Definition

1. Proper noun:
   • A Protestant denomination: "Disciples of Christ" refers to a specific Protestant Christian church group. This denomination emphasizes the Bible as the sole foundation for Christian faith and practice. A distinctive ritual practice is baptism by immersion (fully submerging a person in water).

Usage Examples

• Proper noun:
  • She was baptized in the Disciples of Christ church.
  • The Disciples of Christ have a congregational polity, meaning each local church is self-governing.

Advanced Usage

• Historical reference: The term can refer to the historical restoration movement in early 19th-century America that sought to unify Christians by returning to the practices of the New Testament church, which led to the formation of this denomination.
  • The Stone-Campbell movement gave rise to the Disciples of Christ.

Variants and Related Words

• Christian Church (Disciples of Christ): This is the official full name of the mainline Protestant denomination.
• Churches of Christ: A separate, more conservative group that also originated from the same historical restoration movement but is distinct from the "Disciples of Christ" denomination.
• Independent Christian Churches/Churches of Christ: Another group stemming from the same movement, often considered a middle ground between the other two.

Synonyms

• Protestant denomination: A general term for a Christian church body that originated from the Reformation.
• Mainline Protestant church: A category that includes traditionally established, non-evangelical Protestant denominations.

Related Phrases

• Restoration Movement: The historical Christian movement that emphasized restoring the early church's doctrine and practice, leading to the formation of the Disciples of Christ and related groups.
• Baptism by immersion: The specific method of baptism practiced, which is a key identifier for this denomination.

Noun

1. a Protestant church that accepts the Bible as the only source of true Christian faith and practices baptism by immersion