Mainline Protestant

Mainline Church in the United States, a designation for Protestant churches with moderate theology, which are open to new ideas and social change.

The term mainline therefore comes that religion sociologists who coined the term, considered the suburban milieu of Philadelphia as characteristic of the establishment; these suburbs were connected by the so-called " mainline " of the Pennsylvania Railroad.

The Mainline Churches had in the United States until the mid-20th century a significant impact on culture and society. Since that time, however, both their influence as well as its membership in the United States has declined sharply: So lost, for example, the United Methodist Church 1965-1990 19.5 % of its members, while the Presbyterian Church ( USA) lost 33.1% and the Christian Church ( Disciples of Christ ) 45.8 %. They were overtaken not only from other churches with respect to number of members, but they also lost to cultural binding force in an increasingly multicultural and secular society. One published in June 2008 study by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life According ask the followers of the mainline Churches with 18.1 % of the population of the United States behind the evangelicals ( 26.3 %) and Catholics ( 23.9%) only represents the third largest of groups in the study religious groups

Political and theological perspectives

Mainline Churches are distinguished from the traditional conservative, evangelical or fundamentalist churches. Normally, they comprise, as the national churches in German-speaking countries, a range of opinions, which may go from radical to conservative; of evangelical side, however, a theological liberalism they are accused. If they have meddled more recently in world affairs, then often to criticize social injustices or a militaristic foreign policy - positions that often with a left politics (in the U.S.: liberal ) are identified in the U.S. discourse. Characteristic of Mainline Churches is a considerable theological Width: Virtually all have liberal and conservative wings, and theological perspectives vary between individual members and clergy of the same church.

Theological perspectives are moderated and generally more or less influenced by the historical-critical exegesis. Mainline churches represented the traditional belief in the Trinity of God and recognize the historic creeds. The verbal inspiration and total inerrancy of the Bible do not play a special role. The general consensus is that the interpretation of the Bible must use the God-given intellect, and must also take account of the culture in which the Bible emerged. In the opinion of mainline theologians, these methods are not intended to diminish the importance of the Bible; they affirm that the Bible is the revealed word of God.

All mainline churches in the United States have introduced the ordination of women.

There is no uniform opinion on homosexuality. Homosexual people accepted as church members, and there is an acceptance towards homosexual as well as heterosexual couple relationships outside of marriage - In general - as in almost all liberal churches, representing a pluralistic understanding of truth. Blessings of same-sex couples are increasingly admitted in the mainline churches. Some Mainline Churches ordain pastors who live in same-sex partnership.

Churches, which are counted among the Mainline Churches

The boundary between conservative / evangelical churches on the one hand and mainline churches on the other hand does not run the same for all authors. For example, ARDA, Beliefnet and Religioustolerance.org come of it to different lists.

William R. Hutchison has that shaped based on the 1900 and 1960, the expression "Seven Sisters of American Protestantism ." Therefore, the following churches were meant to which both moderate and conservative churches are now as then:

  • American Baptist Churches in the USA ( 1,442,824 Members - 2001)
  • Disciples of Christ ( 804 842 members - 2001)
  • Evangelical Lutheran Church in America ( 5,099,877 Members - 2001)
  • Episcopal Church in the USA ( 2,333,327 Members - 2001)
  • Presbyterian Church ( USA) ( 3,455,952 Members - 2001)
  • United Church of Christ ( 1359105 Members - 2001)
  • United Methodist Church ( 8,298,145 members - 2001)

Among the mainline churches of the addition, the following churches in the United States are expected to:

Left-wing politics National Association of Congregational Christian Churches Churches Uniting in Christ
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