The Diptych
Christianity and Restorationist
Christianity stands as a Worldview; Restorationist stands as a Branch. This comparison renders under slot registry version 1.0, in the registry's fixed order. The Diptych displays; it does not score, rank, or adjudicate.
Coverage: Christianity has 6 sections documented and 10 partial; its evaluative coverage is pending. Restorationist has 6 sections documented and 6 partial; its evaluative coverage is pending.
1. In its own words
The entity stated in its own words: its self-description, before any external description.
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.
Source: The New Testament.
Confidence: high
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.
Source: Alexander Campbell, The Christian System (1835).
Confidence: high
2. Scale and spread
How large the entity is and where it is found: adherents, bodies, and geography, with sources.
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.
The range inside, as documented:
- Catholic: The church in communion with the Bishop of Rome, holding the sacraments, the apostolic succession, and the councils of the undivided church and of its own later centuries.
- Eastern Orthodox: The communion of Chalcedonian churches in the Greek and Slavic worlds, holding the seven councils, the Divine Liturgy, and conciliarity without a single earthly head.
- Oriental Orthodox: The communion of churches that did not receive the Council of Chalcedon, holding the faith of the first three councils and the Christology of Cyril of Alexandria.
- Protestant: The churches and movements born of the sixteenth-century Reformations, holding Scripture as the final authority and justification by faith, in many polities and confessions.
- Restorationist: The movements that sought not to reform the church but to restore the New Testament church itself, from the Stone-Campbell movement to the Latter Day Saint restoration.
Source: Pew Research Center, 'The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050' (2015).
Confidence: high
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.
The range inside, as documented:
- Latter Day Saint Movement: The restoration founded by Joseph Smith: an open canon with the Book of Mormon, a restored priesthood, and temples, whose largest body is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 'Restoration Movement'; the churches' own published summaries.
Confidence: high
3. Historical timeline
The entity's timeline: the events of its history, drawn from the History of Worldviews timelines.
Christianity
- The christian timeline
- Birth of Jesus
- Crucifixion and Resurrection
- Paul's Missionary Journeys
- Council of Jerusalem
- Nero's Persecution
- Destruction of the Jerusalem Temple
Source: Matthew 1-2
Confidence: high
Restorationist
- The christian timeline
- The Cane Ridge Revival
- The Last Will and Testament of the Springfield Presbytery
- Thomas Campbell's Declaration and Address
- Alexander Campbell Begins The Christian Baptist
- The Stone and Campbell Movements Unite
- The American Christian Missionary Society Organized
Source: Barton W. Stone, autobiographical accounts of Cane Ridge
Confidence: high
4. Sources of authority
What the entity treats as authoritative: its scriptures, creeds, councils, and reference works.
Christianity
Partial coverage
- Easton's Bible Dictionary
- Smith's Bible Dictionary
- Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary
- Apostles' Creed
- Nicene Creed
- Athanasian Creed
The range inside, as documented:
- Catholic: The church in communion with the Bishop of Rome, holding the sacraments, the apostolic succession, and the councils of the undivided church and of its own later centuries.
- Eastern Orthodox: The communion of Chalcedonian churches in the Greek and Slavic worlds, holding the seven councils, the Divine Liturgy, and conciliarity without a single earthly head.
- Protestant: The churches and movements born of the sixteenth-century Reformations, holding Scripture as the final authority and justification by faith, in many polities and confessions.
- Anglican: The churches in communion with the See of Canterbury, holding the historic episcopate, the Book of Common Prayer, and a formularies tradition between Reformation and catholic order.
Confidence: moderate
Restorationist
Not yet documented
Coverage record created at intake; content not yet documented.
5. Ultimate reality
What the entity holds to be ultimately real.
Christianity
Partial coverage
The range inside, as documented:
- Catholic: The church in communion with the Bishop of Rome, holding the sacraments, the apostolic succession, and the councils of the undivided church and of its own later centuries.
