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Sociological Classifications Of Religious Movements
Various sociological classifications of religious movements have been proposed by scholars. In the sociology of religion, the most widely used classification is the church-sect typology. The typology is differently construed by different sociologists, and various distinctive features have been proposed to characterise churches and sects. On most accounts, the following features are deemed relevant: * The church is a compulsory organisation into which people are born, while the sect is a voluntary organisation to which people usually convert. * The church is an inclusive organisation to which all kinds of people may belong, while the sect is an exclusive organisation of religiously qualified people. * The church is an established organisation that is well integrated into the larger society and usually inclined to seek for an alliance with the political power, while the sect is a splinter group from a larger religion: it is often in tension with current societal values, rejects an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Presbyterianism
Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Presbyterian'' is applied to churches that trace their roots to the Church of Scotland or to English Dissenter groups that were formed during the English Civil War, 1642 to 1651. Presbyterian theology typically emphasises the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scriptures, and the necessity of grace through faith in Christ. Scotland ensured Presbyterian church government in the 1707 Acts of Union, which created the Kingdom of Great Britain. In fact, most Presbyterians in England have a Scottish connection. The Presbyterian denomination was also taken to North America, Australia, and New Zealand, mostly by Scots and Scots-Irish immigrants. Scotland's Presbyterian denominations hold to the Reformed theology of John Calvin and his i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Priesthood Of All Believers
The priesthood of all believers is the common Priest, priesthood of all Christians (a concept broadly accepted by all churches), while the term can also refer to a specific Protestantism, Protestant understanding that this universal priesthood precludes the ''ministerial'' priesthood (i.e., holy orders) found in some other churches, including Catholic Church, Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. The inclusionary Catholic version proposes a common priesthood that is different from both holy orders and the Threefold office, priesthood of Christ. The exclusionary version, elaborated in the theology of Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli and John Calvin among other reformers, became prominent as a tenet of Protestant Christian doctrine, though the exact meaning of the belief and its implications vary widely among Christian denomination, denominations. Antiquity Hebrew Old Testament texts speak of a national "kingdom of priests" (Exodus, 19:5–6), Priesthood_(ancient_Israel), Levites (Exod ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity () — individually a layperson, layman or laywoman — consists of all Church membership, members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non-Ordination, ordained members of religious orders, e.g. a nun or a lay brother. In secular usage, by extension, a layperson is a person who is not qualified in a given profession or is not an expert in a particular field. The phrase "layman's terms" is used to refer to plain language that is understandable to the everyday person, as opposed to specialised terminology understood only by a professional. Terms such as ''lay priest'', ''lay clergy'' and ''lay nun'' were once used in certain Buddhist cultures, especially Japanese, to indicate ordained persons who continued to live in the wider community instead of retiring to a monastery. Some Christian churches utilise lay preachers, who sermon, preach but are not clergy. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints uses the term ''lay pri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Voluntary Association
A voluntary group or union (also sometimes called a voluntary organization, common-interest association, association, or society) is a group of individuals who enter into an agreement, usually as volunteers, to form a body (or organization) to accomplish a purpose. Common examples include trade associations, trade unions, learned societies, professional associations, and environmental groups. All such associations reflect freedom of association in ultimate terms (members may choose whether to join or leave), although membership is not necessarily voluntary in the sense that one's employment may effectively require it via occupational closure. For example, in order for particular associations to function effectively, they might need to be mandatory or at least strongly encouraged, as is true of trade unions. Because of this, some people prefer the term common-interest association to describe groups which form out of a common interest, although this term is not widely used or ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charismatic Authority
In the field of sociology, charismatic authority is a concept of organizational leadership wherein the authority of the leader derives from the personal charisma of the leader. In the tripartite classification of authority, the sociologist Max Weber contrasts charismatic authority (character, heroism, leadership, religious) against two other types of authority: (i) rational-legal authority (modern law, the sovereign state, bureaucracy) and (ii) traditional authority (patriarchy, patrimonialism, feudalism). The Ancient Greek word became known through the Pauline epistles to Christian communities in the first century of the Common Era, wherein the word ''charisma'' denoted and described a ''gift'' of divine origin that demonstrated the divine authority possessed by the early leaders of the Church. Weber developed the theological term and the concept of ''charisma'' into a secular term for the sociological study of organizations. Terms derived from ''charisma'' include ''charismat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ex Opere Operato
