Abstract
This paper describes how the author was raised as a proud Episcopalian, due to its perceived superiority over the other denominations of Christianity. The author later learns that the different denominations were really a product of political motivation rather than fervent religious integrity. The paper describes how this knowledge disenchanted the author from the Episcopalian sect of Christianity.

From the Paper
"I grew up an Episcopalian. As I grew up, I was proud to bear that distinction among the Catholic faith. I felt that I had a higher level of integrity among the sects of Christianity, due to the theological distinctions of the Episcopalian faith, such as the Luther's Thirty-Nine Articles which I learned in Sunday school were recommendations of groups of Christians to return to a more pure scriptural interpretation of Christian faith, that had been compromised by the Catholic hierarchical bureaucracy of the Middle Ages when religion was overly powerful and dominant in people's lives."

Tags:christianity catholicism episcopalian anglicanism, non denominational

Abstract
This paper examines the difficulties in creating a multi-denominational and multicultural congregation. The author lists the major factors for creating such a congregation and provides an historical overview of Pentecostal, Christian, Caucasian and African-American, Roman Catholic, and Messianic congregation to support his opinion.

From the Paper
"Creating a truly multi-denominational, multicultural, congregation from the ground up is a difficult challenge. Part of this has to do with the fact that historically, a cultures identity gets lost in the loss of ritual and community. A charismatic congregation seems to have the most open forum for spiritual expression it allows for a good foundation for which to build a healthy non-restrictive congregation due to the fact that its doctrines and practices allow for the individual take part in an individual's own representation of worship. Thirdly, some of its philosophies are very widely excepted, and easily translatable between denominations, religions, and cultures. However, charismatic congregations alone do not foster multicultural fortitude.

Along with the good foundation of charismatic ideals, there needs to be an active and dynamic set of standards to foster and nurture this sense of multicultural congruency within the congregation. In defining some of these ideas, as well as exploring the history of effective multicultural denominations and observing some the culture in these congregations, in particular Roman Catholicism, Pentecostal, in particular congregations with primarily Baltic Russian and African-American background, and Messianic Judaism, correlations can be made as to effective ideals, practices and doctrines for a charismatic multicultural congregation."

Tags:Pentecostal, Christian, Caucasian, African, American, Roman, Catholic, Messianic, Judaism, worship, church, Jesus, Buddhism, Islam, Eastern, God, miracles, cultural

Abstract
This paper provides a thorough background of how Methodism started, including a short history of the Christian denomination. The paper includes an interview from a small town pastor of a Methodist church. It looks at how Methodism fits into Christianity as a whole.

From the Paper
"Methodism, also known as Wesleyans, started from one man's vision to revise the Catholic Church and his name John Wesley (1703-1771). "In 1713 John was admitted to the Charterhouse School, London, where he lived the studious, methodical, and (for a while) religious life in which he had been trained at home." (New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, N.A) John Wesley became an Ordained deacon in 1725 and elected fellow of Lincoln College in the following year. He was then considered a priest 3 years later. (Outler, 1964)"

Tags:christianity, john, methodism, religion, wesley

Abstract
A discussion of the differences and similarities between the three largest Lutheran denominations: the AELC, the LCMS, and the WELS. There is also a discussion of the formation of the AELC.

From the Paper
"Any group of Christocentric churches that does not accept the teachings of the Catholic Church must at some point decide what teachings bind them together in faith. Probably no group in America has worked harder or longer to unify themselves than Lutheran Evangelical churches. Unlike most protestant churches, Lutherans can and do trace their teachings back to the declarations in the Book of Concord. The divisions among the Lutheran denominations are not so much based on the teachings themselves but their implementation. The three..."

Tags:lutheran denominations, similarities, dfferences, martin luther, AELC, LCMS, WELS

Abstract
This paper offers an historic background of African-American church denominations. This paper examines specific denominations that have had a great impact on the African-American community. Specifically, the paper explores the use of music, known as Gosepl music, in Church ceremonies and prayer.

From the Paper
"The African American church is centered on a wealth of tradition. The founder of the church was Richard Allen. Allen was in the forefront of the Abolitionist Movement; the church was an important station on the "Underground Railroad" as well as a recruiting station during the Civil War. The establishment of a unified denomination during the Abolitionist Movement was advantageous to African American people. After the founding of African Methodist Episcopal, several African Americans gradually left because of opposing views. The African American Church is no longer one, but instead many."

Tags:gospel, prayer, christianity, south, baptist, episcopal, catholic

Abstract
The paper discusses the origin of the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) in North America and reports on the denomination's roots in the Reformation of the sixteenth century. The paper talks of the participation of the Canadian CRC and notes the views of the chaplain, the great Dutch theologian and statesman, Dr. Abraham Kuyper. Kuyper's great contribution to the CRC was a more outward-looking faith. The paper continues by discussing its relationship with the government and the social changes that resulted. The paper also details the seven key strategies that the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC) which started in 1962 and brings relief in times of disaster, and CRWRC uses and discusses these. The paper concludes with the role of the church in society.

