History of Christianity

The Beginning of the Church

The church began 50 days after Jesus’ resurrection (c. A.D. 30). Jesus had promised that He would
build His church (Matthew 16:18), and with the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (
Acts 2:1-4), the church—ekklesia (the “called-out assembly”)—officially began. Three thousand
people responded to Peter’s sermon that day and chose to follow Christ.

The initial converts to Christianity were Jews or proselytes to Judaism, and the church was centered
in Jerusalem. Because of this, Christianity was seen at first as a Jewish sect, akin to the Pharisees,
the Sadducees, or the Essenes. However, what the apostles preached was radically different from
what other Jewish groups were teaching. Jesus was the Jewish Messiah (the anointed King) who had
come to fulfill the Law (Matthew 5:17) and institute a new covenant based on His death (
Mark 14:24). This message, with its charge that they had killed their own Messiah, infuriated many
Jewish leaders, and some, like Saul of Tarsus, took action to stamp out “the Way” (Acts 9:1-2).
The Growth of the Early Church

Not long after Pentecost, the doors to the church were opened to non-Jews. The evangelist Philip
preached to the Samaritans (Acts 8:5), and many of them believed in Christ. The apostle Peter
preached to the Gentile household of Cornelius (Acts 10), and they, too, received the Holy Spirit.
The apostle Paul (the former persecutor of the church) spread the gospel all over the Greco-Roman
world, reaching as far as Rome itself (Acts 28:16) and possibly all the way to Spain.

By A.D. 70, the year Jerusalem was destroyed, most of the books of the New Testament had been
completed and were circulating among the churches. For the next 240 years, Christians were
persecuted by Rome—sometimes at random, sometimes by government edict.

In the 2nd and 3rd centuries, the church leadership became more and more hierarchical as numbers
increased. Several heresies were exposed and refuted during this time, and the New Testament
canon was agreed upon. Persecution continued to intensify.
The Rise of the Roman Church

In A.D. 312, the Roman Emperor Constantine claimed to have had a conversion experience. About
70 years later, during the reign of Theodosius, Christianity became the official religion of the
Roman Empire. Bishops were given places of honor in the government, and by A.D. 400, the terms
“Roman” and “Christian” were virtually synonymous.

After Constantine, then, Christians were no longer persecuted. In time, it was the pagans who came
under persecution unless they “converted” to Christianity. Such forced conversions led to many
people entering the church without a true change of heart. The pagans brought with them their idols
and the practices they were accustomed to, and the church changed; icons, elaborate architecture,
pilgrimages, and the veneration of saints were added to the simplicity of early church worship.
About this same time, some Christians retreated from Rome, choosing to live in isolation as monks,
and infant baptism was introduced as a means of washing away original sin.
The Middle Ages
During the Middle Ages in Europe, the Roman Catholic Church continued to hold power, with the
popes claiming authority over all levels of life and living as kings. Corruption and greed in the
church leadership was commonplace. From 1095 to 1204 the popes endorsed a series of bloody and
expensive crusades in an effort to repel Muslim advances and liberate Jerusalem.

The Reformation
Through the years, several individuals had tried to call attention to the theological, political, and
human rights abuses of the Roman Church. All had been silenced in one way or another. But in 1517, a
German monk named Martin Luther took a stand against the church, and everyone heard. With Luther
came the Protestant Reformation, and the Middle Ages were brought to a close.

The Reformers, including Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli, differed in many finer points of theology, but
they were consistent in their emphasis on the Bible’s supreme authority over church tradition and the
fact that sinners are saved by grace through faith alone apart from works (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Although Catholicism made a comeback in Europe, and a series of wars between Protestants and
Catholics ensued, the Reformation had successfully dismantled the power of the Roman Catholic
Church and helped open the door to the modern age.
The Age of Missions
From 1790 to 1900, the church showed an unprecedented interest in missionary work. Colonization
had opened eyes to the need for missions, and industrialization had provided people with the
financial ability to fund the missionaries. Missionaries went around the world preaching the gospel,
and churches were established throughout the world.