- Eastern Orthodox: The communion of Chalcedonian churches in the Greek and Slavic worlds, holding the seven councils, the Divine Liturgy, and conciliarity without a single earthly head.
- Oriental Orthodox: The communion of churches that did not receive the Council of Chalcedon, holding the faith of the first three councils and the Christology of Cyril of Alexandria.
- Restorationist: The movements that sought not to reform the church but to restore the New Testament church itself, from the Stone-Campbell movement to the Latter Day Saint restoration.
- Anglican: The churches in communion with the See of Canterbury, holding the historic episcopate, the Book of Common Prayer, and a formularies tradition between Reformation and catholic order.
Confidence: moderate
6. The human person
What the entity holds a human person to be: nature, dignity, and destiny.
Christianity
Partial coverage
The range inside, as documented:
- Catholic: The church in communion with the Bishop of Rome, holding the sacraments, the apostolic succession, and the councils of the undivided church and of its own later centuries.
- Eastern Orthodox: The communion of Chalcedonian churches in the Greek and Slavic worlds, holding the seven councils, the Divine Liturgy, and conciliarity without a single earthly head.
- Oriental Orthodox: The communion of churches that did not receive the Council of Chalcedon, holding the faith of the first three councils and the Christology of Cyril of Alexandria.
- Restorationist: The movements that sought not to reform the church but to restore the New Testament church itself, from the Stone-Campbell movement to the Latter Day Saint restoration.
- Anglican: The churches in communion with the See of Canterbury, holding the historic episcopate, the Book of Common Prayer, and a formularies tradition between Reformation and catholic order.
Confidence: moderate
7. Problem and solution
The entity's account of what is wrong and how it is set right.
Christianity
Partial coverage
The range inside, as documented:
- Catholic: The church in communion with the Bishop of Rome, holding the sacraments, the apostolic succession, and the councils of the undivided church and of its own later centuries.
- Eastern Orthodox: The communion of Chalcedonian churches in the Greek and Slavic worlds, holding the seven councils, the Divine Liturgy, and conciliarity without a single earthly head.
- Oriental Orthodox: The communion of churches that did not receive the Council of Chalcedon, holding the faith of the first three councils and the Christology of Cyril of Alexandria.
- Restorationist: The movements that sought not to reform the church but to restore the New Testament church itself, from the Stone-Campbell movement to the Latter Day Saint restoration.
- Anglican: The churches in communion with the See of Canterbury, holding the historic episcopate, the Book of Common Prayer, and a formularies tradition between Reformation and catholic order.
Confidence: moderate
8. Ethics and hard cases
The entity's moral teaching and how it meets the hard cases.
Christianity
Partial coverage
The range inside, as documented:
- Catholic: The church in communion with the Bishop of Rome, holding the sacraments, the apostolic succession, and the councils of the undivided church and of its own later centuries.
- Eastern Orthodox: The communion of Chalcedonian churches in the Greek and Slavic worlds, holding the seven councils, the Divine Liturgy, and conciliarity without a single earthly head.
- Oriental Orthodox: The communion of churches that did not receive the Council of Chalcedon, holding the faith of the first three councils and the Christology of Cyril of Alexandria.
- Restorationist: The movements that sought not to reform the church but to restore the New Testament church itself, from the Stone-Campbell movement to the Latter Day Saint restoration.
- Anglican: The churches in communion with the See of Canterbury, holding the historic episcopate, the Book of Common Prayer, and a formularies tradition between Reformation and catholic order.
Confidence: moderate
9. Practice and devotion
How the entity is practiced: worship, prayer, devotion, and the calendar.
Christianity
Partial coverage
The range inside, as documented:
- Catholic: The church in communion with the Bishop of Rome, holding the sacraments, the apostolic succession, and the councils of the undivided church and of its own later centuries.
