History of Holiness, Pentecostal & Charismatic Churches

[@UsefulCharts]

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[@joaquinleon3021]

Okay

[@Tjeran]

I hope you can include something about the pietistic movement in the Nordics, with figures such as Hans Nielsen Hauge and Levi Leastadius. Laestadianism is present both in North America as well as in the Nordic countries. Especially in the Sami areas of Northern Norway, Sweden and Finland

[@realDonaldMcElvy]

Thank you for including the Catholic Apostolic Church (Irvingian Movement). I don't know if anyone else said something about it, but I'm glad you heard me. I'm not Irvingian, but I do believe it is distinctive enough to at least make the chart. Once again, thank you.

[@bartoszN01]

Changes to the chart: According to some sources I've seen, there are currently more than 10% of Christians in Syria, Qatar, and the UAE. Also on the map, the island of Sakhalin isn't colored in as a part of Russia and Chios, Lesbos and Rhodes aren't colored in as a part of Greece.

[@timsmith9503]

You should do a chart on different sects, types, or denominations within Judaism next

[@johnsecunde3321]

I’m just imagining Matt gradually loosing his sanity as this project has grown more and more complicated

[@josephengel2091]

I’m going to have to buy this chart for sure- he’s put in a massive amount of research into this!

[@KidGibson]

I imagine red string, news clippings, and pictures plastering his walls.

[@Night-7189]

I can certainly imagine that, or really anyone in general if they decide to look into the history and branches of Christianity. It's interesting how many Christian denominations there are. Can't wait for the videos for the other Abrahamic religions.

[@YudronWangmo]

crazy… all the way to the bank.

[@travismichaud6064]

I'll disagree. I think this is in the center of his wheelhouse. I think he enjoys it.

[@Bergioyn]

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland should be added to the Lutheran section of the chart. It has 3.7 million members, is the official state church of Finland and separated from the Church of Sweden over 200 years ago.

[@fluviusOptio]

Actually it isn't a official state churcj anymore. State and church were separated in 1879 although the church still has lot of importance/influence compared to other religions or denominations in Finland

[@ananas_anna]

Maybe bring up Laestadianism as well, since they’re trying to separate from the state church because Laestadians don’t recognize female clergy or gay marriage.

[@revinhatol]

And don't forget the Ecumenical Patriarchate's Finnish Orthodox Church!

[@revinhatol]

Plus, the Church of Denmark had branches in Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland that broke off and form their own national/people's churches.

[@stephanottawa7890]

You are absolutely right and the comments do not address what you are trying to say. It should be apparent to all, but unfortunately people do not read comments for the sake of being informed.

[@leontrotsky7816]

I'm waiting for Matt to announce in the next episode that he's since found out about fifty more denominations with enormous memberships that no-one's ever heard of, so he'll need six more episodes and a chart the size of a barn wall to wrap it all up.

[@brycewargin6799]

I'm half expecting a CGP Grey style video of him going of on some exasperated tangent of something he spent forever researching and then couldn't put into the chart.

[@mattc.6526]

​@@brycewargin6799 The Church of Tiffany

[@delusionnnnn]

Here's hoping. "The chart is available only in 48 x 36 in. as this is the minimum readable size. Part 18 will conclude the video series … of Season One."

[@thespanishinquisiton8306]

One note for the poster: you may want to change Rastafarianism to Rastafari. As far as I'm aware, members of that religion prefer to not have the "ism" at the end of the name.

[@memofromessex]

Nobody expected that comment

[@bj.bruner]

The Wailers' song Get Up, Stand Up says something like "we're sick and tired of your stinking '-isms" (The Wailers was Bob Marley's group)

[@bearlh40]

Interesting note: Rastafari comes from the terms Ras (prince) and Tafari (another name for Haile Selassie).

[@cooltaylor1015]

Great take, on Non-denominational Christians being a denomination of their own.

[@brycewargin6799]

They are and they aren't. Rather, there are probably at least 3 different styles of non-denominational churches. (And then there are churches, like the Antioch Movement, which each claim to be non-denominational while having centralized training structures).

[@DCUEmp_prinzy]

some think they are baptist with a smoke machine

[@GabrielSchlaefer]

In my experience, “non-denominational Christians” are usually fundamentalist Protestants of the Baptist variety (i.e. baptism by immersion only, no sacraments, etc.).

[@harmony9341]

I think I've learned more about Christianity in this series than I did either in my 17 years as a believer reading my bible and listening to sermons or my 17 years as an atheist, listening to conversations about religions. Thanks for making it, it's genuinely enlightening.

[@OMGanger]

Says more about you than the presenter tbh

[@harmony9341]

@sdrawkcabUK Yes.

[@Red-Faction]

​​@@OMGanger not really, who else even attempts to give such a comprehensive look at the evolution of Christian denominations throughout history?

[@brycewargin6799]

@@OMGanger I would say it says more about the church the person grew up in.

[@dianefester9663]

Yeah, it s good to stand back and take a look at the bigger picture. Shocking! Gives a new perspective. Sets things in relation. Relativizes aswell.

[@mjh277]

Stop changing it and take my money already!!! 😂 Kidding. It’s amazing work and I can’t wait to get it. Also appreciate you’ve taken on feedback for it all

[@Theslavedrivers]

Ditto. Roll on 23rd June.

[@CommonHawthorn]

I think it would be more accurate to say that Antoinette Brown was the first *ordained* woman minister in the U.S. Quakers recognized women ministers from the start but did not ordain them (nor did they ordain the men).

[@jonl3696]

True. Classic Quakers do not ordain ministers, they believe that everyone, both men and women, has the "light of God" and can speak on behalf of the Holy Spirit, hence ordination isn't necessary for ministry. Antoinette Brown was originally a Congregationalist and was licensed to preach in a local Congregational church in 1851, but was later ordained as a minister by a Methodist named Luther Lee. Brown however eventually became Unitarian.