The Modern Church

Today, the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church have taken steps to mend their
broken relationship, as have Catholics and Lutherans. The evangelical church is strongly independent
and rooted firmly in Reformed theology. The church has also seen the rise of Pentecostalism, the
charismatic movement, ecumenicalism, and various cults.
There are many churches today, but only one gospel. It is “the faith
that was once for all entrusted to the saints” (Jude 3). May we be
careful to preserve that faith and pass it on without alteration, and the
Lord will continue to fulfill His promise to build His church.
Roman Catholicism
one legitimate heir to New Testament Christianity,
and the pope as the successor to Peter, the first bishop of Rome
Roman Emperor Constantine
 Professed a conversion to Christianity in AD 312
 led to the formation of the Roman Catholic Church
 issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which granted
freedom of worship throughout the empire
- an important step in securing the civil rights of
Christians throughout the Roman Empire
- Diocletianic Persecution, also called the Great
Persecution (AD 303—312
- Galerius, who possibly masterminded the Great
Persecution, issued the Edict of Toleration, which
legalized Christianity in the Eastern Empire
 Roman Catholic was defined by Emperor
Theodosius on February 27, 380 ( Theodosian Code
)
SACRAMENTS
 “outward signs of inward grace, instituted by Christ for
our sanctification” (taken from the Catholic
Encyclopedia).
 In order to qualify as a sacrament, the Roman Catholic
Church states that it must meet the following three criteria:
a) the external, that is, a sensibly perceptible sign of
sanctifying grace, b) the conferring of sanctifying grace, c)
the institution by God or, more accurately, by the God-
Man Jesus Christ.
Thus, sacraments are not merely a symbol, but are believed
to actually confer sanctifying grace upon the recipient
SACRAMENTS
 Baptism
- The Roman Catholic Church teaches removes original sin
while infusing the act with sanctifying grace.
 Penance
- one confesses his/her sins to a priest
 Eucharist
- considered the reception and consumption of the actual
body and blood of Christ.
 Confirmation
- a formal acceptance into the church along with special
anointing of the Holy Spirit.
SACRAMENTS
 Anointing of the sick
- performed by a priest using oil. The priest anoints the
sick person´s forehead and hands with oil. This is
associated not only with bodily healing but with
forgiveness of sins. When performed on a dying person, it
is called Extreme Unction (or last rites or final anointing).
 Holy Orders
- the process by which men are ordained to clergy.
 Matrimony
- provides special grace to a couple.
SACRAMENTS
 Two of the main sacraments specifically are said by the
Roman Catholic Church to be necessary in order to gain
eternal life: baptism and communion.
REFORMATION
 The Lutheran denomination
- Martin Luther and was based on his teachings.
 The Methodists
- John Wesley, was famous for coming up with “methods” for spiritual growth.
 Presbyterians
- view on church leadership—the Greek word for “elder” is presbyteros.
 Baptists
- always emphasized the importance of believers’ baptism.
The point of these divisions is never Christ as Lord and Savior, but rather honest
differences of opinion by godly, albeit flawed, people seeking to honor God and
retain doctrinal purity according to their consciences and their understanding of
His Word.
RESTORATIONISM
 a group of unaffiliated 19th-century movements from within
Christianity based upon the premise that the true faith and
practice of the church had been lost due to apostasy and that the
church needed to be restored to its New Testament model.

 Restorationist organizations include Jehovah’s Witnesses,

Mormons, and Seventh-day Adventists, as well as the adherents
to the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement, which consists
today in three main groups: Christian Churches (Disciples of
Christ), Churches of Christ, and Independent Christian
Churches/Churches of Christ.
 ESSENTIALS OF FAITH

The deity of Christ.

Quite simply, Jesus is God.

While Jesus never directly says, “I am God” in the Scriptures, He makes it very
clear to those around Him, especially the Pharisees and Sadducees, that He is God.
John 10:30 says, “I and the Father are one.”

