Talk:Mainline Protestant

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Since there is a mention of the three main African American Methodist denominations, should there be a mention of the three main African American Baptist denominations: National Baptist Convention of America, Inc., National Missionary Baptist Convention of America, Progressive National Baptist Convention? Is any of the three considered mainline (by the stardands of the Methodist ones)? If any, then the other(s), if any, could be mentioned in the later paragraph of related non-mainline. Coquidragon (talk) 18:17, 15 October 2023 (UTC)[reply]

There are 2 sections titled "history" that are both good sections that both have different content. I'm not sure whether it would be better to write one section that combines both or to rename them to make it more clear what their content is about. Isaac Lemmen (talk) 14:52, 7 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@Isaac Lemmen, yes this needs to be fixed. The first section isn't really a proper history; it's more like recent demographic trends. I will change the name of this section. Ltwin (talk) 05:20, 20 June 2024 (UTC)[reply]

On second thought, I think it would be best to spread this content around article as there are already other sections this material can fall into. Ltwin (talk) 05:21, 20 June 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@Indyguy has claimed that my quotation of EP Sanders does not support my contention that Liberal Protestantism represents a break from the values of the Historical Jesus. However, the quote is clear that Jesus did not preach the values Liberal mainline churches like the one he was part of preaches.

"I am a liberal, modern, secularized Protestant, brought up in a church dominated by low christology and the social gospel. I am proud of the things that that religious tradition stands for. I am not bold enough, however, to suppose that Jesus came to establish it, or that he died for the sake of its principles." Silverfish2024 (talk) 23:41, 11 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I would appreciate any feedback from other editors. Silverfish2024 (talk) 23:46, 11 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I don't understand what "the values of the Historical Jesus" means, and I do not understand why EP Saunders would have to be in the lead of Liberal Christianity. Plus, in Mainline Protestant you wrote that he was "one of the most respected Biblical scholars of the past 50 years"--well, I don't know about that. Drmies (talk) 04:11, 12 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

"The values" are simply what Jesus preached. I already see that Sander's quote does not need to be in the lead. Silverfish2024 (talk) 07:52, 12 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

The quotation itself says nothing about the Historical Jesus, and it seems to be talking about Sander's personal perspective without any indication that it is a generally held idea by others in the field of study. Perhaps he says more about it in his book, but as it stands, the quotation is just not enough. Indyguy (talk) 04:53, 12 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, Sanders only mentions Jesus; however, taken in context, it is clear the subject is equivalent to the historical Jesus and that the quote would not make sense if it were referring to some sort of "theological Christ" that Bible scholars like to claim stands apart from the historical. The quotation is very clear on its own.

Sanders is a highly respected scholar to say the least, so this quote should not be removed whether or not other scholars support it or not (I cannot think of any who would dare say that the Historical Jesus would be in line with mainline Protestantism). There has indeed been backlash against the Protestant influences still present in New Testament studies. Silverfish2024 (talk) 07:50, 12 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]