[@nevertrusasmurf]

For the poster: There should be a link from Syriac Christianities to Islam. The influence of Syriac late antique authors and themes on the Quran has been well established. For example the story of the 7 sleepers of Ephesos is in the Quran. There is way more, like very similar polemic topoi from Syriacs against Judaism, etc.

[@josephgraf8458]

This has been an awesome series. Thanks for your effort and an unbiased approach.

[@ropersonline]

Thanks for subsidising content I enjoy but certainly could not afford to support like you do.

[@ComradePhoenix]

I'd really like to see you cover the unitarians, the universalists, and the Unitarian Universalists. The unitarians were especially influential in early America, with several presidents and many early abolitionists being unitarian.

[@Default78334]

Unitarians were covered in an earlier video.

[@jonl3696]

Unitarianism is just a modern incarnation of Arianism, first springing out of Reformed Church in Poland, and making its way across the Atlantic in the early 19th century, influencing many Congregationalist churches in New England to turn Unitarian. Then the Unitarians, having no real creed that makes them distinctly "Christian" fit well merging with the Universalists, a similar group that has no real theological backbone but espouses a very fluid concept of religion and God. Together, the Unitarians and Universalists form a syncretistic group that draws teachings from every existing religious expression which therefore makes them not explicitly Christian.

[@ComradePhoenix]

@@Default78334 Which one? I honestly don't remember.

[@myronmason8170]

@@Default78334 Indeed which video?? I have seen all of his religious videos and he has not dedicated a video to just Unitarian and Universalist Christians. Ready to Harvest has a video on the groups though.

[@kblibliyliyb]

I saw it pop up on the chart in an earlier episode but he never talked about it. At least I don’t thing so

[@sarysa]

This is going to be one amazing opus when it's done. I'm normally pretty anti-censorship but good call on Westboro. It mostly consists of two litigious families who allegedly bait retribution for their actions only to sue.

[@Bawhoppen]

If something is a matter of public interest, shouldn't it be included regardless? Depiction doesn't equal endorsement...

[@sarysa]

@@Bawhoppen There was always an implied "minimum population" threshold, and when a denomination is just a handful of people who are just insanely media savvy, it makes more sense to not feed the trolls.

[@orktv4673]

I thought it was interesting to see exactly where where these crackpots lie in the genealogy of Christianity.

[@YudronWangmo]

@@BawhoppenThere were/are many destructive high-control cults that have called themselves Christians. For example, the Children of God. Perhaps he will address others next time, but I am not sure they illuminate the topic of Christian denominations.

[@Bawhoppen]

The Samaritans are on the chart, and they have only 800 members, and aren't even a Christian denomination. But they're important to put on the chart because they exist, and are a matter of educational interest. The same goes for other groups: the FLDS, Branch Davidians, and Westboro - all well-known groups that have had a significant impact on the public psyche, even if for unfortunate reasons.

[@JosephV-kg1xt]

I suggest changing the colour of the Church of the East since it currently matches the same grey as the various Protestant churches without a clear denomination allegiance. Also gonna ask again for Ordinariate Catholics and the return of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church like in the earlier episodes. Great work btw!

[@drkspace]

This is one of the few series I immediately click on when I see it. It will be sad when it's done.

[@cswrye]

I was beyond impressed with how much you covered in this episode! Besides giving an accurate description of the origin of the Church of the Nazarene (which I used to be affiliated with), you also covered the fundamentalist-modernist controversy, "The Fundamentals," the Fourth Great Awakening, and how to define a "denomination," which are some of my favorite topics in regards to Christian denominations. While I was originally disappointed that the Church of the Nazarene wasn't placed with the Methodists, I agree that its current placement does make more sense. Great job on all of this!

[@Faith-Trust-Pixie-Dust]

I met a wonderful Indian Muslim family once. The dad in the family went to a Christian school as a child; in the course of our conversations, he was shocked to learn that there were denominions within Christianity. He had thought all these years (even after having lived in the US for over 5 years at that point) that we were one big monolith. If only that were the case 😅

[@suzanneleslie5105]

Something that you may not know; the Foursquare church's founder, Aimee Semple McPherson, was originally a member of the Salvation Army. I don't think you should change your chart but it is a interesting fact.

[@Adaguflo]

So, basically, Protestant Christianity as we currently understand it and see it, specially in Latin America, it’s been shaped in the English speaking world. England and USA in the past two centuries. I grew in a evangelical family and although the church I used to attend was non-denominational (which I guess it was charismatic), and I was raised evangelical… now I can see all the influences that I received during my childhood and adolescence. And all of it comes from the USA in a nutshell 😂😅

[@bradc6199]

Because they evangelised the world...

[@winstoncottage344]

@@bradc6199 Probably more like: because they are American, they realised there was money to be made out of it.

[@jussivalimaki]

I'll once more propose adding the Finnish Lutheran church as offshoot of Swedish Lutheran church in 1809. For one, at 3,5M members it is large enough to mention. Additionally, it is an interesting example of split not due to doctrinal differences, but rather due to geopolitics.

[@StrongMed]

I've really been loving this series! One idea for the poster that I personally would find helpful if I were to have this up on a wall somewhere is a separate small box defining some key terms, such as "Nicene" vs. "non-trinitarian" church, "mainline" vs. "evangelical", etc...

[@bartoszN01]

Changes to the chart: According to some sources I've seen, there are currently more than 10% of Christians in Syria, Qatar, and the UAE. Also on the map, the island of Sakhalin isn't colored in as a part of Russia and Chios, Lesbos and Rhodes aren't colored in as a part of Greece.

[@bartoszN01]

@@billyr2904 I looked for mistakes in the map and zoomed in to check the area.

[@ropersonline]

Political borders are really going to date this chart. Or if we all survive this long enough for anyone to care, where people draw them is going to be a reliable shibboleth as to whether the chart-maker in question sides with the Global West or Global South. If our benighted leaders continue the present escalation, it won't be only Ephraimites slain at the passages of Jordan. (Judges 12:6) Coming soon, from Northern Hemisphere studios: _Eschatology Now_

[@timbushell8640]

@@ropersonline Poland - the moving mythical place : )))))

[@nikaculebra8435]

Thanks Matt for all this incredible work. Its so so nice.