Jesus was claiming deity, and, interestingly enough, He did not deny that He was
God. Another example is John 20:28, when Thomas says, “My Lord and my God!”
Again, Jesus does not correct Him by saying that He is not God.
ESSENTIALS OF FAITH

Salvation by grace, through Jesus Christ

alone.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—

and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by
works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). There
is nothing we can do to earn God’s favor or gain access to
heaven apart from His grace.
ESSENTIALS OF FAITH
The resurrection of Christ.

“And if Christ has not been raised, then our

preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (
1 Corinthians 15:14). Lastly, to deny Christ’s
bodily resurrection (John 2:19-21) is to deny that
Jesus’ work here on earth was a satisfactory
offering to God for the sins of mankind.
 ESSENTIALS OF FAITH
The Gospel.
- In 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Paul spells out what the gospel is and how important it is
to embrace it and share it with others. He reminds the Corinthians of the gospel he
preached among them: “That Christ died for our sins in accordance with the
Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance
with the Scriptures.” This is the essence of the gospel.
- Paul also warns us to be wary of the many “false gospels” that are being offered to
the unsuspecting: “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a
gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have
said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to
the one you received, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8-9).
- The pure gospel of Jesus Christ—His death on the cross for sinners and His
resurrection to everlasting life—is central to the Christian faith.
 ESSENTIALS OF FAITH
Monotheism.
- Exodus 20:3 states very powerfully, “You shall have no other gods before me.”
Monotheism is the belief that there is only one God to be worshiped and
served. “‘You are my witnesses,’ declares the LORD, ‘and my servant whom I
have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he.
- Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me’” (Isaiah 43:10
). Here we see that we are to “believe” and “understand” that God lives and is
one.
- “For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed
there are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords’), yet for us there is but one God, the
Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one
Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live”
(1 Corinthians 8:5-6).
Every Christian is encouraged to live like Christ. The ministry of Jesus may be read by the recorded books
in the New Testament, the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John).

The first three books are called the Synoptic Gospels (together sight) because they “see together with a
common view”. They chronicle the good news of Jesus life, death and resurrection – the basis of
salvation.
ACTIVITY:

Identify the chapters that are similarly

described in the Synoptic Gospels and
make a list of the chapters/stories that
exist exclusively within one Synoptic
Gospel. Identify the words that
distinguish the stories that exist among
the three Synoptic Gospels.
 ORIENTAL ORTHODOX CHURCH
 a family of six self-governing church bodies in the East
 includes the Syriac Orthodox Church, the
Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria (Egypt), the
Ethiopian Orthodox Church, the Eritrean Orthodox
Church, the Armenian Apostolic Church, and the
Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (also called the
Indian Orthodox Church)
 The patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church in
Alexandria is known as the Pope; however, the title
carries no special authority over the other patriarchs.
The Coptic patriarch is a “first among equals” and chairs
the general council of Oriental Orthodox churches.
 recognizes only the first three ecumenical councils (
Nicea, Constantinople, and Ephesus), rejecting the other
four of the ecumenical church councils.
 ORIENTAL ORTHODOX CHURCH
POINT OF DOCTRINE:
 observe seven sacraments, which are means by which
believers receive grace.
 Teaching that religious works are a means to receive
grace amounts to a works-based salvation.
 The requirement of keeping the sacraments is “another”
gospel and not the true gospel
 emphasis on the one nature of Christ, although they
reject Eutychian monophysitism ( Christ is not fully
human and not fully divine.)
 had become a separate branch of Christianity much
earlier than that, in AD 451.
 NESTORIANISM
 based on the belief put forth by Nestorius that
emphasized the disunity of the human and
divine natures of Christ.
 followers of Nestorius (c. AD 386–451), who
was Archbishop of Constantinople.
 He was from Antioch, and his theological (and
political) leanings became clear when he
declared Mary to be Christotokos (“bearer of
Christ”), not theotokos (“bearer of God”).
 NESTORIANISM
POINT OF DOCTRINE:
 Christ essentially exists as two persons sharing one
body. His divine and human natures are completely
distinct and separate. This idea is not scriptural,
however, and goes against the orthodox Christian
doctrine of the hypostatic union, which states that
Christ is fully God and fully man in one indivisible
Person.
 Nestorius said more about Jesus than Mary. He said
that, above all else, the humanity of Jesus must be
emphasized, His nature firmly divided, and that He was
comprised of “two natures and two persons.” The
human nature and person were born of Mary. The
divine were of God.
 EASTERN ORTHODOX CHURCH
 is not a single church but rather a family of 13 self-
governing bodies, denominated by the nation in which
they are located (e.g., the Greek Orthodox Church,
Russian Orthodox Church). They are united in their
understanding of the sacraments, doctrine, liturgy, and
church government, but each administers its own
affairs.
 The head of each Orthodox church is called a
“patriarch” or “metropolitan.”
 The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople is the
spiritual leader and representative of the
Eastern Orthodox Church (also called the Orthodox
Catholic Church). Ecumenical means “universal” or
“worldwide,” patriarch means “head of a church,”
and Constantinople refers to what is now Istanbul,
Turkey.
 EASTERN ORTHODOX CHURCH
 The official title of the Ecumenical Patriarch of
Constantinople is “His Most Divine All-Holiness the
Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and
Ecumenical Patriarch.” He is seen as the successor of
Andrew the apostle, who visited areas along the
northern part of the Black Sea
 Unlike the Pope, who is known as VICARIUS FILIUS
DEI (the vicar of the Son of God), the bishop of
Constantinople is known as PRIMUS INTER PARES
(the first amongst equals). He enjoys special honor, but
he has no power to interfere with the 12 other Orthodox
communions.
 EASTERN ORTHODOX CHURCH
POINT OF DOCTRINE:
 claims to be the one true church of Christ, and seeks to
trace its origin back to the original apostles through an
unbroken chain of apostolic succession.
 affirms the Trinity, the Bible as the Word of God, Jesus
as God the Son, and many other biblical doctrines.
However, in doctrine, they have much more in common
with Roman Catholics than they do with Protestant
Christians.
 the doctrine of justification by faith is virtually absent
from the history and theology of the Orthodox Church.
 emphasizes theosis (literally, “divinization”), the
gradual process by which Christians become more and
more like Christ.
REFORMED CHURCHES
believe that people are saved by
having faith in God, not because of
anything they do.
 ANABAPTIST
 more of a descriptive title than an organizational name
 Most identified: Hutterites, Mennonites, and Amish

Hutterian Brethren Mennonites Amish

 1528, when a group of  were formed in Holland as a result  During the split of the Swiss and
Anabaptists fled of the severe persecution in Alsatian Anabaptists in 1693,
persecution for their Switzerland and Germany. when Jakob Ammann felt that the
refusal to pay war taxes  organized under the teaching of Swiss Brethren were veering away
and formed a communal Menno Simons, a Catholic priest from the strict teachings of M.
society in Austerlitz. who aligned himself with the Simons and needed to enforce a
 Jakob Hutter, one of Anabaptists in 1539. stricter form of church discipline.
their first elders, was  identifiable by their plain dress  Distinctiveness: separation from
martyred in 1536. and the head coverings worn by the society around them, shuns
 Belief: Pacifism their women. modern technology & politics
ANABAPTIST
A.D. 250: intense persecutions under Emperor Decius, a gradual change began to take place as the
bishops (pastors) of certain notable churches assumed a hierarchical authority over the churches in
their regions (e.g., the church of Rome).

Dissenting churches, first called “Puritans”, are known to have had an influence as far as France in
the 3rd century. As the organized (Catholic) church gradually adopted new practices and doctrines,
dissenting churches maintained their historical positions. The consistent testimony of the church for the
first 400 years of its history was to administer baptism to only those who first made a profession of faith
in Christ.

A.D. 401: with 5th Council of Carthage, the churches under the rule of Rome began teaching and
practicing infant baptism. With the advent of infant baptism, the separatist churches began re-baptizing
those who made professions of faith after having been baptized in the official church.

