eastern Aramaic
The Eastern Aramaic languages have developed from the varieties of Aramaic that developed in and around Mesopotamia (Iraq, southeast Turkey, northeast Syria and northwest and southwest Iran), as opposed to western varieties of the Levant (modern ...
speaking ethnic
Assyrians who were originally part of the
Assyrian Church of the East and its offshoots or the
Syriac Orthodox Church. They, like other Assyrian Christians are sometimes targets of persecution by hostile governments and neighbors.
Assyrian Pentecostal Church
The Assyrian Pentecostal Church is a pentecostal Christian denomination which originated in the 1940s among the
Assyrian people of
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
and spread among ethnic
Assyrians in
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
,
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
and
Syria. They are native speakers of the
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic
Suret ( syr, ܣܘܪܝܬ) ( su:rɪtʰor su:rɪθ, also known as Assyrian or Chaldean, refers to the varieties of Northeastern Neo-Aramaic (NENA) spoken by ethnic Assyrians, including those identifying as religious groups rather than eth ...
language and use it as their
liturgical language
A sacred language, holy language or liturgical language is any language that is cultivated and used primarily in church service or for other religious reasons by people who speak another, primary language in their daily lives.
Concept
A sacr ...
too. They also use the Syriac Aramaic Bible. Most of its members were originally part of the
Assyrian Church of the East and its offshoots or the
Syriac Orthodox Church. This denomination is affiliated to the
Assemblies of God Church. There has been reported instances of persecution against them as well.
P'ent'ay - Ethiopian and Eritrean Evangelical Churches
The
P'ent'ay
P'ent'ay (from Ge'ez: ) is an originally Amharic–Tigrinya language term for Pentecostal and other Eastern-oriented Protestant Christians within Ethiopia and Eritrea, and the Ethiopian and Eritrean diaspora. Today, the term refers to all ...
is an
Amharic and
Tigrinya
(; also spelled Tigrigna) is an Ethio-Semitic language commonly spoken Eritrea and in northern Ethiopia's Tigray Region by the Tigrinya and Tigrayan peoples. It is also spoken by the global diaspora of these regions.
History and literatur ...
language term for evangelical Christians in
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
and
Eritrea. This movement have been influenced by the mainstream
Orthodox
Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to:
Religion
* Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...
Christianity of these countries as well as
Pentecostalism
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement . As Protestantism is relatively new in Ethiopia, most
P'ent'ay
P'ent'ay (from Ge'ez: ) is an originally Amharic–Tigrinya language term for Pentecostal and other Eastern-oriented Protestant Christians within Ethiopia and Eritrea, and the Ethiopian and Eritrean diaspora. Today, the term refers to all ...
are ex-Orthodox Christians. Many of these groups describe their religious practices as culturally Orthodox, but Protestant by doctrine. They boast approximately 16,500,000 members. The
P'ent'ay
P'ent'ay (from Ge'ez: ) is an originally Amharic–Tigrinya language term for Pentecostal and other Eastern-oriented Protestant Christians within Ethiopia and Eritrea, and the Ethiopian and Eritrean diaspora. Today, the term refers to all ...
denominations may constitute as much as 19% of the population of
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
, while being a small minority in
Eritrea.
Hybridizing Western Evangelicalism with Eastern Byzantine traditions
The Evangelical Orthodox Church is a Christian denomination which blends
Evangelical Protestantism
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "born again", in which an individual experi ...
with features of
Eastern Orthodoxy
Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism.
Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "canonical") ...
