Protestant

Protestantism or Protestant Christianity brings together all the current religious Christians left the Catholicism that arose in Europe during the Reformation led by theologians such as Martin Luther , John Calvin , Hus , Zwingli , and Lefevre of Etaples , and many others.

The term "Protestant" is used for the first time in 1529 , when the lords and cities that followed the doctrine of Martin Luther spoke against the decisions taken by the diet Imperial Spire predominantly Catholic. French Protestants, first called " Lutherans "by their opponents early, then be appointed by derision" Huguenots , "and" religionists ". This is the abbreviation for "those of the RPR, the official name of Protestantism in the royal documents , whereas internationally they are about 320 churches from participating in the Protestant World Council of Churches , as well as thirty of Orthodox churches or old-Catholics. In the early ^twenty-first century, there were nearly 800 million Protestant Christians in the world.

Summary 1 Origin of Protestantism and the word "Protestant" 2 The Protestant Thought 2.1 The Six Great Principles 2.2 Practices and Protestant beliefs 2.3 The differences with the Catholic Church 3 Many churches and movements 3.1 The Protestant churches present in France 3.1.1 Lutheran and Reformed churches 3.1.2 Evangelical Churches 3.1.3 Pentecostal Churches 3.2 The Historic Churches multitudinist 3.3 The evangelical churches (churches professing professing &) 4 Protestantism in France 4.1 Everyday Life 4.1.1 Women 4.1.2 Economic Life 4.1.3 The Army hello 4.2 Today in France 5 History 6 The figures of Protestantism 6.1 French and Swiss Protestant Personalities 7 Holidays and gatherings 8 Notes and references 9 See also 9.1 Related articles 9.2 Bibliography 9.3 Periodicals 9.4 Internal Links 9.5 External Links 9.5.1 Protestant Churches

Origins of Protestantism and the word "Protestant"

It is generally dated to the beginnings of Protestantism dated 31 October 1517 , when students of the monk and doctor of theology Martin Luther reacted to the campaign of indulgences launched by one of the highest dignitaries of the Empire, Albert Hohenzollern, Elector and Archbishop of Mainz by posting on the church door in Wittenberg and by sending to him who was the last great master of the Teutonic Order a letter from Martin Luther composed of 95 theses , both finding of misconduct of the Church , a vocal critic of abuses and solutions. However, it could also consider the year 1521 as decisive: in January, Martin Luther was excommunicated in April, ordered by the envoy of the Pope to retract before the Diet of Worms , he says he can not nor do wants to be bound by the Word of God and his conscience. (" Protestant thought

Modernist Protestants are reluctant to talk about "doctrine" or "religion." They prefer beliefs, values or commitments.

They still prefer to preserve a space for discussion and exchange among the faithful, particularly for their expressions of faith, even the most conservative.

The Six Great Principles

All sensitivities together, the Protestant share these fundamental points (first two concern the hello):

• Sola gratia ("by grace alone")

Man can not earn his salvation from God , but God gives him free love. What makes man capable of loving him too. Thus, the value of a person depends only on the love of God, not its quality, or merit, or social status.

• Sola fide (faith alone account)

This donation is made to the opportunity of a personal encounter with God in Jesus Christ ( solo Christo , by Christ alone). That faith, not a doctrine or a human work. One person to another, it can occur suddenly or be the result of a journey. Everyone saw her in a special way, as his response to the declaration of God's love.

• Sola scriptura (by Scripture alone ")

(To get in touch with the universal priesthood and lighting need the Holy Spirit)

Regarded as carrying the word of God, the Bible is both the only theological authority and the only guide, ultimately, for faith and life. It is illuminated by the preaching of ministers called by the Church and formed by it (but the Holy Spirit can call other preachers that only these). Through it passes the human testimony, she draws from the principles of life which is exercised personal responsibility of everyone.

• Soli Deo gloria ("glory to God alone")

Only God is sacred, divine or absolute. Thus, no human enterprise can claim an absolute, universal or intangible, including theology. Moreover, assuming that God gave freedom to men, Protestants are generally supportive of a social system that respects plurality and freedom.

• Ecclesia semper reformanda ("the Church must reform itself without ceasing")

Ecclesiastical institutions are human realities. They are seconds. "They can make mistakes," said Luther. Thus, churches must constantly look critically at their own operation and their own doctrine from the Bible. By contrast, Christians believe that Catholics should be guided by the Church clearly. Certainty in some cases may go to dogma (truth that we can not deny), delivered by a council or the pope under the " papal infallibility ".