 Atthis time, the Roman Empire encouraged their bishops to actively oppose the dissenting churches,
and even passed laws condemning them to death. The re-baptizers became known as Anabaptists,
(Novatianists, Donatists, Albigenses, and Waldenses) which grew and prospered throughout the Roman
Empire, even though they were almost universally persecuted by the Catholic Church.
ANABAPTIST
One of their own said,

“The Anabaptists see Jesus not only as Savior, but as Teacher, teaching them how to
live their lives while on this earth. They believe that obedience to His commands is
required; therefore, they try to live as He taught. Thus they are a separate people,
following the hard narrow path to the Kingdom of God that Jesus taught and lived.”

An emphasis of Anabaptist teaching is the Gospel of the Kingdom, which aims at the
establishment of a place of love, joy, and peace in the Holy Spirit.
LUTHERAN
 Martin Luther: in Germany, studied philosophy and law, became
an Augustinian Monk in 1505. In 1507, he was ordained a Roman
Catholic priest and later began teaching theology at the University
of Wittenberg.
• posted his 95 Theses on October 31, 1517 on the door of All
Saint’s Church in Wittenberg, which was the accepted practice
for anyone at the university who wanted to engage in
theological debate. Majority of Luther’s theses addressed the
lack of biblical knowledge, practice, and accountability among
the leaders of the church, and were intended to point them
back to Scripture.
• Martin Luther was not the first to address these issues; in fact,
most of them had been pointed out by other men within the
Roman Catholic Church for nearly 100 years. Despite the
steady stream of critics, the Catholic Church refused to admit
error or make any substantial changes.
 As with the other Reformers, who were all born, baptized,
confirmed and educated in the Roman Catholic Church, Luther
LUTHERAN had no intention of starting a new church, but only wanted to
correct what he saw as violations of clear biblical teaching.
Part of the problem was a widespread ignorance of the Bible,
even among ordained priests. Carlstadt, an older peer of
Luther, admitted that he was made a Doctor of Divinity before
he had even seen a complete copy of the Bible.

One of the driving factors in Luther’s work was the desire to

have clear teaching for the common questions of the people,
such as, “What must a man do to be saved?” and “How shall a
sinner be justified before God and attain peace for his troubled
conscience?” After a series of meetings in which Luther
refused to recant his views, Pope Leo X excommunicated
Martin Luther in 1521. Many of the common people and
German nobility followed Luther’s teaching, and the Lutheran
Church began to be organized as a separate body in 1525.
LUTHERAN
In 1530, the German lords were requested by the Pope to give an accounting of their beliefs (as well as
reconfirm their fidelity to the Holy Roman Empire), and they gave their reply in the Augsburg Confessions. This
was the first detailed confession of faith by German Lutherans, and it is still the primary document used by
Lutherans to describe and guide their faith. In 1580, the Book of Concord combined 10 documents which
were considered authoritative for guiding the Lutheran faith.

Though there are quite a few organized Lutheran groups around the world, the two main bodies in America:
are

 Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) - roughly 5 million members in 10,500

churches, states that it is possible for the Bible to be in error concerning some areas, like science or history. In
general, all Lutheran churches teach salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, but the manner in which that faith
is lived out can vary from an empty participation in ceremonies to a very personal relationship with God.

 Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) - roughly 2.3 million members in 6,167
churches and LCMS affirms that the Bible is infallible in all areas (Psalm 19:7; 2 Timothy 3:16)
LUTHERAN
The ELCA was formed in 1988 by a merger of the American Lutheran Church, the Association of
Evangelical Lutheran Churches, and the Lutheran Church in America. The LCMS was formed in 1847 by
Saxon (German) Lutherans who came to America to escape persecution and the detrimental effects of
German Rationalism on their faith. Both churches hold to the Augsburg Confession, which teaches that all
men are born in sin, and therefore need to be justified through faith in Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Along
with faith in Christ, baptism is “necessary for salvation” and therefore “children should be baptized, for being
offered to God through baptism they are received into his grace” (Art. IX). [Note: the LCMS qualifies the
official position on baptism by saying, “The LCMS does not believe that Baptism is ABSOLUTELY
necessary for salvation,” but then goes on to say that baptism is “a powerful means of grace by which God
grants faith and the forgiveness of sins” (emphasis in the original, http://www.lcms.org/faqs/doctrine,
accessed 11/9/2016).]

