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'''Protestantism''' is one of the three major divisions in [[Christendom]] that traces their heritage back to ; the [[Western Church]]. Other divisions include others are [[Catholicism]] and the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]]Churches.

The founding of Protestantism has its origins began in Europe with the [[European]] [[Reformation]] and its rejection of the 16th century. Early leaders were [[doctrineJan Hus]]s and ,[[malpracticeMartin Luther]]s within the and [[Roman Catholic ChurchJohn Calvin]]. Those included the teaching and sale of [[indulgencesKing Henry VIII]], in England led the buying and selling of church positions and in his country out of communion with the systemic [[corruption]]Church of Rome. Although he opposed Protestant doctrines, devotion to [[Mary (mother of Jesus)|Mary]] and his action in ending the [[saint]]Pope's rather than inward devotion role in England contributed to [[faith]] and [[God]], and rejection of the [[authority]] advance of the [[Pope]] on the basis that the only true authority is the [[Bible]]Protestantism under Henry's successors.

Protestants made Protestant Christianity rejects the Bible available to all by publication of Roman Catholic belief that Christ founded the Bible in the common language Catholic Church as his sole representative and universal educationrejects the notion that priests or saints have special access to the divine. The mandatory [[celibacy]] of Protestantism greatly reduced the [[clergy]] (including monasticism) was also rejectedrole of Mary, Christ's mother, as an object of devotion.

Notable events::[[Martin Luther]]Most Protestants stress their belief that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God, although Quakers and Pentecostals believe in personal revelation as a factor in God's nailing of [[The 95 Theses]] connection to believers. Protestants reject the church doors in [[Wittenberg]] on October 31, 1517:In [[England]], Catholic concept that Tradition—beliefs held consistently by decree the people of King [[Henry VIII]] in 1533God since the time of the Apostles—is a second means (alongside Scripture) by which God reveals his will to the Church. :[[John Knox]]With few exceptions, inspired by [[John Calvin]] Protestant churches observe two sacraments (Baptism and aided by many [[Martyrsthe Lord' Monument|martyr]]sSupper), liberated [[Scotland]] from and not the seven sacraments that the yoke of [[Roman Catholic Church|Rome]] in 1560accepts.

Protestants are ==Politics==Europe was polarized by the largest Reformation, with most of northern Europe becoming Protestant while most of the Mediterranean regions remained loyal to the Roman Catholic Church. In the mid-sixteenth century, the Catholic Church struck back with a [[ChristianCounter-Reformation]] division that is considered to be responsible for keeping such areas as Italy, France and Poland in the [[United States of America]]Catholic fold.