• Priesthood

Principle of the Protestant Reformation , that Luther sees as central, that every baptized person is "prophet, priest and king" under the sole lordship of Christ. This concept destroys the principles of hierarchy within the Church. Every baptized person has a place of equal value, including ministers (whose pastors are a part). From studies of theology and recognized by the Church, they are serving the community for the proclamation of the Word of God (preaching and sacraments) and the specific tasks that result. Women have access to departments of some Protestant churches, it has evolved in different countries and eras.

Protestant practices and beliefs

• The Protestant doctrine based solely on the sacred writings, namely the Bible , consisting only of the Old and New Testament. The apocryphal writings were considered by the Reformers as interesting but not the founders of the faith and are no longer printed in Protestant Bibles since the 19th century.
• So the Protestant believes in the resurrection and eternal life (see Gospels). The resurrection of Jesus Christ can probably be considered the crux of the Protestant faith.
• The major practical common with those of the Catholic Church (prayer, Bible reading, Sunday worship and participation in the Eucharist , called the sacrament ).
• Protestantism has, however, significantly fewer "rites" as the other branches of Christianity. For example, Protestants do not practice the sign of the cross and do not use holy water , because they consider it superstition. Membership in the Church is embodied in the Protestant confession of faith and not by participation in sacramental rituals that the preference of Catholics.
• Protestants celebrate the holiday of Christmas , the Palm , for Easter (they celebrate Holy Thursday and Good Friday procession, but no way to cross), the Ascension and Pentecost.
• The Baptism and Holy Communion are the only two sacraments for Protestants, who assume that, according to the testimony of biblical texts, only these two acts were instituted by Jesus Christ. In some Protestant churches, baptism is administered in adulthood, while others leave the choice and fairly widely practiced infant baptism.
• Marriage is God's blessing of a human love, and while Protestantism does not encourage the practice of divorce, the idea that a divorce may be preferable to a couple's life became very difficult is widely shared; remarriage divorced is possible.
• The cult of the funeral is for the support of family and friends, it focuses on the proclamation of the Gospel and the promise of resurrection. The deceased is buried simply, with respect: a reading of the Bible and prayers for the families. There was no ceremony for the dead type anniversary mass.
• The autopsy , organ harvesting and cremation are usually allowed.

Differences with the Catholic Church

There are many differences between the Protestant and Catholic worship. The main differences are:

• Protestants refer only to the Bible as a source of doctrine (sola scriptura). They reject in particular the tradition , accepted by another source dogmatic Catholicism. They emphasize the role of the Holy Spirit to reach a true understanding of the meaning of the biblical message.
• Protestants do not recognize the authority of the Pope , nor the Cardinals. For historical reasons, there are a multitude of Protestant communities unaffiliated with each other. Protestant churches are organized around either bishops sometimes called ecclesiastical inspectors (from the Greek word meaning episkopos), it is called system Episcopalian (For Lutherans and Anglicans), around sovereign presbyteries, parishes voluntarily join unions of churches governed by a sort of general assembly called the synod, it is called system-Presbyterian Synod (case of Reformed Churches). These unions, which are clustered at the national level are grouped by obedience (Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican, Baptist, Methodist, etc..) Within international federations that are generally affiliated themselves to the World Council of Churches ( WCC ).
• Protestants do not give them a specific role of clergy priests. The pastors are advisors and scholars whose role is to train believers to tell them the direction to follow. They preside over the worship and administer the sacrament but, through a formalized by the Church for reasons of good order and discipline of the laity may well do so, including through the preaching theological training. That all believers who are invested with the priesthood (doctrine of universal priesthood, especially based on texts of the Epistle to the Hebrews ). If the priest after confession forgives sins, the pastor merely notes during the liturgy gained the promise of forgiveness "to those who repent and believe" the rest goes directly between the believer and God. (Exception: Anglican priest used the word, but put the Catholic sense.)
• As explained in the preceding paragraph, Protestants recognize only two sacraments ( baptism and the Eucharist or Holy Communion) against seven among Catholics (Baptism, Eucharist, confirmation , the reconciliation , the marriage , the ordination and the anointing of the sick ). Some of these rituals, however, exist in a minor key: the confirmation (which takes place about two years later than among Catholics when the child has developed his critical sense and his personality), the confession of sins (or in the collective Worship is personal in the secret of prayer, but never as atrial Catholic Protestants have not a sacrament of reconciliation (the dialogue with a priest) and the pastor has no authority to forgive sins) the marriage , the ordination (of pastors Lutheran ) or the recognition of ministries ( pastors Reformed ) replace the ordination of priests but are very distant in form and in the theological foundation, the question that remains in the priesthood the difference between Catholic and Protestant conceptions of the Church.
• The so-called question of the real presence of Jesus at the Last Supper is particularly confusing. Protestants do not believe in transubstantiation , the Catholic doctrine that says physical and material transformation of two species of true communion with real flesh and blood of Christ during the Eucharist. Most Protestants believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in a spiritual way at the Last Supper. The fact that the term real presence - seen as a little bit pleonastic - is hardly used by Protestants do not believe they reduce the Eucharist to a symbol. This position is however also (since Zwingli ), but still a minority. It is interesting to note that the community of Taiz had found a formulation that was suitable for all Christian churches, speaking of a "sacrificial memorial" .
• The concepts of purgatory (place of suffering that is accessed after death to atone and purify themselves of their sins before entering the paradise ), canonization (Catholic practice, but also Orthodox, in which a man or woman is recognized as Saint or Holy) and indulgence (then there was the possibility for a Catholic to pay a sum of money to the Pope in exchange for forgiveness of his sins, especially now that the pardon given by Pope For grand occasions, such as Plenary Indulgence Christmas or other occasions) simply do not exist.
• The concept of saint , meaning "set apart" from Luther applies to all Christians since all are redeemed by Jesus Christ and thus sanctified. So there is no "elite" made up of Christians who are holier than others .
• One common misconception is that the excommunication (the practice where the Pope does not someone from the church and is temporarily or permanently prevented from receiving the sacraments) are not among Protestants. Mutatis mutandis, this is actually not the Pope who speaks, but it is theoretically possible, either under the authority of the bishop (organization of the church as the Episcopalian system) or in that of the parish council (system presbytro-Synodal). It is generally fallen into disuse except among some evangelicals, she even plays a role in maintaining community cohesion Amish which is ipso facto excommunicated, ostracized from the community socially.
• Protestants do not give a special place for Mary. They do not believe in her Immaculate Conception , which is not a dogma of Protestantism. Nevertheless, they adhere to the virgin birth of Jesus and Mary is one of the key witnesses in the same way as followers of Christ.
• Protestants do not call for intercessors like Mary and the saints in their prayers. According to them the believer is responsible to God alone and should not go through intermediaries for dialogue with Him.
• Protestants believe that Jesus is the only intermediary between God and themselves. They do not believe in the usefulness of the Catholic practice of confession (see above paragraph on the priesthood.)

Many churches and movements

The twenty-first ^century, the Protestant heritage is lived through many movements, because the very principle of Protestantism is reformer, wants to permanently eradicate the potential weight of tradition.

Thus, there are a multitude of movements, often relatives.

Protestant churches present in France

Protestant churches in France, some gathered in the Protestant Federation of France , have several very different faiths:

Churches Lutheran and Reformed

• The Reformed churches are the heirs of John Calvin and Zwingli. In France there are three alliances of Reformed churches: the Reformed Church of France , Protestant Reformed Church of Alsace and Lorraine (now in bankruptcy and merged into the Union of Protestant Churches of Alsace and Lorraine) and the National Union of Independent Evangelical Reformed Churches.

• The Lutheran churches are heirs of the theology of Martin Luther. It goes back to the origins of the Reformation and demands of the three statements Luther's central message: the sovereign authority of the Bible, salvation by grace and the universal priesthood of believers. In France there are two unions of Lutheran churches: the Evangelical Church of Augsburg Confession of Alsace and Lorraine (now in bankruptcy and merged into the Union of Protestant Churches of Alsace and Lorraine), and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of France. They are members of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF: 65 million members).

Protestant churches

France has many evangelical churches (see Protestantism or evangelical evangelism ), they represent one third of the Protestants of the country. Most of these evangelical churches are collected within the National Council of Evangelical France (NUFF), and several are also members of the Protestant Federation of France (FPF). They consist of Churches Baptists , Adventists , Methodists , darbystes , Pentecostal ... Many of these types of churches are charismatic , while others are more conventional or traditional evangelicals. The various churches and unions of churches members of the National Council of Evangelicals France (NUFF) planned to merge in it for greater visibility in 2010.

