Sacred Actions Among The Contemporary Churches
Christians have always had diverse opinions on the sacred actions that take place in worship. Sacramental churches-Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and some mainline Protestant churches-regard the Lord's Supper, baptism, and sometimes other actions as special signs that bestow grace on those who receive them. Other Protestant groups believe that the sacraments by themselves confer no special power and do not necessarily indicate the presence of God. They tend to refer to sacred actions as ordinances or actions to be observed because Christ commanded his followers to do so. Regardless of their theology, as shown in these entries, all Christians agree on the importance of keeping these sacred actions and on the tremendous benefits that come through their proper observance in worship.…
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Chapters & Articles in Sacred Actions Among The Contemporary Churches (34)
With roots in the radical Reformation, Adventists have not placed great emphasis on sacraments. Nevertheless, they …
American Baptists have stressed the autonomy of local churches to determine the emphasis given to sacred actions. T…
The Book of Common Prayer has traditionally defined the sacramental life of Anglicans and Episcopalians. In additio…
Baptists recognize the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper. Baptism is an act of public declaration, and th…
Like most Baptists, the Baptist General Conference (BGC) recognizes the ordinance of baptism and the Lord's Supper.…
Plymouth Brethren limit the sacraments to those actions commanded in Scripture by Christ. Some differences in bapti…
Christian churches consciously seek to imitate the worship practices of the New Testament church, and this thinking…
Of the churches that originated in the Restoration Movement, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has been mo…
Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA) churches practice believer baptism and regular (usually monthly) Commu…
Following its Calvinist heritage, the Christian Reformed Church regards the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Su…
The Church of God, Cleveland, places foremost emphasis on the ministry of the Holy Spirit and does not regard the o…
Like other Restorationist churches, the Churches of Christ observe weekly Communion and baptism of believers. Many …
Worship in the Eastern Orthodox tradition has always been visibly sacramental. In this ancient tradition, the sacra…
The Evangelical Covenant Church believes that God created sacraments and rituals to communicate with and express tr…
Traditionally, free churches have taken a stand of silence on the nature and practice of baptism and the Lord's Sup…
Lutheranism is sometimes seen as a paradoxical union of Catholic substance and Protestant principle. Thus, while Lu…
A decided shift has occurred in the worship of many independent fundamentalist and evangelical churches. The trend …
During the last fifty years, the Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod has devoted greater attention to the sacraments, par…
The Mennonite Church is heir to a radical Reformation understanding of the Lord's Supper and baptism as ordinances,…
The Messianic synagogue enacts many of the sacred rituals of Judaism, but the meaning of these rituals is enriched …
Although the early history of Baptist's worship reflects an emphasis upon a public preaching service, National Bapt…
The Presbyterian Church (USA) is heir to a formal worship style based on Calvin's worship reforms and a more free w…
Progressive National Baptists believe that the feeling of the spiritual presence of God in their corporate worship …
The Reformed Church in America understands the Lord's Supper and baptism as special means of grace, as visible sign…
The Reformed Episcopal Church identifies the Lord's Supper and baptism as sacraments, as means of grace. However, t…
The Roman church continues to celebrate seven sacraments. However, the Second Vatican Council has implemented chang…
The Salvation Army does not observe the traditional Protestant sacraments. This practice is based upon a sacramenta…
Southern Baptists inherit a radical Reformation perspective on the Lord's Supper and baptism that understands these…
Methodists' views of the sacraments have traveled through three distinct phases. At the beginning of the Wesleyan m…
Wesleyans have in the past typically emphasized the pulpit over the sacraments. Although Wesleyan theology identifi…
The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod has retained a fairly uniform observance of baptism and the Lord's Supper.…
The following article is an example of a church in the free-church tradition that experienced a renewed focus on wo…
Although Pentecostals typically worship in a free style, they are by nature sacramentalists. They usually view sacr…
Willow Creek and other seeker-driven churches purposely avoid any liturgy or other sacred actions to demonstrate th…