- Eastern Orthodox: The communion of Chalcedonian churches in the Greek and Slavic worlds, holding the seven councils, the Divine Liturgy, and conciliarity without a single earthly head.
- Protestant: The churches and movements born of the sixteenth-century Reformations, holding Scripture as the final authority and justification by faith, in many polities and confessions.
- Anglican: The churches in communion with the See of Canterbury, holding the historic episcopate, the Book of Common Prayer, and a formularies tradition between Reformation and catholic order.
Confidence: moderate
Restorationist
Not yet documented
Coverage record created at intake; content not yet documented.
10. Community and governance
How the entity is organized: its bodies, offices, and the directory of its communities.
Christianity
Partial coverage
The range inside, as documented:
- Catholic: The church in communion with the Bishop of Rome, holding the sacraments, the apostolic succession, and the councils of the undivided church and of its own later centuries.
- Eastern Orthodox: The communion of Chalcedonian churches in the Greek and Slavic worlds, holding the seven councils, the Divine Liturgy, and conciliarity without a single earthly head.
- Oriental Orthodox: The communion of churches that did not receive the Council of Chalcedon, holding the faith of the first three councils and the Christology of Cyril of Alexandria.
- Restorationist: The movements that sought not to reform the church but to restore the New Testament church itself, from the Stone-Campbell movement to the Latter Day Saint restoration.
- Anglican: The churches in communion with the See of Canterbury, holding the historic episcopate, the Book of Common Prayer, and a formularies tradition between Reformation and catholic order.
Confidence: moderate
Restorationist
Partial coverage
The range inside, as documented:
- Latter Day Saint Movement: The restoration founded by Joseph Smith: an open canon with the Book of Mormon, a restored priesthood, and temples, whose largest body is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
- Christian Church (Disciples of Christ): The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is distinct among Restorationist bodies in its connectional structure of congregations, regions, and a general ministry, and in its active participation in the ecumenical movement.
- Churches of Christ: Churches of Christ are distinct in worshipping without instrumental music and in having no denominational headquarters, with each congregation governed by its own elders.
- Community of Christ: Community of Christ is distinct among Restorationist bodies in being led by a prophet president and a First Presidency, and in accepting the Doctrine and Covenants as an open canon of scripture.
- Independent Christian Churches: The independent Christian churches are distinct in sharing the Restoration Movement heritage while refusing any denominational organization, so that each congregation is fully self governing.
- Jehovah's Witnesses: Jehovah's Witnesses are distinct in teaching that Jehovah alone is Almighty God and that Jesus is his created Son, and in rejecting the doctrine of the Trinity.
Confidence: moderate
11. Art and material culture
The entity's art and material culture, drawn from the Religious Art section.
Christianity
Partial coverage
The range inside, as documented:
- Catholic: The church in communion with the Bishop of Rome, holding the sacraments, the apostolic succession, and the councils of the undivided church and of its own later centuries.
- Eastern Orthodox: The communion of Chalcedonian churches in the Greek and Slavic worlds, holding the seven councils, the Divine Liturgy, and conciliarity without a single earthly head.
- Protestant: The churches and movements born of the sixteenth-century Reformations, holding Scripture as the final authority and justification by faith, in many polities and confessions.
Confidence: moderate
Restorationist
Not yet documented
Coverage record created at intake; content not yet documented.
12. Science and technology posture
The entity's posture toward science and technology.
Christianity
Partial coverage
- Patristic
- Medieval European
- Renaissance and Reformation
- Catholic
- Orthodox
- Mainline Protestant
- Heliocentric astronomy
- The telescope
The range inside, as documented:
- Catholic: The church in communion with the Bishop of Rome, holding the sacraments, the apostolic succession, and the councils of the undivided church and of its own later centuries.
- Eastern Orthodox: The communion of Chalcedonian churches in the Greek and Slavic worlds, holding the seven councils, the Divine Liturgy, and conciliarity without a single earthly head.