[@jackyex]

That's a interesting nomeclature for the "charismatic" churches, in my country those are called neo-pentecostals and the charismatic movement is only used to refer for the movements inside pre-established churches.

[@t_ylr]

It's used that way in the US as well, but pentecostal and charismatic are basically interchangeable here. I think the difference comes from the fact that individuals are more often referred to as charismatic rather than churches or denominations. Also, in the US at least, Pentecostal has kind of an old school conservative connotation. My mom grew up in a pentecostal church where you're more likely to see ppl in suits and long skirts. If you see ppl wearing mostly jeans and t shirts that church is more likely to call themselves Charismatic.

[@moisesduarte2926]

i'm guessing you're in latin america, because that's the way we name them in brazil. the two actual instances i've seen the term "charismatic" be used in brazil were 1) the charismatic episcopal church (which, to be fair, was never a movement inside the actual episcopal church, despite the similar liturgy) and 2) the catholic charismatic renewal.

[@greasher926]

In Ukraine charismatics are considered to be more modern and of the world with loud Christian rock music, while Pentecostals are more traditional and are basically baptists who pray in tongues.

[@kellsonmarcus]

For the next chart, you might want to check out the Christian Congregation in Brazil (or around the world for this cause). I think that they meet your criteria as they have over 2.5 million members in Brazil, and they have an established presence in lots of other places. I think it could be a useful example in showing the expansion of evangelical and pentecostal churches to South America and the wider world.

[@lucacalabrese5725]

I think they fit in the non-denominational part, because I read that in their site and also on the Italian one since they have connections with many other countries and in my own region (Calabria).

[@Consequential]

I grew up in the Church of the Nazarene, but left sometime in my early/mid twenties for various reasons. It's been so cool to watch this series. I've really loved it. ❤️

[@joshuamorris4238]

Loving this series! One suggestion - the churchs in communion with each other should be indicated through a speical box or a clearer color key. The "denominations" listed under orthodox, catholic and anglican churches are often in communion with each other. This should be clearly displayed in contrast with the churches whose branches are not in communion with each other. Thanks so much for all of your work on this!

[@t_ylr]

I grew up in a non denominational pentecostal church, and I went to a Pentecostal christian university before becoming agnostic. I think that the Azusa Street Revival is maybe the most important Christian event of the 20th century. Maybe even more important than Vatican II because of the impact that Pentecostal/Charismatic Christians have had on all other denominations. There are pentecostals members of the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and most major protestant denominations. Beyond that pentecostals have had a huge impact on music, styles of worship, teaching, and they were some of the first celebrity televangelists. They're also are very committed to missionary work. In some ways the traditional Pentecostal denominations are victims of their own success. They have been so successful at spreading they way of worshipping to non denominational churches and older denominations that they have lost their uniqueness and relevance.

[@jakeaurod]

I wonder why. I was never interested in Pentacostalism. Do people prefer more active ritual similar to magic compared to sedate services where they are lectured to? I wonder if it feels empowering vs. servile. Or maybe it's more extroverted than introverted.

[@lamename2010]

@@jakeaurod I think it has more to do with the emphasis of personal investment into worship (at least that is how i would describe it). And while you can have such a personal investment in a quiet and serene setting, a more active setting probably works better to get you personally invested. At least for the impact that pentacostalism has had on non-pentacostals.

[@t_ylr]

@@jakeaurod I think there's a lot of factors to it. Pentecostal/Charismatic churches, especially more modern ones, have mastered the art of priming which makes you more suggestible and open minded. This might be controversial, but even speaking in tongues can be a form of emotional priming that makes you more open to listen to what a pastor has to say.

[@GeneMTBros]

After watching this episode i now equate some of these "pentecostal branches" similar to seers, and oracles. The denominations of Christianity has gone awry and led many down a wretched path of confusion and ignorance.

[@bradc6199]

​@@jakeaurod the people who have no experience with it are easy to spot once they start talking about it. You are clearly in that camp.

[@Dewayne1173]

I can't even begin to describe how validating it was to briefly see the Two By Two church on your chart! The church doesn't teach its origins, and growing up, I felt very disconnected from the rest of Christianity. Turns out the church isn't so disconnected! I look forward to your final video and can't wait to buy the poster.

[@brianpeterson332]

I know! The 2x2s exist people! And there's a lot of them. Well, there were prior to the revelations of the child systemic child sex abuse anyway.

[@damiendeecee]

Same here! The group is shrinking rapidly.. estimated to be around 1 million strong in the 80s, and now max 300,000? Hopefully the group will be so tiny in the future, it doesn't get a place in this chart, but I'm glad it has just scraped in now :D

[@OffRampTourist]

This is such a great series. Questions I've asked for 50+ years are now answered and in well organized bite size bits. A treasure!

[@namesurname1036]

I'm enjoying these videos a lot and learning SO much. I don't live in the USA so had no idea there are zillions of denominations. Thank you for your work. If you deliver to Europe I really want one poster. It's gonna look awesome in my study room.

[@Cryozebra]

As a lifelong member of the AG I've been waiting for this episode since Episode 1!!! This is just simply fantastic, thank you for all your hard work Matt!

[@ChrisNahrgang]

If at all possible, I think you should try to keep the FLDS and Branch Davidians on the chart, because the Branch Davidians obviously left a mark on the zeitgeist, even if they're a small group, and I think it's helpful to understand where they came from.

