There exist several types of churches for various kinds of devotees worldwide. Churches are meant to worship the almighty God and seek blessings from him.
Key Takeaways
- Pentecostal and Brethren are both types of Protestant Christian denominations.
- Pentecostals believe in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, including speaking in tongues and divine healing. At the same time, Brethren emphasize the importance of separation from the world and the simplicity of Christian worship.
- Pentecostal worship services are often characterized by emotional displays and live music, while Brethren services are more reserved and focused on Bible study and prayer.
Pentecostal vs Brethren
Pentecostal churches put focus on the significance of individual and religious experiences. On the contrary, Brethren churches focus on the importance of the equality of its believers, peace, and obedience to Jesus Christ.
The Pentecostal churches follow the ideologies put forth during the Protestant Christian movement. They put focus on the fact of acceptance of Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour.
The Brethren churches’ primary focus is peace and obedience to Jesus Christ. It was founded in Bad Berleburg, Germany, in the year 1708. Alexander Mack is considered its founder.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Pentecostal | Brethren |
|---|---|---|
| Bible versions used | New Internation Version | New Testament |
| Primary Focus | Significance of individual and religious experiences | Importance of the equality between its believers, peace, obedience to Jesus Christ |
| Initiation | The early 1900s | 1708 |
| Founder | Charles Fox Parham | Alexander Mack and Schwarzenau Brethren |
| Number of followers | 300 million | 43,000 (in 2008) |
What is Pentecostal?
The Pentecostal churches are the churches that follow the ideology which was put forth during the Protestant Christian movement. The first Pentecostal church was built on 1 January 1901, which initiated the concept of modern Pentecostalism.
The Pentecostals firmly adhere to the fact that an individual must accept Jesus Christ as their Lord. The Pentecostal churches are primarily found in Sub-Saharan Africa.
There exist several bibliographical mentions of Pentecostalism and its ideologies in books such as “The Indwelling, Baptism, and Infilling with the Holy Spirit: A Differentiation of Terms” by Arrington French L., “Pentecost in My Soul: Explorations in the Meaning of Pentecostal Experience in the Early Assemblies of God” by Blumhofer Edith L. And many more.
What are Brethren?
The Brethren churches are the churches that Alexander Mack founded in 1708 in Bad Berleburg, Germany. Its primary objectives include equality among its believers, harmony, and obedience to Jesus Christ.
All the Brethren believers must follow the three negatives, namely, 1. Non-conformity 2. Non-resistance 3. Non-swearing. The Brethren church has had several followers ever since its establishment.
Associations affiliated with Brethren involve Brethren World Assembly, Church World Service, Historic Peace Churches, National Council of Churches, World Council of Churches, Christian Peacemakers Team etc. It has several Aid organizations such as Brethren Service Center, Brethren Volunteer Service, Children’s Disaster Services etc.
Main Differences Between Pentecostals and Brethren
- The Pentecostal churches began in the 19th century. On the other hand, the Brethren churches started in the 17th century.
- The founder of the Brethren was Alexander Mack and Schwarzenau Brethren. On the contrary, the founder of Pentecostal is Charles Fox Parham.
- Brethren believe in the equality of the believers, harmony and peace, and obedience to Jesus Christ. On the other hand, Pentecostals believe in the significance of one’s spiritual and personal experiences.
- The Pentecostals follow the New International Version of the Bible. On the other hand, the Brethren use the New Testament.
- The first Pentecostal church was built on 1 January 1901. On the other hand, the first Brethren church was built in 1883.
- https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.anthro.32.061002.093421
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=1NtLAwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA15&dq=Lutheran+&ots=t6h7Xr6AVV&sig=PTXH8500znQhj7xL3JoTdIn8jyo
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Chara Yadav holds MBA in Finance. Her goal is to simplify finance-related topics. She has worked in finance for about 25 years. She has held multiple finance and banking classes for business schools and communities. Read more at her bio page.