Religious wars broke out, the worst being the [[Thirty Years War]] (1618-1648) that devastated much of Germany and neighboring areas. By 1648 a compromise was reached such that, in the Holy Roman Empire, the religion of the Prince determined the official religion of the people. Nevertheless religious strife continued in Germany as late as the 1870s in the [[Kulturkampf]], and in [[Ireland]] into the late 20th century. ==Missions==Each Protestant denomination launched missionary activity to spread the gospel, and they competed with each other and with Catholic missions.  The greatest successes came in the United States, where a series of revivals called the first and second [[Great Awakening]]s resulted in many converts to various Protestant churches by 1860, and in Africa and South Korea, where Protestantism grew rapidly throughout the 20th century. ==Numbers and Distribution in 1900== In terms of Europe, Due to the history of the Protestant [[Reformation]], significant Protestant populations can be found in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, the northern part of Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the east, north and west of Switzerland.<ref>[http://www.adherents.com/adh_predom.html Predominant religions], Adherence.com</ref> In addition, one of the most striking facts in the history of Protestantism during the 19th century was its great expansion in North America.<ref>This section is based on [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc09.protestantism.html?highlight=schleiermacher#highlight F. Kattenbusch and Arthur C. A. Hall, "Protestantism" in ''New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge,'' (1911) Vol. IX]</ref> The United Statesby 1910 had the largest Protestant population of any land—from 65, denominations 000,000 to 66,000,000 (out of a total population of 79,000,000),<ref>According to the estimate of H. K. Carroll in W. D. Grant, ed. ''Christendom Anno Domini 1901'', (1902), i. 530–531</ref> which is based upon the census of 1900. Britain probably comes next with 38,000,000 Protestants (total population 42,500,000) and Germany third with somewhat more than 35,000,000 (total population 56,000,000).<ref>H. Zeller's figures for the Eastern Church are 106,480,000, Orthodox; 8,130,000 "other [Eastern] Christians."; H. A. Krose, gives Greek Orthodox 109,000,000l schismatic Orientals, 6,554,913; Raskolniks (Russian dissenters), 2,173,371. Roman Catholics 265,000,000; Eastern Church 117,000,000.</ref>  According to ''Slate'', "Protestant division includeChristianity has been the fastest growing religion in [[China]]."<ref>[http://www.slate.com/bigideas/what-is-the-future-of-religion/essays-and-opinions/fenggang-yang-opinion When Will China Become the World’s Largest Christian Country?], Slate</ref> [[Evangelicalism|Evangelical Christianity]] is especially growing sharply in China.<ref>[http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2015/0111/In-China-a-church-state-showdown-of-biblical-proportions In China, a church-state showdown of biblical proportions]</ref> See: [[Growth of Christianity in China]] '''Reformed Protestantism in 1900:''' * Great Britain 20,500,000 **see [[Church of Scotland]]* Germany 3,000,000 * Switzerland 2,000,000 * Netherlands 3,000,000 * Hungary 2,500,000 * France 500,000 * United States 65,000,000 * Canada 2,000,000 * Australia and New Zealand 1,500,000 * India 1,500,000 * South Africa 1,000,000 * Elsewhere 2,000,000 **Total Reformed 104,500,000  '''Lutheran: in 1900'''*Germany 32,000,000 * Norway and Sweden 7,500,000 * Denmark 2,500,000 * Finland and the Baltic Provinces 6,000,000 * Hungary 1,250,000 * United States 6,000,000 * Elsewhere 750,000 **Total Lutheran 56,000,000  '''Anglican: in 1900'''* England 10,750,000 * Scotland and Ireland 750,000 * British Empire 4,000,000 * United States 2,500,000 ** Total Anglican 24,000,000  '''Protestant missions''' 5,500,000  '''Grand Total in 1900: 182,000,000''' == Impact == Protestants made the Bible available to all persons through publication of the Scriptures in the common language and by promoting universal education. The mandatory [[celibacy]] of the [[clergy]] (including monasticism) was rejected, resulting in married clergy becoming the norm in Protestant churches. Unordained persons were permitted more voice in church affairs and in the worship services themselves. Some historians have also contended that Protestantism played an important factor in the growth of Democracy and Capitalism. ==Notable events==* [[Martin Luther]]'s nailing of [[The 95 Theses]] to the church door in [[Wittenberg]] on October 31, 1517. Luther became the spiritual leader of the Evangelical movement later called [[Lutheranism]], which came to dominate much of Germany and all of Scandinavia * [[King Henry VIII]]'s asserting the independence of the English church from Papal control in 1533. Under Henry's successors, Edward VI and Elizabeth I, the English Church became Protestant, although it retained the Catholic system of governance by bishops.  * [[John Knox]]'s leading of [[Scotland]] into the [[Presbyterian]] faith in 1560. He was a follower of [[John Calvin]] (and was aided by many [[Martyrs' Monument|martyr]]s).  == Protestantism in the United States == Protestants represent the largest Christian division in the United States. There are two main groupings, the more conservative [[Evangelical Christians]] and the more liberal [[Mainline]] denominations. Many of the Evangelicals incline to [[Fundamentalism]], but the the terms are often used casually and inconsistently. There are over 200 major denominations in the United States. Among the larger groupings are: *[[Baptist]]**[[American Baptist Churches]] (liberal)**[[Southern Baptist Convention]] (Evangelical/fundamentalist)*[[Methodist]]**[[Free Methodist Church]] (Evangelical/fundamentalist)**[[United Methodist Church]](liberal)

*[[Baptist]]*[[Episcopal Church in the United States of AmericaMennonite]]*[[Mennonite]]*[[Amish]]*[[MethodistContinuing Anglican]]