[@Maryethequene]

For the poster: You need to add the "Batak Christian Protestant Church (HKBP)". It is a very developing and even already a big body of church. It was formed for Batak People in Indonesia who were pagans, converted to Christianity, by German Lutheran missionary to Batak lands, Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen, who was born in Duchy of Schleswig, Denmark, modern day Germany. The church of HKBP has spread to US, Singapore, ect. The Batak Christian Protestant Church now has 4,5 millions members spread to the world and the current leader is Ephorus (Bishop) Robinson Butarbutar. HKBP is the Top 4 biggest Church in Lutheran World Federation

[@TheMarkster245]

That’s crazy because I went to a Church of God in Anderson IN, for a second I thought Matt was just listing my church specifically

[@MyCousinGrandpa]

Matt, great work! Under Charismatic you might add in “word of faith” churches, those developed out of the teachings of John G. Lake, Oral Roberts, Kenneth Copeland, Kenneth Hagin, and many of the recent popular television preachers.

[@highway2heaven91]

I definitely think that Word of Faith deserves a spot but since WOF isn’t considered a denomination and all of the churches are independent it could fall under non-denominational churches. Also John G. Lake and Oral Roberts aren’t WOF (Oral Roberts is arguable though).

[@logicaldennis1245]

Well done! Unintentionally it just shows how man tries to put God in a box!

[@Tywon05]

I grew up in the Church of God in Christ. Thank you for putting my denomination up there.

[@gabriel049512]

Suggestion for the last episode: in the religion of my family (Kardecist Spiritism), Jesus Christ has a central role. I am not sure if it can be classified as Christian, although some Spiritists self-classify as Christians. 2%-3% of Brazilian population (around 6 million people) follows that religion that originated in France

[@Cr7Micto]

Outside of Brazil, no Kardecist recognizes himself as a Christian, and even in Brazil, the large Spiritist groups consider themselves Christians.

[@gabrielfernandes1246]

I think outside of Brazil it's just called spiritism

[@gabrielfernandes1246]

Mas se ele colocar a gnt ali já tá de bom tamanho XD

[@PadreFernandoLC]

It would be helpful to reflect in some way the current size of each denomination to compare and know the influence on today’s Christianity.

[@markmccarthy8336]

A dot or symbol beside each denomination/branch that corresponds to the approximate current members would be nice. You could add little legend in the corner to translate the dots or symbols into an estimated number of members. This would be helpful to get a sense of which denominations are large, which are fairly minor, and which are extinct. It can be difficult to determine this with the current chart and easy to lump all denominations with the same name size as being equal in congregation size.

[@PadreFernandoLC]

I think it may be handy to put just the percentage each denomination represents. From 2.6B christians 50% are Catholics, 10% are Eastern Orthodox, others can be 2% or 0.01% of Christianity, etc... But that gives the idea.

[@vinnycordeiro]

As a former Theology student, the mention of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (IURD in the Portuguese acronym) was something I was wondering if it was going to be made, since it is quite massive here in Brazil. However, what surprised me was your classification of it under the Charismatic movement: theologians down here usually classify the IURD (and other smaller local churches with the same kind of public services) as a Third Wave Pentecostal church, or more commonly as a Neo-Pentecostal church. At least down here the Charismatic movement is more associated with the Catholic church, in the exact way the video showed. Could be just a difference in nomenclature, since our theology studies for decades no longer heavily draw from US or European material (as in it is still used as source, but not as primary one), or maybe there wasn't space enough in the poster to show all that information. Just wanted to let you know.

[@BeWise4Life]

I’ve noticed that when I’ve talked to people from Central or South America their experience with Charismatics usually stems from Catholic Churches but in the USA is is definitely a more broad term and you don’t hear too much about Charismatic Catholics.

[@varana]

I think that's mostly a different use of terminology - i.e. "Neo-Pentecostal" being called "Charismatic" here, with no special term for the charismatic movement within other churches.

[@ZoahLord]

I used to live approx a mile from Moriah Chapel in Loughor, where the Welsh Revival of 1904 started. The building is still used for worship

[@nataliesirota2611]

Looking forward to part 8 of this series and the upcoming poster. I noticed that you plan to make Messianic Judaism apart from all the other denominations. However, you might want to place it under evangelicalism, Protestant, or Southern Baptist. Here are the opening paragraphs on the topic from Wikipedia: Messianic Judaism is a modernist and syncretic movement of Protestant Christianity that incorporates some elements of Judaism and other Jewish traditions into evangelicalism. It emerged in the 1960s and 1970s from the earlier Hebrew Christian movement and was most prominently propelled through the non-profit organization "Jews for Jesus" founded in 1973 by Martin Rosen, an American minister under the Conservative Baptist Association.

[@soupycask]

He might be doing that as to acknowledge that many messianic jews still consider themselves jews and not christians.

[@reality1701]

Yep, they're a branch of Venture Church Network. The US military also assigns them as Christian and not Jewish. Jewish people also do not consider them Jewish, but as Christian. While some members may consider themselves Jewish rather than Christian, they are at their core theology, Christian as they believe in Jesus as the Messiah. It's honestly just a thing the Baptists cooked up to deceive Jewish people into becoming Christian.

[@queenofarathia]

My parents are both Catholic but were married by a Pentecostal minister. My mom grew up Protestant (Presbyterian, I believe), but she married a Catholic. She later converted. They got divorced, but not annulled. Catholics don’t recognize divorce. So when my mom met my dad and he happened to be a cradle Catholic, they couldn’t get married in a Catholic Church. My dad’s best friend was the son of a Pentecostal minister, so his dad officiated the ceremony.

[@waldemarsikorski4759]

Oh yes they do, it requires money and often Vatican connections, but they do.

[@queenofarathia]

@@waldemarsikorski4759 they recognize annulment, not divorced

[@waldemarsikorski4759]

@@queenofarathia ...but in practicality, simony works wonders.

[@jayt9608]

​@@waldemarsikorski4759 Technically simony is the purchase of a church position, such as paying a sum and having your son made a priest/bishop/cardinal/pope. What you are describing is the bribing of a church official to recognize the marriage, which is straight bribery.

[@Hadar1991]

@@queenofarathia To be honest there is not even an annulment in Catholic Church, nobody can annul Catholic marriage. What are you referring to is a formal statement that there never was any marriage between those two. All the ceremonies are meaningless if the prerequisites are not met. So for example is somebody was force to marry against it will Church Court can state that there was no marriage, because there was no free will in it.

