# Christianity and Restorationist: a Diptych comparison Schema version 1.0. The Diptych displays; it does not score, rank, or adjudicate. ## 1. In its own words ### Christianity Christianity began as a Jewish movement proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah and grew, through the early councils, the great schisms, and the Reformations, into the largest of the world religions. Its internal divisions are not decorations on a single body; they are the substance of its history, and this tree models them as first-class entities, from the ancient branches to the denominations and movements of today. - [Christianity](/tree/christian) ### Restorationist Restorationist bodies hold that the historic church fell away and that the primitive church must be restored whole rather than reformed in part. The family runs from the Churches of Christ to the Latter Day Saint movement, whose self-identification as Christian this site records as the movement states it. - [Restorationist](/tree/restorationist) ## 2. Scale and spread ### Christianity Christianity counts about 2.3 billion adherents, roughly a third of the world's people, and stands in every country. The largest populations are in the Americas, Europe, and sub-Saharan Africa, and Christians form the majority in about 157 countries. - [Christianity](/tree/christian) ### Restorationist The Restorationist family is a family of bodies rather than one church: the Churches of Christ count about two million members in the United States, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) about 350,000, and the Latter Day Saint movement's largest church reports more than 17 million members worldwide. - [Restorationist](/tree/restorationist) ## 3. Historical timeline ### Christianity - [The christian timeline](/history/christian) - [Birth of Jesus](/history/events/birth-of-jesus) - [Crucifixion and Resurrection](/history/events/crucifixion-and-resurrection) - [Paul's Missionary Journeys](/history/events/pauls-missionary-journeys) - [Council of Jerusalem](/history/events/council-of-jerusalem) - [Nero's Persecution](/history/events/neros-persecution) - [Destruction of the Jerusalem Temple](/history/events/destruction-of-the-jerusalem-temple) ### Restorationist - [The christian timeline](/history/christian) - [The Cane Ridge Revival](/history/events/the-cane-ridge-revival) - [The Last Will and Testament of the Springfield Presbytery](/history/events/the-last-will-and-testament-of-the-springfield-presbytery) - [Thomas Campbell's Declaration and Address](/history/events/thomas-campbells-declaration-and-address) - [Alexander Campbell Begins The Christian Baptist](/history/events/alexander-campbell-begins-the-christian-baptist) - [The Stone and Campbell Movements Unite](/history/events/the-stone-and-campbell-movements-unite) - [The American Christian Missionary Society Organized](/history/events/the-american-christian-missionary-society-organized) ## 4. Sources of authority ### Christianity - [Easton's Bible Dictionary](/dictionaries/eastons-bible-dictionary) - [Smith's Bible Dictionary](/dictionaries/smiths-bible-dictionary) - [Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary](/dictionaries/hitchcocks-bible-names) - [Apostles' Creed](/prayers-and-creeds/apostles-creed) - [Nicene Creed](/prayers-and-creeds/nicene-creed) - [Athanasian Creed](/prayers-and-creeds/athanasian-creed) ### Restorationist Coverage: not documented. Coverage record created at intake; content not yet documented. ## 5. Ultimate reality ### Christianity - [Protestantism](/world-views/protestantism) ### Restorationist - [Adventism](/world-views/adventism) ## 6. The human person ### Christianity - [Protestantism](/world-views/protestantism) ### Restorationist - [Adventism](/world-views/adventism) ## 7. Problem and solution ### Christianity - [Protestantism](/world-views/protestantism) ### Restorationist - [Adventism](/world-views/adventism) ## 8. Ethics and hard cases ### Christianity - [Protestantism](/world-views/protestantism) ### Restorationist - [Adventism](/world-views/adventism) ## 9. Practice and devotion ### Christianity - [The Rosary](/devotion/the-rosary) - [Stations of the Cross](/devotion/stations-of-the-cross) - [Novena](/devotion/novena) - [Baptism](/traditions/baptism) - [The Eucharist](/traditions/the-eucharist) - [Lent](/traditions/lent) - [Apostles' Creed](/prayers-and-creeds/apostles-creed) - [Nicene Creed](/prayers-and-creeds/nicene-creed) ### Restorationist Coverage: not documented. Coverage record created at intake; content not yet documented. ## 10. Community and governance ### Christianity - [Christian](/church/christian) ### Restorationist - [Restorationist](/church/restorationist) ## 11. Art and material culture ### Christianity - [The Good Shepherd of the Catacombs](/art/entries/catacomb-good-shepherd) - [Hagia Sophia](/art/entries/hagia-sophia) - [Rublev's Trinity](/art/entries/rublev-trinity) - [Christianity](/art/profiles/christianity) ### Restorationist Coverage: not documented. Coverage record created at intake; content not yet documented. ## 12. Science and technology posture ### Christianity - [Patristic](/science/eras/patristic) - [Medieval European](/science/eras/medieval-european) - [Renaissance and Reformation](/science/eras/renaissance-and-reformation) - [Catholic](/science/traditions/catholic) - [Orthodox](/science/traditions/orthodox) - [Mainline Protestant](/science/traditions/mainline-protestant) - [Heliocentric astronomy](/science/technologies/heliocentric-astronomy) - [The telescope](/science/technologies/telescope) ### Restorationist Coverage: not documented. Coverage record created at intake; content not yet documented. ## 13. Internal diversity ### Christianity - [Catholic](/tree/catholic) - [Eastern Orthodox](/tree/eastern-orthodox) - [Oriental Orthodox](/tree/oriental-orthodox) - [Protestant](/tree/protestant) - [Restorationist](/tree/restorationist) - [Anglican](/tree/anglican) ### Restorationist - [Latter Day Saint Movement](/tree/latter-day-saint) - [Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)](/tree/christian-church-disciples-of-christ) - [Churches of Christ](/tree/churches-of-christ) - [Community of Christ](/tree/community-of-christ) - [Independent Christian Churches](/tree/independent-christian-churches) - [Jehovah's Witnesses](/tree/jehovah-s-witnesses) ## 14. Contributions ### Christianity Coverage: not documented. Evaluative coverage is scheduled; this slot populates through sourced, reviewed records. ### Restorationist Coverage: not documented. Evaluative coverage is scheduled; this slot populates through sourced, reviewed records. ## 15. Internal critique ### Christianity Coverage: not documented. Evaluative coverage is scheduled; this slot populates through sourced, reviewed records. ### Restorationist Coverage: not documented. Evaluative coverage is scheduled; this slot populates through sourced, reviewed records. ## 16. External critique and reply ### Christianity Coverage: not documented. Evaluative coverage is scheduled; this slot populates through sourced, reviewed records. ### Restorationist Coverage: not documented. Evaluative coverage is scheduled; this slot populates through sourced, reviewed records. ## 17. Contested history ### Christianity - [Chalcedonian Schism](/tree/schisms/chalcedonian-schism) - [East-West Schism](/tree/schisms/east-west-schism) ### Restorationist - [The Restoration Movement](/tree/schisms/restoration-movement) ## 18. What each says about the other ### Christianity Coverage: not documented. This slot renders only when both directions stand populated and reviewed. ### Restorationist Coverage: not documented. This slot renders only when both directions stand populated and reviewed. ## 19. What this comparison cannot settle ### Christianity This comparison sets two self-descriptions side by side; it does not decide between them. A tradition is a living range of positions, and each panel renders the range this site has documented, which is not the whole of the tradition. Where a cell is marked not yet documented, the gap belongs to this site's documentation, not to the tradition. Questions of truth between the panels turn on premises the reader brings: what counts as evidence, what authority is recognized, and what a human life is for. The instrument does not score, rank, or adjudicate. ### Restorationist This comparison sets two self-descriptions side by side; it does not decide between them. A tradition is a living range of positions, and each panel renders the range this site has documented, which is not the whole of the tradition. Where a cell is marked not yet documented, the gap belongs to this site's documentation, not to the tradition. Questions of truth between the panels turn on premises the reader brings: what counts as evidence, what authority is recognized, and what a human life is for. The instrument does not score, rank, or adjudicate. ## 20. Sources ### Christianity - [Christianity](/tree/christian) ### Restorationist - [Restorationist](/tree/restorationist) ## Sources - Christianity: The New Testament. - Christianity: Justo L. Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity (2010). - Restorationist: Alexander Campbell, The Christian System (1835). - Restorationist: Richard T. Hughes, Reviving the Ancient Faith (1996).