2. The Flavors of Christianity (4)

We cannot speak of the Protestant Church, because there are perhaps thousands[11] of varieties. Diverse groups such Baptists, Lutherans, Reformed, Presbyterian, Anglican, Anabaptists, and so on all fall under the label of Protestantism. Protestantism is not as much a Church as it is a movement of Churches. Worldwide, 575 million people associate themselves with a Protestant church. About 85% of all Protestants belong to the 12 largest denominations.

The differences between Protestant groups partly center upon the differences between the denominations, but perhaps even more upon the differences between individuals: fundamentalists, conservatives, mainline believers, charismatics, and social activists.

Though Protestants share many core believes with Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox, two main areas of difference are:

• Justification by Faith. The term justification refers to the restoration to the right relationship with God. Protestants believe this justification, their salvation, is based on faith alone. One cannot earn salvation by works; it is received as a free gift from God. There seems to be little difference among the Protestant groups on this issue.  However there are huge differences on the understanding of faith. What does faith mean? Does it mean that merely belief in Jesus and the Bible justifies one, or does faith need to be active and obedient (the Biblical Christian view). If saved, are you saved forever; are future sins always forgiven, or can one lose his salvation? Answers to these questions shape many of the different Protestant groups.
• The Protestant Principle. The Protestant principle[12] is an umbrella term describing the rejection of all forms of idols or idolatry in the church. The Trinity alone is the focus of the church; nothing can be allowed to distract a worshiper from God. Therefore all representations of God such as statues, icons, or paintings are rejected. Also saints (as recognized by the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches ) and the pope are considered idols, and hence these too are rejected.