Protestantism is the second largest branch of the Christian faith, behind the Roman Catholic Church. It originated with the Protestant Reformation. a movement in response to the perceived errors in the Catholic Church. The term “Protestant” is a reference to the letter of protestation from Lutheran princes in 1529 against an edict condemning the teachings of Martin Luther as heretical. Protestants comprise some 40% of Christianity, coming to a total of about 800 million adherents.
(It has been said that there are about 40,000 denominations around the world. Obviously we’re not going to be able to cover that many, but we’ll add as many as time will allow within reason.)
Anglican/Episcopalian
African American
Baptist
Charismatic
Church of Christ
Church of the Nazarene
Disciples of Christ
Lutheran
Methodist
Pentecostal
Presbyterian
Quakers
Seventh Day Adventist
United Church of Christ
With its origins in Germany, the modern movement is popularly considered to have begun in 1517 when Luther published The Ninety-Five Theses as a reaction against abuses in the sale of indulgences, which purported to offer remission of sin to their purchasers. Although there were earlier breaks from or attempts to reform the Roman Catholic Church — notably by Peter Waldo, Arnold of Brescia, John Wycliffe, and Jan Hus — only Luther succeeded in sparking a wider, lasting movement.