. It started off in 1973 as a network of
house church
A house church or home church is a label used to describe a group of Christians who regularly gather for worship in private homes. The group may be part of a larger Christian body, such as a parish, but some have been independent groups that see ...
es established by
Campus Crusade for Christ
Cru (until 2011 known as Campus Crusade for Christ—informally "Campus Crusade" or simply "crusade"—or CCC) is an interdenominational Christian parachurch organization. It was founded in 1951 at the University of California, Los Angeles by ...
missionaries in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. The founders
Peter E. Gillquist, Jack Sparks, Jon Braun, and J.R. Ballew wanted to restore Christianity to its primitive form based on the writings of the early
Church Fathers. So they stood in a circle and self-ordained each other, creating an entity called the New Covenant Apostolic Order (NCAO). Their own interpretations of Church history led to the adoption of a somewhat liturgical form of worship and induced a need for
apostolic succession. In 1977 the first contact with the Eastern Orthodox Church was initiated through Orthodox seminarian Fr. John Bartke. In 1979 the Evangelical Orthodox Church (EOC) was organized. The EOC pursued various avenues to obtain
episcopacy
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
, including a visit to the
Patriarch of Constantinople, but to no avail. At last they met Patriarch
Ignatius IV of Antioch Ignatius is a male given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include:
Given name
Religious
* Ignatius of Antioch (35–108), saint and martyr, Apostolic Father, early Christian bishop
* Ignatius of Constantinople (797–877), Cath ...
, during his historic visit to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
, which proved successful. This meeting was arranged by Fr. John Bartke, who later served as the primary intermediary between the EOC and the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese, and also hosted the initial set of chrismations and ordinations for the EOC at St. Michael's Church in
Van Nuys, California
Van Nuys () is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley.
History
In 1909, ...
. Unable to completely reconcile Evangelicalism and Orthodoxy, many EOC members formally joined the
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA), often referred to in North America as simply the Antiochian Archdiocese, is the jurisdiction of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch in the United States and Canada. Origin ...
in 1987. Some others joined the
Orthodox Church in America
The Orthodox Church in America (OCA) is an Eastern Orthodox Christian church based in North America. The OCA is partly recognized as autocephalous and consists of more than 700 parishes, missions, communities, monasteries and institutions ...
. The rest remained independent and continue as the Evangelical Orthodox Church.
Laestadianism (Apostolic Lutheranism)
In the far north of the Scandinavian peninsula are the
Sámi people
The Sámi ( ; also spelled Sami or Saami) are a Finno-Ugric-speaking people inhabiting the region of Sápmi (formerly known as Lapland), which today encompasses large northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and of the Murmansk Oblast, Ru ...
, some of which practice a form of Lutheranism called Apostolic Lutheranism, or
Laestadianism
Laestadianism, also known as Laestadian Lutheranism and Apostolic Lutheranism, is a pietistic Lutheran revival movement started in Sápmi in the middle of the 19th century. Named after Swedish Lutheran state church administrator and temperance ...
due to the efforts of
Lars Levi Laestadius. However, others are
Orthodox in religion. Some Apostolic Lutherans consider their movement as part of an
unbroken line down from the Apostles. In Russia, Laestadians of Lutheran background cooperate with the
Ingrian church, but since Laestadianism is an interdenominational movement, some are Eastern Orthodox. Eastern Orthodox Laestadians are known as
Ushkovayzet (article is in Russian).
Armenian Evangelical Church
The Armenian Evangelical Church is the product of a reform campaign from within the
Armenian Apostolic Church
, native_name_lang = hy
, icon = Armenian Apostolic Church logo.svg
, icon_width = 100px
, icon_alt =
, image = Էջմիածնի_Մայր_Տաճար.jpg
, imagewidth = 250px
, a ...
.
The reformers were influenced by the missionaries of the
American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) was among the first American Christian missionary organizations. It was created in 1810 by recent graduates of Williams College. In the 19th century it was the largest and most imp ...
, who arrived in
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
in the early nineteenth century, and published translated bibles for the
Turkish-speaking Armenians.
The reformers were led by Krikor Peshdimaljian, one of the leading intellectuals of the time.
Peshdimaljian was the head of a training school for the Armenian Apostolic clergy.
The school was under the auspices of the
Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople.
Out of this school, emerged a society called the Pietisical Union, whose members focused more directly on the Bible and organized Bible study meetings.