- Protestant: The churches and movements born of the sixteenth-century Reformations, holding Scripture as the final authority and justification by faith, in many polities and confessions.
Confidence: moderate
Restorationist
Not yet documented
Coverage record created at intake; content not yet documented.
13. Internal diversity
The range inside the entity: its branches, schools, and movements, each in its own terms.
Christianity
The range inside, as documented:
- Catholic: The church in communion with the Bishop of Rome, holding the sacraments, the apostolic succession, and the councils of the undivided church and of its own later centuries.
- Eastern Orthodox: The communion of Chalcedonian churches in the Greek and Slavic worlds, holding the seven councils, the Divine Liturgy, and conciliarity without a single earthly head.
- Oriental Orthodox: The communion of churches that did not receive the Council of Chalcedon, holding the faith of the first three councils and the Christology of Cyril of Alexandria.
- Protestant: The churches and movements born of the sixteenth-century Reformations, holding Scripture as the final authority and justification by faith, in many polities and confessions.
- Restorationist: The movements that sought not to reform the church but to restore the New Testament church itself, from the Stone-Campbell movement to the Latter Day Saint restoration.
- Anglican: The churches in communion with the See of Canterbury, holding the historic episcopate, the Book of Common Prayer, and a formularies tradition between Reformation and catholic order.
Confidence: high
Restorationist
- Latter Day Saint Movement
- Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
- Churches of Christ
- Community of Christ
- Independent Christian Churches
- Jehovah's Witnesses
The range inside, as documented:
- Latter Day Saint Movement: The restoration founded by Joseph Smith: an open canon with the Book of Mormon, a restored priesthood, and temples, whose largest body is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Confidence: high
17. Contested history
The points of the entity's history that are contested, and by whom.
Christianity
Partial coverage
The range inside, as documented:
- Catholic: The church in communion with the Bishop of Rome, holding the sacraments, the apostolic succession, and the councils of the undivided church and of its own later centuries.
- Eastern Orthodox: The communion of Chalcedonian churches in the Greek and Slavic worlds, holding the seven councils, the Divine Liturgy, and conciliarity without a single earthly head.
- Oriental Orthodox: The communion of churches that did not receive the Council of Chalcedon, holding the faith of the first three councils and the Christology of Cyril of Alexandria.
- Protestant: The churches and movements born of the sixteenth-century Reformations, holding Scripture as the final authority and justification by faith, in many polities and confessions.
- Restorationist: The movements that sought not to reform the church but to restore the New Testament church itself, from the Stone-Campbell movement to the Latter Day Saint restoration.
- Anglican: The churches in communion with the See of Canterbury, holding the historic episcopate, the Book of Common Prayer, and a formularies tradition between Reformation and catholic order.
Confidence: moderate
20. Sources
Christianity
- The New Testament.
- Justo L. Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity (2010).
Restorationist
- Alexander Campbell, The Christian System (1835).
- Richard T. Hughes, Reviving the Ancient Faith (1996).
Citations resolve to the site's References register as that rebuild lands; exports of this comparison stand under the tools above.
| Section | Christianity | Restorationist |
|---|---|---|
| In its own words | populated: 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. | populated: 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. |
| Scale and spread | populated: 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. | populated: 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. |
| Historical timeline | populated | populated |
| Sources of authority | partial | not documented |
| Ultimate reality | partial | partial |
| The human person | partial | partial |
| Problem and solution | partial | partial |
| Ethics and hard cases | partial | partial |
| Practice and devotion | partial | not documented |
| Community and governance | partial | partial |
| Art and material culture | partial | not documented |
| Science and technology posture | partial | not documented |
| Internal diversity | populated | populated |
| Contributions | not documented | not documented |
| Internal critique | not documented | not documented |
| External critique and reply | not documented | not documented |
| Contested history | partial | partial |
| What each says about the other | not documented | not documented |
| What this comparison cannot settle | populated: 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. | populated: 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. |
| Sources | populated | populated |