[@jacobsomebody9266]

I'd like to see more on the Church of the East and the complicated relationship between the different St. Thomas Christian groups of India.

[@curtgozaydin922]

Oh my gosh, Matt😢! What a work, of art, of complexity, and yes, clarity. Thank you for what you are doing! I love it! ❤😊

[@445supermag]

I can't believe you're taking out the Branch Davidians - it was so informative to hear the origin not only of the church but just the phrase that I've heard 1000's of times since Waco.

[@quinterbeck]

As someone who belongs to a UK non-denominational church, I think your description is pretty accurate! Knowing what associations a non-denom church has can tell you a lot about that church. We even have voluntary groupings like the Evangelical Alliance, and the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches.

[@revinhatol]

7:31 FUN FACT: The C&MA also has a branch covering Western and Central Mindanao as well as the Sulu archipelago in the Philippines.

[@davidhunt6508]

I made a comment last video about the inclusion of the C&MA. So glad he did(whether or not it was my comment that led to that).

[@jamesc.murray5932]

No suggestions for additions or subtractions to your work on this subject. But I just wanted to thank you, Mr. Baker, for delving into what turns into such a gigantic, detailed and analytical topic. (I think, at first blush, most people have no idea how deep and wide this topic of Christianity really is, to present day. You most definitely either educated them if they were ignorant or proved them wrong if they thought there was less to the subject than there truly is...lol!!!) Given that you are a (converted) Jew, Mazel Tov for conquering such a large beast in an intellectual and rational way so well.

[@allenman97]

Thank you for highlighting Pentecostal Assemblies of the World.

[@eltedioso]

I feel like your work on this chart will never be done

[@WanderingThePuppet]

The whole series is marvelous, I've not seen any history of Christianity Churches as informed as this one. Might you explain in the last episode about your sources (certainly English wiki is not nearly enough)?

[@HannahJ]

It’s cool to see Vineyard on there even just a flying mention of Calvary Church and Chuck Smith. Vineyard was started by John Wimber then lots of churches were planted from there. We’re now part of Vineyard København.

[@floraposteschild4184]

Whew! Almost done. Thank you for all the work you have done on this. Excellent job. I disagree with the decision to leave off Westboro and FLDS. History takes the bad with the good. Imagine Ivan the Terrible, Genghis Khan and Nero left off the charts of their respective countries. As well, FLDS is highly significant, politically and internationally.

[@Bawhoppen]

I agree- removing them doesn't make much sense. If this is an educational tool, and those are well-known topics, then how is removing them justified? Just because they are shown doesn't mean it's celebrating them.

[@cswrye]

The problem with Westboro is that it's a single church, not a denomination, so it looks out of place on a denominational chart. He said he excluded FLDS because it's too small, which makes sense to me. There's only enough room on the chart to include so many denominations, so I'm not going to fault him for taking out one that is incredibly small.

[@Bawhoppen]

Of the 3 that were excluded, FLDS is probably the one that should stay the most. It is a small denomination but it's been very impactful. The Branch Davidians are important as well, since they are just so publicly well-known. The Westboro is a single church, so I can understand removing that one more than anything.

[@varana]

From an non-American perspective, there's a sh** ton of other churches that deserve to be on that poster much more than a few crazy guys mostly known for being media whores. They're too small, they're theologically empty, they barely qualify as a church at this point. This poster already gives undue weight to tons of American mini-churches that are the fringest of fringe movements. We don't need to reinforce that by prominently placing wackos on the chart just because they've been in the media once in a while.

[@ragreen2]

I'm glad that you discussed Westboro and Branch Davidians even if it was a good decision to drop them from the final chart. There is great diversity under the umbrella of Christianity, including some that very likely might not be considered so by a great many other Christians, and perhaps even by God (who really knows?). I appreciate this series' approach as a high level overview of history and theological origins (especially since there are a lot of Christian denominations that de-emphasize this history, and even some offer highly suspect revisionist histories).

[@AnglicanFish]

There is also the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) and Lutheran Church Missions in Christ (LCMC) which both have more than 300k members in the US. Plus there’s the Catholic Apostolic Church which has 8 million members, it was part of the Irvingian movement

[@alpha4IV]

Even if this is not 100% perfectly accurate, this is amazing, and the amount of work put into this deserves a purchase of this chart.

[@Stabu]

Wow! Great job again on this one! I was a bit puzzled when I misread the Pentecostal characteristic as "Speaking in thongs" and wondered what the hell was going on in those churches. I clearly have to get my eyes checked.

[@bradc6199]

​@@damnedmadman well, that's funny!😂

[@rohanmathews5338]

Kindly request the addition of the Syro Malankara Catholic Church back into your chart. I believe it was present in your first video but was left out in subsequent videos. I am from this denomination hence the request. I have also sent an email with the Family tree of the St. Thomas Christians in India.

[@finnhoydal2028]

Excellent work. Further pentecostal/charismatic movements can one mention David Yonggi Cho and his Yoido Full Gospel Church (Assemblies of God) which impacted South Korea greatly. Out of the British New Church movement were the "House Fellowship Movement" and its sister "Covenant Ministries International" (Bryn Jones) quite influential in the UK and abroad from the 80s and up to today.

[@ThatZommy]

Been looking forward to seeing my little branch appear, very glad to finally have made it. Non-denominational (but actually Charismatic) family over here.

[@acarbonbasedlifeform70]

Pretty awesome to see such a plethora of confessions in the US. I had no idea about 90% of them. And most of the things I ever learned about American churches are actually charactertic of different denominations (e.g. I would see some religious practices in a movie, and then some in a different one, and would have no idea that these might be two totally different churches). PS I'm a non-practicing Eastern Orthodox from Europe.

[@jdotoz]

It’s a tragedy, really. Jesus prayed that his people would be as one, not hundreds.