Outline:
Introduction
Theological Motivations
Role, Relationship to Government and Effectiveness as Denomination
Role and Effectiveness of a Local Church
Conclusion

From the Paper
It is appropriately called First Vancouver CRC and was established in 1926. The church is located at 2670 Victoria Drive, near the Broadway and Commercial SkyTrain stations, and has a current average Sunday service attendance of 150. It was begun by a group of Dutch immigrants and grew with the influx of more Dutch immigrants after WWII, many attracted to Canada because the Canadian army played a major role in the liberation of the Netherlands (Schaap, 1998:311). This church accurately reflects the fact that "very few faith-based agencies give expression to their religious commitments by limiting clientele to their own community members...rather, they serve the general public."

Tags:kingdom, perspective, expression, curable, poverty, religious, commitments

Abstract
This paper explains that, even though the Unitarian Universalism (UU) has a long history of support for bisexual, gay, lesbian and transgender people, this support was not automatic nor easy to obtain in the beginning. While Unitarian Universalism is not known as a Christian denomination, the author points out that its history certainly is. The paper outlines the controversial progression of the UU resolutions supporting marriage equality and its fight against the movement for a U.S. Constitutional Amendment to deny same-gender couples the rights and responsibilities of marriage. The paper includes in the appendix the UU Resolutions relating to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Denomination Support for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Persons
Sexuality and Christianity
Marriage Equality
Conclusion
Appendix: UU Resolutions Related to Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Persons

From the Paper
"Gays and lesbians have been seeking "church weddings" since at least the late 1960s and marriage licenses since at least the 1970s. "For years, gays and lesbians had been having their relationship blessed by spiritual authorities. The Reverend Troy Perry, for instance, had performed same-sex commitment ceremonies at the predominantly gay Metropolitan Community Church since its founding in 1968 in the minister's living room, using his coffee table as an altar. " Gallagher and Bull (200) note that "Other gays looked to sympathetic Unitarian Universalist ministers to conduct ceremonies, taking advantage of the association's tradition of inclusive doctrine." "

Tags:resolution, social change, discrimination program amendment

Abstract
The paper examines the role of religion in shaping attitudes toward capital punishment. It looks at how different religious denominations take a different attitude toward the subject so that followers take their cues from that denomination, such as the current divide seen in America between many evangelical Protestant churches that support capital punishment and the Catholic Church that does not. It also discusses how, at a deeper level, support often hinges on the degree of reliance on the Bible as an unerring source, with those supporting capital punishment finding a direct admonition for capital punishment in scripture.

From the Paper
"Robert L. Young more specifically looks at the way religious orientation and race produce certain levels of support for the death penalty. The researchers look at the 1988 General Social Survey showing that fundamentalism, evangelism, and devotionalism have significant by very different roles in shaping attitudes toward capital punishment. Young notes first that religion should have a role because religion deals at its most basic level with issues of life and death, including the question of the role of the state in taking a life. "

Tags:scripture, church, bible, death

Abstract
In this article, the writer examines how throughout Islamic history, Shi'ites developed a denomination distinct in various significant ways from that of Sunnis. The writer explains that the differences between Islam's two major denominations arose as early as the beginning of Islamic history and in fact took place shortly after Islam's fourth caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib came to power. Initially, these differences centered on a political dispute over who should serve as the prophet's successor after his death. The writer looks at both sides of the dispute. Initial differences over political ideology caused Shi'ites to branch off from the majority Sunni Muslim community and form their own ideological viewpoints on various other issues. The writer concludes that Sunni-Shi'ite relations since the beginning of Islamic history reveal that both took divergent paths in regards to the beliefs and practices of Islam.

From the Paper
"Initial differences over political ideology caused Shi'ites to branch off from the majority Sunni Muslim community and form their own ideological viewpoints on various other issues. Besides politics, Shi'ites later developed their own distinguished set of beliefs regarding theology and jurisprudence. This meant that they now developed their own understanding of belief in the Islamic creed, practice of the five established pillars of Islam, interpretation of the Quranic text, acceptance and rejection of the prophet's Hadiths, sources of Islamic jurisprudence, and position of the various eminent Islamic personalities in history, particularly from among the prophet's companions. The Shi'ite branch later subdivided into various smaller sects, which hold differing viewpoints about various matters despite sharing some fundamental concepts of the Shi'ite belief system."

Tags:islamic, leadership, ideology, beliefs

Abstract
This paper looks at the Church of the United Brethren (UB), which was the very first church denomination in America. The history of the church is detailed, as is its belief system. The differences between this church and the other church establishments that existed at the time are also discussed in detail. The church's belief system is covered in detail, as are the eleven expectations that members of the church are expected to follow. The author also looks at the modern UB, and shows how it is now a worldwide network of congregations.

From the Paper
"Members should also follow social standards. A member should be a good citizen of their community, they should take standards against the evil, believe in equal rights and justice for all, agree with the democratic system, affirm the right to serve and bear arms in the National Armed Forces, have the right to refuse to bear arms, advocate abstinence by all people from using tobacco, drugs, and alcohol, attain form gambling, eliminate pornography, be occult, and have decision-making foundations (Getting acquainted with the Church of the United Brethren pg. 50-55)."

Tags:bible, brethren, church, ub, united, seven, sacraments, lord, jesus, christ, salvation, acceptance, evangelism, confessions, faith, bishop, baptism