*[[PentecostalReligious Society of Friends|Quaker]] == See also == *[[Society Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of FriendsCapitalism]] *[[Protestant cultural legacies|Irreligious countries with Protestant cultural legacies]]*[[Christian Union]] ==Further reading==* Bell, James S., and Tracy Macon Sumner. ''The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Reformation and Protestantism'' ("Quakers"2002)[http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Idiots-Guide-Reformation-Protestantism/dp/0028642708/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200807603&sr=8-2 excerpt and text search]*Gonzalez, Justo L. ''A History of Christian Thought: Volume 3: From the Protestant Reformation to the Twentieth Century'' (1987) [http://www.amazon.com/History-Christian-Thought-Protestant-Reformation/dp/0687171849/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200808706&sr=8-12 excerpt and text search]* Hillerbrand, Hans J. ed. ''The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Reformation.'' ([Holiness[OUP]] 1996); the book is online at many academic libraries; [http://www.amazon.com/Oxford-encyclopedia-Reformation/dp/0195103645/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201162350&sr=8-2 excerpt and text search]* Latourette, Kenneth Scott. ''A History of Christianity'' (2 vol 1975) [http://www.amazon.com/History-Christianity-Beginnings-1500-Revised/dp/0060649526/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200823548&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search vol 1, to 1500]* Latourette, Kenneth Scott. ''Christianity in a Revolutionary Age: A History of Christianity in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries'' (1958) [Restoration Movementhttp://www.questia.com/library/book/christianity-in-a-revolutionary-age-a-history-of-christianity-in-the-nineteenth-and-twentieth-centuries-vol-1-by-kenneth-scott-latourette.jsp vol 1 online edition]* Latourette, Kenneth Scott. ''A history of the expansion of Christianity'' (7 vol 1939-1970), monumental history of missionary work worldwide [http://www.questia.com/library/book/a-history-of-the-expansion-of-christianity-vol-7-by-kenneth-scott-latourette.jsp online edition]*MacCulloch, Diarmaid. ''The Reformation'' (2005), influential recent survey [http://www.amazon.com/Reformation-Diarmaid-MacCulloch/dp/014303538X/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200808706&sr=8-2 excerpt and text search]* McGonigle, Thomas D., and James F. Quigley. ''A History of the Christian Tradition, Vol. II: From the Reformation to the Present'' (1996) [Adventisthttp://www.amazon.com/History-Christian-Tradition-Vol-Reformation/dp/0809136481/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200808706&sr=8-15 excerpt and text search]*''New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge'' (1911), ), major sources of older scholarly articles; mainline Protestant perspective **[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc01.toc.html Vol. 1: Aachen - Basilians]**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc02.toc.html Vol. 2: Basilica - Chambers]**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc03.toc.html Vol. 3: Chamier - Draendorf]**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc04.toc.html Vol. 4: Draeseke - Goa]**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc05.toc.html Vol. 5: Goar - Innocent]**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc06.toc.html Vol. 6: Innocents - Liudger]**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc07.toc.html Vol. 7: Liutprand - Moralities]**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc08.toc.html Vol. 8: Morality - Petersen]**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc09.toc.html Vol. 9: Petri - Reuchlin]**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc10.toc.html Vol. 10: Reutsch - Son]**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc11.toc.html Vol. 11: Son of Man - Tremellius]**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc12.toc.html Vol. 12: Trench - Zwingli]**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc13.toc.html Vol. 13: Index]===United States===* Ahlstrom, Sydney E. ''A religious history of the American people‎'' (1979) 1192 pages; classic history from broad perspective [http://books.google.com/books?id=5kFF6a1viGcC&dq=inauthor:ahlstrom&lr=&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&num=30&as_brr=0&as_pt=ALLTYPES excerpt and text search] * Balmer, Randall. ''Protestantism in America'' (2005) [http://www.amazon.com/Protestantism-Columbia-Contemporary-American-Religion/dp/0231111312/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200807603&sr=8-3 excerpt and text search] * Balmer, Randall. ''Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism'' (2nd ed. 2004), 655pp* Balmer, Randall. ''Grant Us Courage: Travels along the Mainline of American Protestantism'' (1996) [http://www.questia.com/read/106364823?title=Grant%20Us%20Courage%3a%20%20Travels%20along%20the%20Mainline%20of%20American%20Protestantism online edition]* Hutchison, William R. ed. ''Between the Times: The Travail of the Protestant Establishment in America, 1900-1960'' (1990) [http://books.google.com/books?id=wMH7PRqQDGkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22neo+orthodoxy%22+barth+OR+niebuhr&lr=&num=30&as_brr=3&as_pt=ALLTYPES&source=gbs_summary_r&cad=0 excerpt and text search]* Lippy, Charles H. and Peter W. Williams, eds. ''Encyclopedia of the American religious experience: studies of traditions and movements'' (3 vol 1988) 1872 pages; standard reference work; long essays by scholars * Noll, Mark A. ''The Old Religion in a New World: The History of North American Christianity'' (2001) [http://www.amazon.com/Old-Religion-New-World-Christianity/dp/0802849482/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200823548&sr=8-11 excerpt and text search], by a leading evangelical scholar* Noll, Mark A. '' A history of Christianity in the United States and Canada‎'' (1992), by leading Evangelical historian [http://books.google.com/books?id=VGF3wbzzy9QC&dq=intitle:christianity+inauthor:noll&lr=&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&num=30&as_brr=0&as_pt=ALLTYPES excerpt and text search], by a leading evangelical scholar* Queen, Edward L. et al, eds. Encyclopedia of American Religious History'' (3rd ed. 2 vol. 2009) 1200pp* Reid, Daniel G. et al. eds., ''Dictionary of Christianity in America'' (199)* Roof, Wade Clark, and William McKinney. '' American Mainline Religion: Its Changing Shape and Future'' (1990) [http://www.amazon.com/American-Mainline-Religion-Changing-Future/dp/0813512166/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243520093&sr=1-6 excerpt and text search]* Wooley, Davis C. ed. '' Encyclopedia of Southern Baptists‎'' (5 vol 1958-1982); 2565 pages* Wuthnow, Robert, and John H. Evans, eds. ''The Quiet Hand of God: Faith-Based Activism and the Public Role of Mainline Protestantism,'' (2002), 430 pp.; essays by scholars

==Web links=Primary sources===* Placher, William C. ''Readings in the History of Christian Theology, Volume 2: From the Reformation to the Present'' (1988) [http://www.amazon.com/Readings-History-Christian-Theology-Reformation/dp/0664240585/ref=sr_1_24?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200809912&sr=8-24 excerpt and text search] ====Notes====<references/>

[http[Category://www.ianpaisley.org/main.asp The European Institute of Protestant StudiesProtestantism|*]][[Category:Protestantism|ProtestantismChristian History]][[Category:Reformation]][[Category:Religion and Politics]]