Protestants of all types were agreed in their opposition to Roman Catholicism, how ever energetically they might differ among themselves. This opposition took form at first in the rejection of the Papacy (q.v.). It next showed itself in the rejection of the Roman hierarchy and the sacramental system. The popular demand for a reformation of notorious abuses, such as simony, nepotism, pluralities, laxity of discipline, clerical ignorance, a demand which had long been heard on all sides, and which had been ably advocated by Erasmus and other humanists,— materially strengthened the forces which made for ecclesiastical revolu tion, and prepared men's minds for the adoption of more radical measures than were at first contemplated by the leaders of reform. Not all Protestants, however, rejected the theory of church government by bishops, and the history of Protestantism shows a sharp distinction be tween the chuntes which have retained the episcopate and those which have rejected it. The best-known examples of the churches main taining an episcopal type of government are the Church of England, the Protestant Episcopal Church, and the Methodist Episcopal Church of the United States.
The Anglican Church, so far as it may be regarded as detached from the Catholic Church of the West, owes its origin to a movement in the reign of King Henry VIII whereby the papal jurisdiction in England was abolished. For a time the English Church endeavored to maintain its doctrine and canon law in other respects unchanged. But Puritanism, which is only thorough-going Protestantism, soon grew up within the Church of England, and the long struggle of the 17th century, which in 1689 re sulted in the toleration of Non-Conformity, left the English people religiously divided and created an ecclesiastical situation which, with some modifications, has ever since continued. Thenceforward there were in the kingdom (1) the Established Church, Episcopal but not Ro man Catholic; (2) the Non-Conformist bodies, which for some time labored under various political disabilities which have since been re moved; and (3) the Roman Catholics, who down to the period of Parliamentary reform and Catholic emancipation (about 1830) were also under serious political disabilities. It was partly in indirect consequence of the Oxford movement, and because of the going over of a considerable number of Anglicans to the Roman obedience, that Roman Catholicism in England received a considerable increase of strength and now includes in its membership an important fraction of the population. The Established Church at present comprises only about one half of the English people.
Denominationalism found its special field of action and reached its highest development within the territory of what is now the United States. The earliest discoveries and conquests in North America were indeed made by Roman Catholic nations, especially by the Spaniards. At a somewhat later date the French, also Roman Catholics, explored and attempted to colonize the valley of the Saint Lawrence and region of the Great Lakes. The settlements however which proved most enduring and which gave permanent character to the political insti tutions of the new world were those of Eng lish origin. The two groups of English colo
nists, Anglican in Virginia, Puritan and Sepa ratist in New England, proved not to be suffi ciently •unlike to render difficult a political union, which came about at the American Revo lution. The existence of several varieties of Protestant churches, as well as the abstract political theories held by the framers of the Federal Constitution, made possible the adop tion of the American system of a free church in a free state. The Constitution, including its first amendment, prohibits the establishment of religion, and all interference with the free exercise thereof. As a consequence denomina tionalism in the United States has had a free opportunity for development, with the obvious disadvantage of a rapid increase in the number of sects, but with the compensating advantage of an unmatched opportunity forjudicious com parison of their value and for the survival of the fittest.
Among the leading Protestant denomina tional types represented in the United States are the Congregational and Baptist (which are very similar in polity), the Presbyterian, the Episcopalian, the Methodist and the Lutheran. Of most of these there are several distinct or subordinate varieties. Outside the leading groups lie many ecclesiastical organi zations, some of them with a large con stituency, each of which exhibits some special feature of doctrine or polity upon which its denominational existence is based. During recent years a movement toward affiliation and union has gained increasing strength among many Protestant bodies, and this movement is likely to be accentuated by centralizing influ ences growing out of the Great War.
The distinctive characteristics of Protes tantism continue to be those which the great reformers more or less perfectly perceived, but which they did not always follow to their con sistent and logical conclusion. The two great Reformation principles were justification by faith alone through divine grace, and the sole authority of Scripture in matters of faith. In volved in these was another principle, perhaps more comprehensive than either of them, the inalienable right of private judg ment in religion. • The history of Protestantism exhibits the gradual working out into full recognition and acceptance of these fundamental principles. But the process is still incomplete. It is obvious that many nominal Protestants have not as yet fully accepted these principles, yet modern Protestantism has recently begun to recognize more fully their true significance. Catholicism on the other hand, whether Greek, Roman or Anglican, is frankly based upon the principle of a divinely authoritative church, organized and governed according to apostolic precept, exhibiting a legitimate succession of bishops outside of which there is no authorized ministry, maintaining unimpaired an original deposit of faith, and thus furnishing a living organ for the exercise of divine authority throughout all the generations. For the exist ence of such a divinely authoritative church it is immaterial whether the authority be exer cised by a Pope or by a council of bishops; the principle remains the same.