Pentecostal Churches

The Pentecostalism is a current evangelical type charismatic revival movements born individuals who have emerged in the early 20 ^th century, the United States under the leadership of Pastor Charles Parham and William J. Seymour. The peculiarity of Pentecostal theology is to think that the Holy Spirit is given to believers in a particular experience, separate from traditional water baptism: the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This gives the believer special gifts such as speaking in tongues, prophecy and divine healing. Pentecostal churches are the witnesses of the Gospel to the four corners: "Jesus saves, baptized, healed, returns." Moreover, they are in the evangelical Protestant and Baptist tradition and refer to the great principles of the Reformation: salvation by grace and authority of the Bible alone, universal priesthood. The largest Pentecostal churches in France are the Assemblies of God and the Church of God in France.

Historic Churches multitudinist

From the beginning, they are organized into several churches according to current theological or historical circumstances. They are addressed in the same movement to their members and society (hence the term "multitude"). This is :

• of Lutheran Churches
• of Reformed Churches ( Calvinist or Zwinglian )
• the Anglican Church

The evangelical churches (churches professing professing &)

In addition to the Lutherans , the Reformed and Anglicans , the Reformation had an early fourth current, not "magisterial", accused by others to put beside or above the Bible inner enlightenment regarded as subjective, and appointed by them "enlightened" ((of) Schwrmer) or "Anabaptists" (because, failing to recognize a baptism of adults, they "rebaptizers" those who had been children, elsewhere). Proponents of this radical reform argued, them, that interior illumination was the work of the Holy Spirit.

Are the direct heirs of the pacifist part of this movement, the Assemblies Mennonites , whose Amish are a part. Related spiritually Baptists and other related groups from various eras of Anglicanism , often with development of piety in the face "world."

In the following centuries, other movements have emerged from "awakenings" spiritual nineteenth ^century. The main, derived from the preaching of John Wesley , is the Methodism. Combining return to the Bible, prayer and social engagement, it is the precursor of social movements such evangelical the Army hello , founded by William Booth in England in the late 19th century. Rejecting predestination, confessing responsibility of the individual in his own faith, it is also the source of Pentecostalism , born of a Revival later.

Other independent churches, focusing on one aspect or another of the faith or Christian practice also exist: the Darbystes and other " Plymouth Brethren ", the Seventh Day Adventists , etc.. Some of these churches are considered by most Protestants as heretics, as Adventists, or even Christian at all, as the Mormons.

" Evangelical churches "is a generic term that includes all these names. Most of the time, except in the Methodism classic, they are 'churches or professing professing "instead of" multitude ": they require a commitment and a profession of personal faith to their members and a few, thereby not baptized as adults or young adults (they are " Baptists "). Renamed some Christians from other churches because they believe that infant baptism is invalid.

This term also applies to current fundamentalists from North America.

The Jehovah's Witnesses for their part do not believe in the Trinity of God and do not claim the historic Protestantism. Their movement was born late ^nineteenth century United States and has no connection to Christianity Protestant.

Protestantism in France

Daily Life

Women

Since its inception, the Reformation is an opportunity for women to reassess their role in the family and in society. From the ^16th century, women can have, according to the Reformation, access to education. They must learn to read in order to study the Bible and thus raise their children as Christians. Protestant women are proving that while more educated Catholic women. Their knowledge prepares them for their role as mother and wife. This century is also marked by the opening of schools for girls in Protestant cities (Nimes, La Rochelle ...) the kingdom of France. But power remains in the hands of men, women must remain single household. There are many famous women in those days, trying to move the dogmas:

• Marguerite d'Angoulme : ^1, sister of Francis, she enlivened the intellectual life of the court, based primarily previously held by men.
• Renee de France : Daughter of Louis XII, it protected the Catholic Church of Calvin, who wanted her dead.
• Marie Durand : Imprisoned for 38 years in the Tower of Constance because she refused to renounce Protestantism.

From the ^19th century, they show a growing desire to take their responsibilities within society. It manifests that desire especially with the publication of Voices of Women, a feminist newspaper called the gender politics. The ^20th century saw the creation of numerous associations, thus highlighting the ability of women to get involved in French society. We can then quote the Christian Union of Young Women (YWCA) morally responsible for supporting the girls from the provinces to find work, or the Christian Federation of Scouts, a pioneer in scouting. But it was not until 1960 that women be allowed to become pastors on par with men. Note, however, the particularity of the Army Hi, which from its foundation, considered a woman can teach, the equal of men (see below).

Business life