| a.k.a. | Episcopal | Assemblies of God |
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| Number of Members | 80,000,000[1] | 280,000,000 |
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| How does one get saved? | Repent of your sins, believe in Jesus Christ's death and resurrection to save you, be baptized, and participate in the Eucharist. | Most believe sola fide: Repent of your sins and believe in Jesus Christ's death and resurrection alone to save you. Oneness Pentecostals believe you must also be baptized in water and in the Holy Spirit. |
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| Who gets saved? | Anyone who chooses by his own free will to believe and accept God's gift of grace will be saved. | Anyone who chooses by his own free will to believe and accept God's gift of grace will be saved.[2] |
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| Can one lose his salvation? | Yes, a Christian can lose his salvation by apostasy. | Yes, a Christian can lose his salvation by apostasy.[2] |
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| Who gets baptized and why? | The unsaved, typically as infants, get baptized as the first sacrament of Christian initiation, cleansing them of all sins. | Most believe saved people get baptized as a public demonstration of their new lives.[3][4] |
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| How should baptism be done? | Baptism should be by pouring water on the head. | Most believe baptism should be by immersion.[3][4] |
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| When does one receive the Holy Spirit? | The Holy Spirit is received at baptism. | The Holy Spirit is received at the moment of salvation, but being filled with, or baptized in, the Holy Spirit happens later. |
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| What is the trinity? | The Trinity is God existing as one god in three equal, eternal, cosubstantial persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. | Most believe the Trinity is God existing as one god in three equal, eternal, cosubstantial persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. Oneness Pentecostals believe Modalism: that God has no distinct persons and just manifests Himself in different ways. |
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| What is the human nature? | Total depravity: Human nature is corrupt, naturally inclined to evil, and incapable of choosing God on his own. | Total depravity: Human nature is corrupt, naturally inclined to evil, and incapable of choosing God on his own.[5] |
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| Are we guilty of Adam's original sin? | No, we are not guilty of Adam's sin, but we did inherit the consequences and a corrupt human nature from him, causing us all to sin. | No, we are not guilty of Adam's sin, but we did inherit the consequences and a corrupt human nature from him, causing us all to sin. |
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| Are Christians required to keep the Old Testament ceremonial laws? | No, the ceremonial laws of Judaism were fulfilled and done away with by Jesus. | No, the ceremonial laws of Judaism were fulfilled and done away with by Jesus. |
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| Can Christians become sinless in this earthly life? | No, although Christians can and should sin less, they can never become sinless in this life. | Holiness Pentecostals believe that Christians can become perfect and must do so before receiving the Holy Spirit. Other branches of Pentecostalism reject Christian perfection. |
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| Do the elements of communion become the body and blood of Christ? | Consubstantiation: No, the elements do not become the body and blood of Christ, but Christ's body and blood are present alongside them. | No, the elements merely symbolically represent the body and blood of Christ. |
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| Can one be baptized of behalf of someone who has died? | No, the dead cannot be baptized. | No, the dead cannot be baptized. |
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| What happens if a saved person dies without being perfect? | There is no purgatory, but Christians may need to be purified after death in some way.[6][7] | Once Christians leave their sinful bodies, nothing else is needed to receive glorified, sinless bodies. |
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| Did Mary ever sin? | No established doctrine | Yes, Mary sinned like all other humans except Jesus. |
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| What spiritual gifts are available today? | Continuationism: All spiritual gifts are still available to believers.[8][9] | Continuationism: All spiritual gifts are still available to believers. |
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| What framework has God used in dealing with man? | Covenant theology: God acts either within the covenant of works or the covenant of grace. | Dispensationalism: God acts differently with humanity in seven different periods of history. |
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| What is the gift of tongues? | Varies widely | Speaking in tongues is speaking the language of angels, unintelligible without an interpreter. |
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| What are the requirements for clergy? | Priests must be unmarried men over 25 ordained by bishops. | |
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| How many church ordinances/sacraments are there? | The church has two sacraments: Baptism and Holy Communion.[10] | Most believe the church has two ordinances: Baptism and Holy Communion.[11] |