''Ex opere operato'' is a Latin phrase meaning "from the work worked" that, in reference to sacraments, signifies that they derive their efficacy not from the minister (which would mean that they derive it ''ex opere operantis'', meaning "from the work of the worker") or from the recipient, but from the sacrament considered independently of the merits of the minister or the recipient. According to the ''ex opere operato'' interpretation of the sacraments, any positive effect comes not from any human worthiness or faith, but from the sacrament as an instrument of God. "Affirming the ''ex opere operato'' efficacy means being sure of God's sovereign and gratuitous intervention in the sacraments." For example, in confirmation the Holy Spirit is bestowed not through the attitude of the bishop nor of the person being confirmed, but freely by God through the instrumentality of the sacrament. However, in order to receive sacraments fruitfully, it is believed necessary for the recipient t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baptism In The River Gwuan Fishguard Rev Dan Davies Circa 1904-05
Baptism (from ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water either partially or completely, traditionally three times, once for each person of the Trinity. The synoptic gospels recount that John the Baptist baptism of Jesus, baptized Jesus., , Baptism is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance (Christian), ordinance in others. Baptism according to the Trinitarian formula, which is done in most mainstream Christian denominations, is seen as being a basis for Christian ecumenism, the concept of unity amongst Christians. Baptism is also called christening, although some reserve the word "christening" for the Infant baptism, baptism of infants. In certain Christian denominations, such as the Catholic Churches, Eastern Orthodox Churches, Oriental Orthodox Churches, Assyrian Church of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Benton Johnson
Guy Benton Johnson Jr. (August 19, 1928 – January 8, 2024) was an American sociologist and professor emeritus of the University of Oregon's Department of Sociology. Biography Guy Benton Johnson Jr. was born in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on August 19, 1928, the son of Guy Benton Johnson and Guion Griffis Johnson. He was named after his father, but was called "Benny" and continued to use "Benton" in adulthood. Johnson's father was a sociologist and anthropologist, while his mother was a noted historian. While in college, Johnson met Miriam M. Johnson, Miriam Massey. They married on July 21, 1951. Miriam also pursued a successful career in sociology, focusing on Sociology of the family, family issues and gender roles. Together they had two children. Johnson died on January 8, 2024, at the age of 95. Academic career Johnson is best known for his work related to the Classifications of religious movements, theory and typology of religious movements. He received a Bachelor of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scientology
Scientology is a set of beliefs and practices invented by the American author L. Ron Hubbard, and an associated movement. It is variously defined as a scam, a Scientology as a business, business, a cult, or a religion. Hubbard initially developed a set of Pseudoscience, pseudoscientific ideas that he called Dianetics, which he represented as a form of therapy. An organization that he established in 1950 to promote it went bankrupt, and his ideas were rejected as nonsense by the scientific community. He then recast his ideas as a religion, likely for tax purposes and to avoid prosecution, and renamed them Scientology. In 1953, he founded the Church of Scientology which, by one 2014 estimate, has around 30,000 members worldwide. Key Scientology beliefs include reincarnation, and that traumatic events cause subconscious command-like recordings in the mind (termed "Engram (Dianetics), engrams") that can be removed only through an activity called "Auditing (Scientology), auditing". ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Family International
The Family International (TFI) is an American new religious movement founded in 1968 by David Brandt Berg. The group has gone under a number of different names since its inception, including Teens for Christ, The Children of God (COG), The Family of Love, or simply The Family. A British court case found the group was an authoritarian cult which engaged in the systematic physical and sexual abuse of children, resulting in lasting trauma among survivors. The group has also been accused of targeting vulnerable people. Overview According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, "at its height" the Family movement had "tens of thousands of members, including River and Joaquin Phoenix, Rose McGowan, and Jeremy Spencer". TFI initially spread a message of salvation, apocalypticism, spiritual "revolution and happiness", and distrust of the outside world, which the members called ''The System''. Like some other fundamentalist groups, it "foretold the coming of a dictator called th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grace Communion International
Grace Communion International (GCI), formerly named the Radio Church of God (RCG) and the Worldwide Church of God (WCG), is a Christian denomination based in Charlotte, North Carolina. According to the organization's website, the denomination has 30,000 members in 550 churches in 70 countries, is structured in the episcopal model and is a member of the National Association of Evangelicals. Founding In 1934, Herbert W. Armstrong, an advertising agent turned radio- and televangelist, founded the Radio Church of God, a radio ministry in Eugene, Oregon. Armstrong's biography states that he had been ordained in 1931 by the Oregon Conference of the Church of God (Seventh Day), an Adventist group, but split with them in 1933. On January 7, 1934, Armstrong began hosting a broadcast on a local 100-watt radio station KORE in Eugene. The program was essentially a condensed church service on the air, with hymn singing featured along with Armstrong's message. Armstrong later named ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