[@jeremywilliams5107]

​@@jdotozthis is the Chart of Shame...

[@benniepatton6544]

Amazes me how many understandings/interpretations of the Bible can be developed. As for myself, I make up my own mind about what to believe. I like going to church, but I dislike anyone suggesting they have all the answers. Of course, I have never been one to join clubs, organizations or churches where there is anything approaching lock step. Others, however, seem more comfortable when surrounded by people who look like them, talk like them, and think like them.

[@AmericanShia786]

I'm planning to buy a copy of this chart. So, taking a little more time for accuracy is a good thing. I appreciate your research.

[@AmericanShia786]

I was an Elder in a Church of God Anderson Indiana local fellowship for a few years in the mid-1990s before the body merged with another local COG Anderson fellowship. Our Pastor allowed Pentecostals and even had a Pentecostal Elder. I had been a Pentecostal Holiness Christian, but was moving away from Pentecostal movement. This elder is still a friend and still a Pentecostal Holiness Christian. I became a 12er Shi'ite Muslim in 1999.

[@lyubovsuka]

As a fellow Jew, I am so glad to see you place the Messianic Judaism here as well!

[@theimmortaldavefuckinmiller]

Funfact: Salvation Army owned an orphanage in Liverpool called Strawberry Fields where a young John Lennon would frequently would play in The garden which would be the inspiration for the Strawberry Fields Forever.

[@yodawombat91]

I love this series. I would love to see similar series on other groups. You do a great job, Matt. Keep it up.

[@samforsyth]

I grew up in the Assemblies of God church. My dad was a former Jesus Movement pastor. These videos are all so interesting…I never knew the “lineage” of which churches the Pentecostals grew out of.

[@fernandoperez8587]

Pentecostals ultimately came out of the Methodist. Even John Wesley witnessed God move in supernatural ways during their preaching and at prayer meetings folks were healed.

[@Blalack77]

I think this is where I finally fall in. I grew up in an Assembly of God church - it's basically just a significantly laid back Pentecostal. They still jump and yell and run and dance and speak in tongues and stuff (think Blues Brothers) but not _everything_ is a "sin" like hardcore, old-fashioned Pentecostal. I guess it's kind of like the Mennonites vs Amish or something lol. I remember when I was a little kid, everything would be quiet and everyone would be praying or something and then, all of a sudden, there was typically this one old guy who would start like yelling in tongues. It would nearly make me piss myself lol. I might be wrong but it seems like with regular Pentecostal, women always have hair down to their ankles, wear dresses pretty much all the time, can't wear make-up, etc. I remember when we were younger, this one hardcore Pentecostal girl who had the extremely long hair, wore dresses below her ankles, etc. would hang out with our group partying and she started "experimenting" with drugs and booze - I think the last time I ever saw her, she was still in her super long, denim skirt but she was walking around pretty wasted with a bare chest lol. I was usually sitting in the tire swing stoned, listening to Pink Floyd when we'd party at that house - I just remember seeing her walk by half naked and thinking, "Okay.. Yep, we've corrupted her.." But my mom's mom was a Pentecostal preacher and my aunt was in some pretty radical - almost like a cult - deal with her, now ex, husband and they were all pretty strict.

[@Cay30]

Incredible work!!! A lot of churches I mentioned in last video were included I feel like many of your viewers wanted them as well. Hope to see you include these last following if you hadn't already; 1. Biblical Unitarians (Unitarian Christian Alliance) - (branch that broke away from UU to keep more Christian theology) 2. United Church of God - an Armstrongist church which is one of the few churches that is Binatarian. 3. Neo-Gnostic Churches especially the Ecclesia Gnostica or Gnostic Apostolic Catholic Church ( you can group them as Neo-Gnostic churches). 4. Independent Catholic groups- you can group them together such as the Brazilian Catholic Church 5. I think FLDS should stay even though they are small it is an interesting fringe movement in the LDS movement. Looking forward to last video!!

[@georgiancrossroads]

I just wrote a healthy little note explaining why the Jesus Movement, we never called ourselves Jesus Freaks, was so much more influential than the Charismatic Movement (music, commercialism, casual wear in church, etc) then it was all erased for who knows why. If you are interested I was there in 1970. I haven't got the time or energy to write it all again. Thanks for your efforts Matt.

[@mikeharrison1868]

I was a bit of a dope freak in NZ in the early 70s, and became a Jesus freak in 75. Quickly morphed into more of a charismatic. I was converted through some Presbyterians attending a charismatic baptist church, baptised in AOG, attended a charismatic Bible school (with Catholics, Methodists, Presbyterians, Baptists), had a year with Youth with a Mission during which I attended the local Plymouth brethren church, then four years in an AOG church and similar amount of time in a charismatic baptist church which changed into a house church. Then I became an atheist.

[@georgiancrossroads]

@@mikeharrison1868 I took a very different route. For openers from the very beginning I was never a freak about Jesus. We realized Jesus was not a trip. Our group eventually became increasingly cult-like. But I could see this didn't square with our earlier emphasis. I ended up at L'Abri in Switzerland where I learned my mind was valued too. I turned away from the Charismatic churches. And I ended up in New York City, hanging out among punks and other edgy folk. But I always kept my faith in the face of much insanity. I could go on. The point is I had all the romantic emotional aspects complete burnt out of me by 1980. I clearly saw the darkness in the world. Because of that I wasn't tempted to throw my faith away.

[@mikeharrison1868]

@@georgiancrossroads cool. L'Abri! Those Presbyterians through whom I was converted were Schaeffer fans. I had longed to believe, but felt Christianity lacked intellectual credibility. This background longing, in combination with a susceptible mind and e.g. "He is there and he is not silent" tipped me over the edge.

[@georgiancrossroads]

@@mikeharrison1868 Interesting. Which edge were you tipped over and why?

