Protestant denominations on the liberal/conservative spectrum

[TDAS04]

Do you agree with this scale of how liberal or conservative (theologically, politically, socially) these selected Protestant denominations are? 

Negative numbers indicate left of center.  I did not include Unitarians since they are too liberal for this scale.

-5:  UCC
-4:  Episcopal
-3: 
-2:  Lutheran (ELCA)
-1:  Presbyterian (PCUSA), United Methodist
0:  American Baptist
1:
2:
3:  Lutheran (LCMS), Presbyterian (PCA)
4:  Southern Baptist
5:  Assemblies of God, Lutheran (WELS)

Do you consider this scale accurate?  If not, what do you disagree with?  Where might you rank denominations not listed?

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

This looks pretty accurate relatively speaking, but why did you put WELS over Southern Baptist?

[TDAS04]

This looks pretty accurate relatively speaking, but why did you put WELS over Southern Baptist?

I wasn't quite sure, but reading everything they say at the WELS website, they seem very far to the right.  They're certainly more conservative than even the LCMS.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

If you associate Calvinistic doctrines with conservatism. placing the Southern Baptists at 4 might even be putting them too far to the right on that scale.

[DC Al Fine]

Do you agree with this scale of how liberal or conservative (theologically, politically, socially) these selected Protestant denominations are? 

Negative numbers indicate left of center.  I did not include Unitarians since they are too liberal for this scale.

-5:  UCC
-4:  Episcopal
-3: 
-2:  Lutheran (ELCA)
-1:  Presbyterian (PCUSA), United Methodist
0:  American Baptist
1:
2:
3:  Lutheran (LCMS), Presbyterian (PCA)
4:  Southern Baptist
5:  Assemblies of God, Lutheran (WELS)

Do you consider this scale accurate?  If not, what do you disagree with?  Where might you rank denominations not listed?

If you're measuring conservatism based on moral issues, its a pretty good match. If you're measuring it by theological orthodoxy you might have to make some changes.

Ex: The Pentecostal movement has had some unorthodox preachers (prosperity gospel, anti-trinitarian etc.), so you may have to move Assemblies of God left depending if they let those types preach. I'm not sure though. Perhaps JCL can comment.

[DC Al Fine]

If you associate Calvinistic doctrines with conservatism. placing the Southern Baptists at 4 might even be putting them too far to the right on that scale.

The Southern Baptist Convention is one of the most Calvinist churches listed, since they have decent contingent of Calvinist ministers to begin with. I'd say they're even more Calvinist than the PCUSA.

[H. Ross Peron]

PCA is a more compact denomination than the Southern Baptists and more theologically conservative overall IMO. The SBC should be a 3 and the PCA a 4. The UCC and the Episcopalians probably should switch also (unless by Episcopalians you include the various breakaway Anglican denominations)

Some other denominations:
UMC-0/1
Reformed Church in America-1/2
CCCC-3
OPC-5
Protestant Reformed Church-6
Independent Baptists-6

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

Do you agree with this scale of how liberal or conservative (theologically, politically, socially) these selected Protestant denominations are? 

Negative numbers indicate left of center.  I did not include Unitarians since they are too liberal for this scale.

-5:  UCC
-4:  Episcopal
-3: 
-2:  Lutheran (ELCA)
-1:  Presbyterian (PCUSA), United Methodist
0:  American Baptist
1:
2:
3:  Lutheran (LCMS), Presbyterian (PCA)
4:  Southern Baptist
5:  Assemblies of God, Lutheran (WELS)

Do you consider this scale accurate?  If not, what do you disagree with?  Where might you rank denominations not listed?

If you're measuring conservatism based on moral issues, its a pretty good match. If you're measuring it by theological orthodoxy you might have to make some changes.

Ex: The Pentecostal movement has had some unorthodox preachers (prosperity gospel, anti-trinitarian etc.), so you may have to move Assemblies of God left depending if they let those types preach. I'm not sure though. Perhaps JCL can comment.

There are some prosperity preachers in the A/G bunch. My district as a whole are not among them.  As far as I know all A/G preachers are firm trinitarians. Any other doctrinal questions just ask. Morally we are rather conservative.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

If you associate Calvinistic doctrines with conservatism. placing the Southern Baptists at 4 might even be putting them too far to the right on that scale.

The Southern Baptist Convention is one of the most Calvinist churches listed, since they have decent contingent of Calvinist ministers to begin with. I'd say they're even more Calvinist than the PCUSA.

The Southern Baptists do have some preachers with Calvinist tendences, but Calvinism is not part of Southern Baptist doctrine.  Indeed, a strictly Calvinist preacher would not be in agreement with the Convention's doctrinal standard "Baptist Faith and Message" as it emphasizes free will and that salvation is freely offered to all rather than just God's elect.

[DINGO Joe]

Having been both part of a Missouri Synod and an ELCA you got both of those right on.  Went to a Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) affiliated University and enough religion classes there to feel they were left of center, probably comparable to ELCA . 

Know nothing of the Lutheran (WELS) but have a hard time believing that any Lutheranism can rival Assembly of God or Church of Christers.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

This is a liberal/conservative spectrum, certainly not the liberal-conservative spectrum.


EDIT: So basically this:

If you're measuring conservatism based on moral issues, its a pretty good match. If you're measuring it by theological orthodoxy you might have to make some changes.

[afleitch]

Oh America...

I guess in Scotland the most socially liberal (based on my own experience working with them) would be the various Metropolitan Churches/Quakers, followed by the Episcopalians, then the Methodists, then the Church of Scotland, then the clutch of urban 'youth' churches that seem to rise and fall faster than a whore's drawers then the 'Wee Free' churches which still want to padlock children's play parks on a Sunday.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Yeah, the Quakers and Metropolitan churches should be added, maybe just above or below the UCC.  The MCC is probably the most liberal by definition because it's the only church I know of that's literally for homosexuals.  Add the United Church of Canada if you want to include international churches.

[traininthedistance]

Yeah, the Quakers and Metropolitan churches should be added, maybe just above or below the UCC.  The MCC is probably the most liberal by definition because it's the only church I know of that's literally for homosexuals.  Add the United Church of Canada if you want to include international churches.

I've been to several Quaker Meetings and probably something like 90% of the the things said at those meetings were connected to left-wing politics in some way or another.

[afleitch]

Yeah, the Quakers and Metropolitan churches should be added, maybe just above or below the UCC.  The MCC is probably the most liberal by definition because it's the only church I know of that's literally for homosexuals.  Add the United Church of Canada if you want to include international churches.

I've been to several Quaker Meetings and probably something like 90% of the the things said at those meetings were connected to left-wing politics in some way or another.

If you want to know what western society will be talking about in twenty years time a Quaker meeting is the place to go!

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

If you want to know what western society will be talking about in twenty years time a Quaker meeting is the place to go!

So the Quakers were advocating modern neoliberalism in the 1960s?  Who knew?

More seriously, anyone who believes in an inevitable progression of social ideals needs to go back and take some more history courses.  The idea that we can predict social conditions based purely on extrapolation of current trends is pure [Inks].

"I trust there is not a young man now living in the United States who will not die a Unitarian." — Thomas Jefferson, 1822, shortly before the Second Great Awakening.