The Lutheran church teaches that all men have some measure of freedom of the will—which is ironic considering
Luther comes to the opposite conclusion in one of his most famous books, The Bondage of the Will. Lutherans also
believe that, without God’s grace and help, given by the Holy Spirit, man is incapable of fearing or believing in God.
 The roots of the Anglican, 2nd century, traces its current structure

ANGLICAN and status back to the reign of King Henry VIII, who ruled from 1509
to 1547.

The events that led to the formation of the state Anglican Church are
a curious mix of ecclesiastical, political, and personal rivalries. Henry
petitioned Pope Clement VII for an annulment of his marriage with
Catherine of Aragon but was denied. When Protestant Thomas
Cranmer became Archbishop of Canterbury, Henry saw his chance to
bypass the Pope’s authority and get what he wanted. In 1531, Henry
compelled the English clergy to accept him as head of the
church in England. In 1532, Henry forced the national convocation to
agree in The Submission of the Clergy that they would not promulgate
any papal bull in England without the king’s consent. In 1534, Henry
led Parliament to pass a series of laws depriving the Roman Catholic
Church of any authority in England. The Act of Supremacy declared
the king to be “the supreme head of the church in England,” thus
giving Henry the same legal authority over the English church that the
Pope exercised over the Roman Catholic Church.
ANGLICAN
The English church didn’t assert total independence from Rome until Henry VIII’s reign, and Henry himself
made little true reform in the church. The true English Reformation began during the short reign of Henry’s son
Edward VI and was spearheaded by Cranmer. There had been aspects of ecclesiastical independence throughout
England’s history. The Saxon church, founded by Saint Augustine in 597, was under papal direction, but not
without resistance. The various tribes of England had never fully submitted to Roman occupation, and when the
Roman Legion was withdrawn, the Saxon church continued on an independent course. In 664, King Oswey of
Northumbria called the Synod of Whitby to merge the Saxon and Celtic churches nominally under the Roman
Catholic Church. The long history of English resistance laid the groundwork for Henry’s acts in the sixteenth
century.
ANGLICAN
The doctrine of the Anglican Church is an interesting mix of Catholicism and Protestant Reformation theology. The Apostles’ Creed and Nicene
Creed are authoritative declarations of belief for the Anglican Church and are typically recited in worship services. Interestingly, the church does
not require individuals to agree with or accept all the statements of those creeds but encourages its members to join in the process of discovery.
The 39 Articles, developed in the reign of Elizabeth I, laid out the Protestant doctrine and practice of the Anglican Church, but were deliberately
written to be so vague that they were open to various interpretations by Protestants and Catholics. As in the Catholic Church, the celebration of
the Eucharist is central to the worship service, along with the communal offering of prayer and praise through the recitation of the liturgy. In all
liturgical churches, there is a danger of allowing the form of religious ceremony (Isaiah 29:13) to replace the personal application of faith (
Psalm 51:16-17). This was a key point of contention by the Puritans and others who ultimately left the Anglican Church. Thomas Shepherd, who
was expelled from the Anglican Church in 1630 for non-conformity, was a spiritual giant who was concerned that people distinguish between the
work of grace in genuine conversion and the religious pretense that was common within the church. (Shepherd was one of the pivotal men in the
founding of Harvard College and became a mentor of Jonathan Edwards, who was mightily used of God in the Great Awakening.)

The Anglican Communion has 80 million members worldwide in 38 different church organizations, including the Episcopal Church. The
Archbishop of Canterbury is the recognized spiritual head of the church, though each church organization is self-governing under its own
archbishop. In addition to those churches, the Continuing Anglican Communion, established in 1977, is composed of churches which share the
historic Anglican faith but reject the changes in the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer as well as the ordination of women and gays/lesbians to
the clergy, and have thus severed their ties with the main church. The Anglican Church in North America, formed in 2009, has broken ties with
the Anglican Communion over the issue of homosexuality and does not recognize the Archbishop of Canterbury as their leader. Joining the
Anglican Church in North America are the Church of Nigeria, the Church of Uganda, the Episcopal Church of South Sudan, the Sudan Episcopal
Church, and others.