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| To whom do Christians need to confess their sins? | General sinfulness should be confessed to a priest. This is usually done as a group during a service.[12] | Confession should be made directly to God, but confession to another believer is beneficial for some sins.[13] |
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| How should a church be structured? | Episcopal: Churches should be governed by the bishop in that diocese, who in turn is governed by a primate of an autonomous province. The Archbishop of Canterbury is first among equals and is appointed by the King of England. | Presbyterian: Churches should be governed by its own deacons, who in turn are governed by a district comprising the pastors and representatives from the region, which is governed by a general council of delegates from all churches.[14] |
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| What day of the week should Christians worship? | Christians worship on Sunday. | Christians worship on Sunday. |
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| How does God's revelation come to us today? | Prima scriptura: There are many sources of God's revelation, although none can contradict the Bible. | Prima scriptura: There are many sources of God's revelation, although none can contradict the Bible. |
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| How was the Bible written? | Dynamic inspiration: God inspired the thoughts of the human authors, but the words were chosen by the authors. | |
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| How many books are in the Bible? | There are 66 canonical books of the Bible: 39 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books, but the Apocrypha is regularly used for examples of life and instruction of manners. | There are 66 canonical books of the Bible: 39 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books. |
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| Was the Bible written inerrantly? | No, the Bible is not inerrant in any respect.[15] | Yes, the Bible was written without any error.[16] |
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| How was the earth created? | The earth was formed by gravity pulling dust together, which ultimately came from the Big Bang. | No established doctrine[17] |
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| What is marriage? | Varies widely | Marriage is a covenant before God between one man and one woman.[18] |
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| Is sex permissible outside marriage? | Varies widely | No, sex outside of marriage is not permissible. |
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| When is divorce permissible? | Most believe divorce is only permissible for adultery.[19] | Divorce is permissible for adultery or desertion.[18] |
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| May a Christian remarry while his former spouse is still alive? | Yes, a Christian may freely remarry after divorce.[20][21][22] | The innocent party to the adultery may remarry.[18] |
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| When does a fetus become human? | Humanity begins at conception.[23] | Humanity begins at conception.[24] |
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| Is contraception permissible? | Yes, contraceptives are permissible.[25][26] | Yes, contraceptives are permissible.[24] |
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| Are blood transfusions permissible? | Yes, blood transfusions are permissible. | Yes, blood transfusions are permissible. |
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| Should women cover their heads? | No, head coverings are no longer required due to cultural changes. | No, women's long hair is enough of a covering. |
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| Should Christians drink alcohol? | Yes, drinking alcohol is fine as long as one does not get drunk.[27] | No, alcohol should be totally avoided.[28] |
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| Should Christians fight in wars? | Most believe that yes, Christians should fight in just wars.[29][30][31] | Yes, Christians should fight in just wars. |
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| How should Christians musically worship God? | Any style of worship music is acceptable. | Any style of worship music is acceptable.[32][33] |
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| Whom does the Holy Spirit come from? | Varies widely[34][35] | No established doctrine |
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| Who can be demon-possessed? | Generally that demons can possess anyone.[36][37][38][39] | |
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| Do icons glorify God? | Yes, icons can be an aid to worship, but they are not used in liturgy.[40][41] | |
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| Where does a Christian's soul go after death? | No established doctrine[7] | Christians immediately go to heaven when they die. |
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| When does the Tribulation happen? | Preterism: The Tribulation happened in the 7th decade during the First Jewish–Roman War. | |
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| When will the church be raptured? | The church will not be raptured at any point. | |
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| When is the millennial reign of Christ happen? | Amillennialism: The millennial reign of Christ is an indefinite period of time beginning on the day of Pentecost and ending at His Second Coming. | |
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