[@mikeharrison1868]

@@georgiancrossroads Over the edge into being born-again. Because of the Schaeffer stuff I thought Christianity did have intellectual credibility after all. (The dope lowered my critical thinking skills.) Then I had a dream in which Jesus was coming back in a 747, and realised that no ordinary person could have a 747 all to themselves(!). Then fear of the hell I'd been taught as a child. So, all tipped over into me praying the sinners prayer, inviting Jesus into my heart, etc., on 12th August 1975. I was overjoyed that the divide between catholics and protestants seemed to be erased in the charismatic movement. Then surprised that the Brethren were vehemently against tounges, etc. Sigh. I believed we should all love one another despite our differences. Sigh. I always had doubts and fears, but steeled myself against them. So I knew that I knew that I knew, whereas the Hare Krishnas, etc. only thought they knew. Then I went to Taiwan to study Mandarin so I could engage in (surreptitious) missionary work in Mainland China. (I'd been inspired by Brother Andrew.) On the way there I visited an island of the coast of Hiroshima, in Japan. I climbed to the top, and there was a temple, with an elderly woman praying. Against my will it struck me that her devotion was just as real to her as mine was to me. In Taiwan I was disappointed that the western denominations had been reproduced there. The church history of the west means that they sort of make sense in the West, but it seemed tragic that those divisions were replicated in non-Western countries.

[@albertvasquez-d3s]

This is beautiful I love your chart keep the good worker up god bless

[@e.a.stapleton-raines5036]

Can we get modern gnostic Christian churches in the next episode? French Gnostic Church, Johanitte Church, Ecclesia Gnostica, Etc

[@bearlh40]

Or even a study on the early Gnostics and what that believed. But, that can get pretty deep.

[@DLBlymire]

Great video as always! Have you covered Unitarians and Unitarian Universalists yet?

[@cswrye]

They're on the chart, but he hasn't said much about them yet. He might cover them in the last video.

[@sandhilldiary]

The UUA is on the chart, connected (properly) to the Reform Congregationalists through the historical Unitarian side. I commented in more depth elsewhere but the short version is the current UUA (1961) probably belongs in New Religious Movements, with the Unitarians under non-Nicene and the Universalists under Second Great Awakening. (both really got going in the early 1800s give or take.)

[@mcdart2606]

Wondered about the Christian Scientist placement since it was missing from the last chart. Glad to hear you're including them.

[@JamesWon6]

Please talk more about the Chinese house churches. My grandmother was a leader of a Chinese house church, but I met her once when I was little. My mom would tell me about the hardship my grandmother suffered, but she couldn't tell me what church we belong to.

[@caros2977]

I don't remember you talking about the churches deriving from the Catholic Apostolic Church. I learned recently that the New Apostolic Church is the biggest "free" (as in not catholic or lutheran) church in Germany with around 300,000 members and over 8 million internationally (mostly in Africa). There are others too, but I don't know much about them.

[@GenieProductions]

Great videos so far! I’ve always been into denominations but you’ve done a great job organizing them in a great way to visualize. I do have a few additions i think would be good to include however. I understand it may be hard to add some of these but im sure some might fit. Couldnt tell what you did add since the last but there are a few denominations i think you should add Independent Catholics: Philippine Independent Church (6 million): a church that separated from Rome in response to persecution from spanish rule, currently in communion with anglicans Apostolic Catholic Church (between 5 and 10 million): similarly a filipino church that began as a lay organization only to split from rome Traditionalist Mexican-American Catholic Church (2 million): broke away from Catholic church over their veneration of the folk saint Santa Muerte, basically a pagan god of death fused with Christianity. Leader went to prison for kidnapping and now the church is not recognized by mexico. They’re pretty liberal and have a presence in mexican american communities Pentecostals: Fangcheng Fellowship (10 million) China Gospel Fellowship (10 million) Foursquare Church (9 million) Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church (9 million) Church of God in Christ (6.5 million) True Jesus Church (2.5 million) Eastern Protestant Churches that either follow from the reformation and have adopted eastern liturgy, or are eastern churches who have reformed from the orthodox Ethiopian-Eritrean Evangelical Church (16.5 million): also important note most Protestant denominations fall under the term P’ent’ay Believers Eastern Church (3.5 million) pentecostal with the West Syrian Rite Mar Thoma Syrian Church (1 million): in communion with anglicans, a St. Thomas Christian community

[@jakeaurod]

I thought he did the Foursquare Church in this episode at 13:20

[@fattymcbuttcheeks7245]

@@jakeaurod whoops forgot to delete that one from my list!

[@DanielSeehausen]

La Luz del Mundo is a large denomination with a major following in Mexico, somewhere north of 1 million followers.

[@kingslade414]

yeah but the pastor is a heretic he would rape little girls in his church for years, he claims to be Jesus Christ (messiah like) & is currently being convicted in LA as a felon for sex trafficking minors & making child pornography he is not a good representation of christianity

[@marinaaaa2735]

They're also non trinitarian and a cult whose leader is in jail for child sexual abuse

[@bearlh40]

I visited one of their churches on my Atheist's Tour of Churches and Religions. REALLY interesting group.

[@krmendozaa]

Another denomination you could add as breaking away from the Foursquare Church is the Pentecostal Missionary Church of Christ (PMCC), also known as 4th Watch. It’s a big denomination in the Philippines and among Filipinos abroad. I have had peers in school invite me to their churches and even though they are Pentecostal, it felt so formal compared to other similar churches.

[@drpaulmasonMD]

Interesting to see the 2x2's religion (shown on bottom left of screen @ 7:18) is effectively an offshoot of the Keswick movement. Even to this day, the hierachy within this secretive group deny their true origin.

[@Dewayne1173]

I'm glad to see them getting a brief spotlight. Hopefully, Matt will give the 2x2s a shout-out in the next video!

[@denniskrust2137]

I am a devout atheist but I find religion fascinating. These videos were amazing. It would be great to see the same for Judaism and Islam.