They began to raise questions about the conflicts between biblical truths and the traditional practices of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
The Union also advocated
Pietism
Pietism (), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism, is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christian life, including a social concern for the needy an ...
, which they believed their church was devoid of.
The leadership of the Armenian Apostolic Church under Patriarch Matteos Chouhajian was against any reform, and excommunicated the reformists from the church.
This separation led to the formation of the Armenian Evangelical Church, on July 1, 1846, at
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
.
By 1850, the new church received the official recognition of the
Ottoman government
The Ottoman Empire developed over the years as a despotism with the Sultan as the supreme ruler of a centralized government that had an effective control of its provinces, officials and inhabitants. Wealth and rank could be inherited but were j ...
.
Later, however, Armenians were forced out of
Ottoman Turkey
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
, due to the
Armenian genocide
The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily through t ...
.
The Armenian Evangelical congregations in the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...
are currently organized as the
.
Evangelical Church of Romania
The
Evangelical Church of Romania
The Evangelical Church of Romania ( ro, Biserica Evanghelică Română) is a Protestant denomination that emerged out of the Romanian Orthodox Church. It is one of Romania's eighteen officially recognised religious denominations.
History
The chu ...
(Romanian: Biserica Evanghelică Română) is one of
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
's eighteen officially recognised religious denominations.
The church originated between 1920 and 1924, through work of the young
Romanian Orthodox
The Romanian Orthodox Church (ROC; ro, Biserica Ortodoxă Română, ), or Patriarchate of Romania, is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox Christian churches, and one of the nine patriarchates ...
theologians
Dumitru Cornilescu and Tudor Popescu.
Deacon Cornilescu was motivated to translate the Bible into modern Romanian, by Princess Calimachi of
Moldavia
Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and for ...
. While translating the
Epistle to the Romans, Cornilescu became interested in the concept of personal salvation. By the time he completed the translation, he had become staunchly
evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual expe ...
.
Afterwards, Cornilescu served as a deacon under Fr. Tudor Popescu, at the
Cuibul cu barză Church in
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
. After some time, Popescu converted to evangelicalism, due to Cornilescu's influence. Both of them began to preach salvation by personal faith in Christ. Gradually, they gained a significant following, including priests from the Romanian Orthodox Church. Soon other evangelical traits, such as singing and congregational participation, began to manifest in this group.
They called into question many Orthodox practices, which they perceived to be unbiblical. Tudor Popescu has been called the Romanian Martin Luther, for his attempts to reform the Romanian Orthodox Church.
Due to deviations from
Eastern Orthodox doctrines, the Romanian Orthodox Church defrocked Fr. Tudor Popescu. Dumitru Cornilescu was forced to leave the country. But Popescu and his followers (originally called Tudorists), established their own Church; the Evangelical Church of Romania.
See also
*
Army of the Lord
The Army of the Lord ( ro, Oastea Domnului), also known as The Lord's Army, is an evangelical " renewal movement within the Romanian Orthodox Church". The founder of the Army of the Lord, Father Iosif Trifa, as well as consequent leaders, Ioan Mar ...
, an evangelical movement within the Romanian Orthodox Church
*
Zoë movement
The Church of Greece ( el, Ἐκκλησία τῆς Ἑλλάδος, Ekklēsía tē̂s Helládos, ), part of the wider Greek Orthodox Church, is one of the autocephaly, autocephalous churches which make up the communion of Eastern Orthodox Chur ...
, sometimes regarded as a crypto-Protestant movement in the Greek church.
*
Spiritual Christianity
Spiritual Christianity (russian: духовное христианство) is the group of belief systems held by so-called ''folk Protestants'' (), including non-Eastern Orthodox indigenous faith tribes and new religious movements that emer ...
, refers to Russian "folk Protestants", non-Orthodox indigenous to then the Russian Empire that emerged from among the Orthodox, and from the Bezpopovtsy Raskolniks.
References
{{Eastern Christianity footer, state=collapsed
Eastern Christianity
Protestantism
Protestant denominations established in the 19th century
Protestant denominational families