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| In the ], the '''mainline''' (also sometimes called ]) ]es are those ] ]s with moderate ] which attempt to be open to new ideas and societal changes without abandoning what they consider to be the historical basis of the ] faith. They are neither the more liberal groups such as ] nor ] in their beliefs. These groups have been more open to demands for the ]. They have been far from uniform in their reaction to the ] movement, but have not rejected it out of hand in the way that it has been by the ] and the more conservative Protestant churches. They take a moderate view with regards to military service – all provide chaplains to the ] and none are historically ] except possibly the ] – but all express reservations about aggressive use of military force for any reason. | In the ], the '''mainline''' (also sometimes called ]) ]es are those ] ]s with moderate ] which attempt to be open to new ideas and societal changes without abandoning what they consider to be the historical basis of the ] faith. They are neither the more liberal groups such as ] nor ] in their beliefs. These groups have been more open to demands for the ]. They have been far from uniform in their reaction to the ] movement, but have not rejected it out of hand in the way that it has been by the ] and the more conservative Protestant churches. They take a moderate view with regards to military service – all provide chaplains to the ] and none are historically ] except possibly the ] – but all express reservations about aggressive use of military force for any reason. | ||
| The hallmark of the mainline churches would seemlingly be moderation. Only a few members or ]s in them would condemn the use of ] in moderation. Their theologies tend to be moderate and influenced, consciously or not, by the ]. Most ministers and most members seem to be comfortable with modern-language (including inclusive language) translations of the ]. | The hallmark of the mainline churches would seemlingly be moderation. Only a few members or ]s in them would condemn the use of ] in moderation. Their theologies tend to be moderate and influenced, consciously or not, by the ]. Most ministers and most members seem to be comfortable with modern-language (including inclusive language) translations of the ]. | ||
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Mainline refers also to a seminal Canadian blues band whose history is treated in McKenna Mendelson Mainline. Main line is also Rail terminology for the main and often most transited portion of a railroad.| Part of a series on | ||||
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In the United States, the mainline (also sometimes called mainstream) churches are those Protestant denominations with moderate theologies which attempt to be open to new ideas and societal changes without abandoning what they consider to be the historical basis of the Christian faith. They are neither the more liberal groups such as Unitarian Universalism nor fundamentalist in their beliefs. These groups have been more open to demands for the ordination of women. They have been far from uniform in their reaction to the gay rights movement, but have not rejected it out of hand in the way that it has been by the Catholic Church and the more conservative Protestant churches. They take a moderate view with regards to military service – all provide chaplains to the US Armed Forces and none are historically peace churches except possibly the Church of the Brethren – but all express reservations about aggressive use of military force for any reason.
The hallmark of the mainline churches would seemlingly be moderation. Only a few members or pastors in them would condemn the use of alcohol in moderation. Their theologies tend to be moderate and influenced, consciously or not, by the higher criticism. Most ministers and most members seem to be comfortable with modern-language (including inclusive language) translations of the Bible.
The nature of Biblical Truth
Most mainline traditions follow the traditional Christian belief in the triune nature of God, but do not necessarily require acceptance of everything either stated about Jesus or claimed as having been said by him in the New Testament, especially the statements to the effect that he represented the sole legitimate path to God. Few would suggest that either Testament was verbally and plenarily inspired, that is, the result of God through the Holy Spirit directly dictating God's revealed word to human authors, as more conservative groups generally maintain. While many, perhaps most, members of mainline churches accept the Virgin Birth of Jesus, few would actually make such acceptance a requisite for membership or a position to which others must necessarily be bound. Ignorance concerning the precise circumstances surrounding the creation of the Bible leads to a lot of speculation as to how the words in it should be interpreted. There is a general consensus that Scripture, while very important, must both be interpreted through the lens of the cultures in which it was originally written, and examined, like everything else, using God-given reason. Some students of mainline traditions (for example, John Spong) have explicitly written of their belief that religious authorities throughout history rewrote and reinterpreted the text to account for cultural shifts. Others claim that this is Revisionist history, and denounce this deliberate reinterpretation as an attempt to rewrite the Bible according to what people want to hear. Despite their Post-modern disagreements as to the origins and exact meaning of the Bible, mainline traditions acknowledge truth emanating from the Bible but do not always agree as to the form that biblical truth must take.
Black mainline question
There is some discussion about whether historically black denominations sharing the beliefs stated above are truly mainline churches. Some argue that they are not, since blacks were traditionally excluded from mainline society in the United States, and that is in fact why these denominations even exist. Many proponents of racial desegregation feel that these shared beliefs mean that traditionally black churches can indeed be mainline and that moderate black Protestant denominations are indeed part of this identity.
Use of the term "mainline"
The term mainline may imply a certain numerical majority or dominant presence in mainstream society that is no longer accurate. Critics of the term point to a loss of membership in most of the mainline churches in recent decades. Because static or declining membership is typical of mainline denominations, some leaders have suggested the use of the term "oldline" as a reasonable alternative.
The inclusion of a church in the mainline category does not imply that the beliefs common to mainline churches are held in common by every member of these churches or even every member of their clergy. All of them allow a considerable theological latitude, and each of them contains within it a Confessing Movement or "renewal movement" which is more conservative in tone. Another important fact is that not every church with a name similar to a mainline church should necessarily be deemed to be mainline, although in most instances there are historical ties between such groups. For example, while the American Baptist Churches, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the Presbyterian Church USA are considered mainline, the Southern Baptist Convention, Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, and the Presbyterian Church in America are too conservative to be regarded as mainline in the sense contemplated here.
Denominations
The U.S. mainline churches (sometimes called the seven sisters) are:
- The American Baptist Churches USA
- The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
- The Episcopal Church
- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
- The Presbyterian Church (USA)
- The United Church of Christ
- The United Methodist Church
Also sometimes considered mainline are:
Primarily African American or Black denominations most likely to be identified as mainline include the larger Methodist groups:
- The African Methodist Episcopal Church,
- The AME Zion Church
- The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.
The Disciples, Episcopal Church, ICCC, PC(USA), UCC, and the three historically black Communions listed—AME, AME Zion, and CME churches—are all members of Churches Uniting in Christ, which is an effort to coordinate their works to prevent needless duplications of effort, and to view each other as valid Christians participating in the universal Church's mission of spreading the message of the hope of salvation. Many hope that this organization will serve as a prelude to a merged national "superdenomination" somewhat analogous to the United Church of Canada. The ELCA, though not a full member as of 2005, is "partner in mission and dialogue" to Churches Uniting.
References
- William Hutchison, Between the Times: The Travail of the Protestant Establishment in America, 1900-1960, 1989, 1990 paperback ed., Cambridge U. Press, ISBN 0-521-40601-3, p. 6