[@Bawhoppen]

Would you consider adding Eastern Lightning to the Chinese groups? They have over 1-million members (estimated 4 million by the CCP's count). They are also a really interesting group in their own right, due to their leader

[@bobzjuronkl]

Hey Matt thanks for doing all this. I'm a funeral director, so stuff like this is a big help in figuring out who's who in the bereavement zoo, so to speak. A Q: not sure if it's too small or late to include, but where would Swedenborgians fit in? Anyhoo thanks again for the work

[@danfsteeple]

Non-Nicene

[@evanleed1767]

They're already on there! :)

[@carlose4314]

You should include FSSP, which broke off from SSPX and is in full communion with the Catholic Church. PNCC should be included as branching off from the Union of Utrecht.

[@carlahardwick9908]

You are doing a great job with this series!

[@jenniferthomson9442]

I LOVE this series so much.

[@machmemo7]

There a few denominations or groupings I would consider you add: - Indian Pentecostal Church (IPC)(an indigenous Indian Pentecostal denomination) - Sharon Fellowship of churches - Catch the Fire churches(came out of the vineyard; Partners in Harvest; Iris Global churches) - Hillsong (came out of the AG) - Sovereign Grace Churches (charismatic reformed) - Acts 29 churches((charismatic reformed) - Soul Survivor Family of churches - Pioneer churches - New Wine(in the UK) - New Froniters

[@machmemo7]

Also the AG churches may differ on the sanctification as a work of grace internally as some do believe it happens over time.

[@dumbledude2417]

Nice! Saw the C&MA finally! But here in the Philippines, we consider ourselves evangelical rather than mainline, as you would have defined in this video. In the Philippines, we are called The Christian and Missionary Alliance Churches of the Philippines.

[@Virtrial]

I saw that you added Unitarian Universalism, and the Unitarian and Universalist precursors that merged to form UU, in episode 4. However I haven't heard you speak about this addition, so I presume it will be covered in the last episode with a bunch of the other groups that don't fall neatly into most of the categories covered thusfar. Great work can't wait to see how it all turns out!

[@Photobyhart]

Very interesting, I have enjoyed this series and seeing where the various churches came from.

[@jonathanvillanueva9206]

Oh boi, the day has come. My former denomination has come up in the chart. I believe I used to be apart of the United Pentecostal Church International, but I’m not sure since the church was pretty decentralized. We did practice “the one-ness” doctrine tho and rejected the Trinity. I grew up in the church with a Pentecostal mom and a Catholic dad, but religion was always weird because I knew my Christianity was a bit different then most others around me. My church preached that women should only wear dresses or skirts and dress modestly, no drinking alcohol, only listen to Christian music, and a rejection of evolution. I enjoyed Pentecostal worship, but I studied anthropology and I believed in human evolution. I decided to leave because I didn’t want to be antagonistic towards other Christians anymore and after learning some Pents. believe in evolution I want to be apart of their congregations. I’m non-denominational atm, but hopefully in the future I’ll find a church more in line with what I believe.

[@jonathanvillanueva9206]

Btw, this is not to bash Pentecostals. I believe they are good people, I just disagree with some of their theology

[@thedemongodvlogs7671]

Hey Mat, I think a line connecting ancient Israelite religion to the Samaritans would be a good suggestion! And perhaps a dotted line from them to modern Judaism as they influenced each other at times.

[@kevinklingner7712]

There is I believe only 500 Samaritans living so I read in several places . They have become very closed and are dominated by specular paganism of the past.

[@thedemongodvlogs7671]

@@kevinklingner7712 It's actually around 1000 now and they live in two communities, Holon, Israel and their holy city of Shechem (Nablus), West Bank. They are the closest group to Jews in ethnicity, language (Which is also hebrew, albiet using the older paleo-Hebrew aka Phonecian script) and religion and they are considered to be sister people as both Jews and Samaritans decend from the Israelites and prior, the Canaanites. The believe in a monotheistic religion based on their version of the Torah, which has a few differences mist notably they believe their temple to be on Mt Gerezim, not Mt Zion. So I feel they should have a line connecting them back to Ancient Israelite religion too, and possibly a dotted line over to Judaism as they both influenced eachother!

[@kevinklingner7712]

According to genetic work done recently, the number is 500 only .

[@despaahana]

If you look at Matt's criteria the Samaritans are too small to be included whether they're 500 or a thousand.

[@CallsHimselfAWriter]

For the poster: I wonder if you intend to include Hillsong. I’m also friends with a minister of the Uniting Church which I believe is based out of Australia. As for me, I’m a priest in the Church of England and this has been very helpful and insightful. Thank you

[@tmdillon1969]

Back in 1982 my oldest brother left our Catholic upbringing and took up with a Pentecostal preacher named Rev. Ross from Tennessee. This was in Columbus, Ohio so it was a bit shocking. Mom was confused so she hauled my teenage ass to a few tent revivals to see what the hell was going on because my other sibs were old enough to get out of going. I remember watching the speaking in tongues and faith healing and thinking I was definitely in hell. He's mellowed into "mainstream" fundamentalism but I'll never forget sitting in those tents in the middle of summer sweating my ass off and being beyond annoyed by the whole situation.

[@Davidsasz1239]

I'm an european atheist, but I love this series of videos. I didn't know how christianity in the USA divided into soo many different denominations, churches and beliefs. Now, a lot of US-centric movie/tv tropes involving christianity makes a lot of sense.

[@spencerjoplin2885]

…and yet you’d never know unless you asked for detail.

[@RobespierreThePoof]

It's a rather bizarre history, truth be told.

[@stevejohnson3357]

So a non-denominational church is a little like a Non-partisan Association political party. And can either be both things they claim to be at the same time?

[@redblaze8700]

Family history: my great-grandfather had an uncle who migrated to America. He and his wife were Pentecostals, and really religious. One afternoon they were praying together and speaking in tongues, and at some point he was convinced that his wife spoke Chinese. They took this as a sign from God that they should become missionaries in China, and so they did. It’s strange how religion can impact someone’s lives.

[@jonl3696]

Would you consider making a chart of the different denominations/branches of Judaism?