The historic teachings of four major Christian traditions–Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, Reformation and Union Churches, and Evangelical and Free churches–are set forth here in a comparative framework. Following a brief historical introduction of each tradition, Ted Campbell provides an extensive overview of the tradition’s beliefs on religious authority, God and Christ, human nature and salvation, and church, ministry, and the sacraments. He concludes by considering whether a definable core of Christian teachings cuts across denominational and confessional boundaries.
Ted A. Campbell is Associate Professor of Church History at the Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, in Dallas, Texas. He is the author of Methodist Doctrine: The Essentials and John Wesley and Christian Antiquity: Religious Vision and Cultural Change.