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      MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

       To my friends Jeff Adams, Vernon Armitage,

       Paul Brooks, Doug Rumford, and George Westlake.

      ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

      This book would not be possible without the support of the congregation I serve as senior pastor, the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection. This book was first a sermon series during which, for eight weeks in a row, we changed our worship style each week to reflect the worship patterns of the various denominations and traditions we were studying. Many congregations would have chafed under the weekly disruption of their own worship traditions, but our members were energized by it. The end result of this series of sermons was that I felt our congregation members had grown in their faith and in their appreciation of other Christians. It was this result that led me to believe others would benefit from a book based upon these sermons.

      I am grateful for the staff and pastors at the Church of the Resurrection who helped in implementing the sermons and whose ideas and thoughts helped shape my own thoughts in ways too numerous to mention. I am humbled and honored to serve Christ with such a remarkable group. I want specifically to mention Sue Thompson, my assistant, whose research and work in setting up interviews with each of the denominational leaders I interviewed for this study were invaluable. I would also mention Connie Stella and Kristin Thompson, whose work made possible the video interviews in the small-group resource that can be used alongside this book.

      I am indebted to each of the denominational leaders I met with and interviewed for this book: Father Timothy Sawchak of the Russian Orthodox Church, Dr. Claude Sasso of the Roman Catholic Church, Bishop Gerald Mansholt of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Dr. Doug Rumford and Dr. Tom Are of the Presbyterian Church of America, the Very Reverend Terry White of the Episcopal Church, Dr. Jeff Adams of the Independent Baptist Church, Dr. George Westlake of the Assembly of God Church, and Bishop Scott Jones of The United Methodist Church.

      Thanks also to Dr. Bill J. Leonard, dean and professor of church history at Wake Forest University Divinity School, for reading the manuscript and making suggestions.

      Finally, my special thanks to Rob Simbeck, whose help in editorial revisions and transforming my sermon manuscripts into book chapters was invaluable.

      CONTENTS

       Introduction

       A Family Reunion

       Chapter 1

       Orthodoxy: Mystery, Liturgy, and Tradition

       Chapter 2

       Catholicism: Sacrament and Mass

       Chapter 3

       Lutheranism: Word and Faith

       Chapter 4

       Presbyterianism: The Sovereignty of God

       Chapter 5

       Anglicanism: Common Prayer

       Chapter 6

       Baptists: Baptism, Conversion, and Scripture

       Chapter 7

       Pentecostalism: The Power of the Spirit

       Chapter 8

       Methodism: People of the Extreme Center

       Conclusion

       Christianity's Family Tree

       For Further Reading

       INTRODUCTION

      A FAMILY REUNION

      Imagine yourself walking into a big family reunion. People stand around the room in little groups, talking and laughing. Some are beginning to line up at a long table filled with an incredible array of homemade food. They fill their plates, walk to tables, and begin dining. As you look around, you see folks you simply do not recognize. There are others that you recognize but are unable to place with certainty on the family tree and still others who prompt you to think, Are you sure I'm related to them? Inevitably, some of those in attendance will be quite a bit different from you. Your natural inclination as you fill your plate might be to sit with folks you already know and see with some regularity, to avoid talking with those you seldom see.

      My mother's side of the family had a reunion not long ago; and I found that when it came time to eat,

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