Churches, Denominations, Sects and Cults

• Troeltsch 1912;1980 - Churches: 

  1. Large 
  2. Bureaucratic hierarchy 
  3. Monopoly on the truth 
  4. Universalistic 
  5. Attractive to higher classes 
• Troeltsch 1912;80 - Sects: 

  1. Exclusive 
  2. Hostile to wider society 
  3. High level of commitment 
  4. Poor and oppressed members 
  5. Charismatic leader rather than bureaucratic hierarchy 
  6. Monopoly on religious truth
• Niebuhr 1929 - Denominations: 

  1. Midway between church and sect 
  2. Less exclusive than sect 
  3. Don't appeal to whole society 
  4. Broadly accept society’s values 
  5. Not linked to the state 
  6. Minor restrictions on members 
  7. Tolerant of other religious organisations 
  8. Do not claim a monopoly on the truth
• Niebuhr 1929 - Cults: 

  1. Highly individualistic 
  2. Loose-knit 
  3. Small grouping 
  4. Lacks exclusivity 
  5. Tolerant of other beliefs 
  6. No strong commitment 
  7. World-affirming (claiming to improve life on earth) 
• Wallis 1984 - Categorising Religious Organisations: 

  1. How They See Themselves? 

  Church and Sect → monopoly on truth 

  Denomination and Cults → lacks monopoly 

  1. How They are Seen by Wider Society

  Church and Denomination → acceptable to society

  Sects and Cults → deviant to society 
• Bruce 1996: Troeltsch’s idea of a church having a religious monopoly only applies to Catholicism before the 16th century. Since, sects and cults have flourished and religious diversity has become the norm. Churches have lost their monopoly and thus they have become denominations.