There exist several types of churches for several types of devotees in the world. Churches are meant for worshipping the almighty God and seek blessings from him.
Pentecostal vs Brethren
Pentecostal churches put focus on the significance of individual and religious experiences. On the contrary, Brethren churches put focus on the significance of the equality of its believers, peace, 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 main focus of the Brethren churches is peace and obedience to Jesus Christ. It was founded in Bad Berleburg, Germany, in the year 1708. Alexander Mack is considered as 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 | Significance 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 Pentecostal strongly adhere to the fact that an individual must accept Jesus Christ as its Lord. The Pentecostal churches are mostly 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 is Brethren?
The Brethren churches are the churches that were found by Alexander Mack in the year 1708 in Bad Berleburg, Germany. Its primary objectives include equality in its believers, harmony, 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 Pentecostal and Brethren
- The Pentecostal churches began in the 19th century. On the other hand, the Brethren churches began 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, obedience to Jesus Christ. On the other hand, Pentecostal believe in the significance of one’s spiritual and personal experiences.
- The Pentecostal 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 the year 1883.
References
- 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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