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Research draft

Christian Church

vr.tr.christian-church · SOC.ORG

Let an agent describe Christian churches and their organisation neutrally with attribution, identify specific churches and denominations, explain governance and church life, and support historical and comparative questions.

Thing Registry Society, people and institutions

Research draft, second pass

A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.

written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify

Researched by: Claude

Purpose and description

Let an agent describe Christian churches and their organisation neutrally with attribution, identify specific churches and denominations, explain governance and church life, and support historical and comparative questions.

An organised body of Christians, from the universal church described in Christian theology to particular churches such as the Catholic Church, Orthodox and other patriarchal churches, Anglican provinces, Protestant denominations, Baptist churches and local congregations, each with its own governance, doctrine and worship; churches are described here with attribution to their own self-understanding and to historians, without endorsement.

What it is for: Organised bodies of Christians.

It can be describe churches with attribution; identify denominations; explain governance and church life; support comparative questions.

Distinguishing features

Christian identity

Governance structures

Doctrine and worship

Many denominations

What it looks like

Not physical as an organisation; buildings, congregations and hierarchies.

How it is recognised

Organised body of Christians

Universal, denominational and local levels

A church building is a place; a church as organisation is the body

Related models

is a kind of - category

Christian organization

is related to - religious family

Abrahamic religion

is related to - venerated figures

saint

is related to - another religious architecture entry

minaret

In practice

Families and kinds

Catholic Church

Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches

Anglican provinces

Protestant denominations including Baptist churches

independent and inclusive churches

Standards and regulation

Canon law and church constitutions

Charity and religious organisation law by country

Safeguarding rules

Failure modes and hazards

Endorsing or disparaging a church

Confusing church building and organisation

Partisan presentation of disputes

Also called

Anglican provinceChurch of Jesus ChristBaptist churchpatriarchal churchinclusive churchchurch lifemission of the churchunderground churchThe Apostolicity of the ChurchMelkiteProtestant churchEpiscopal Churchhistoric ChurchCell churchhouse churchEthnic Evangelical ChurchOxford Group

Where this came from

wikidata · CC0 1.0

Source repository Registry entry point

Drafted structure

Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.

Identify Which church.

Attribution.

Denominations

Denominations and families.

Denominations

Denominations.

  1. What are the main families of Christian churches, and how do they describe themselves and each other? provenance
  2. Which entry fits a specific church? action

Specific

A specific church.

Specific

Specific church.

  1. What is this church, its governance, doctrine and history, according to its own sources and historians? provenance
  2. Is the presentation neutral and attributed? boundary
Life Church life and governance.

Organisation.

Governance

Governance.

Governance

Governance.

  1. How are churches governed, from episcopal and patriarchal to congregational models? provenance
  2. How do canon law and civil law interact? provenance

Worship

Worship and community.

Worship

Worship.

  1. What does church life involve, such as worship, sacraments, community and service, as described by the churches? provenance
  2. Which entry fits a specific practice? action
History History and relations.

Context.

History

History.

History

History.

  1. How did Christian churches develop and divide, according to historians? provenance
  2. Which references are standard? provenance

Ecumenism

Relations between churches.

Ecumenism

Ecumenism.

  1. How do churches relate through ecumenism and dialogue, and where do disputes remain, with positions attributed? provenance
  2. Is the presentation neutral? boundary
Society Churches in society.

Context.

Society

Role in society.

Society

Society.

  1. What roles do churches play in education, welfare and public life, and how are they regulated? provenance
  2. Which entry fits religious freedom? action

Debates

Contemporary debates.

Debates

Debates.

  1. What contemporary debates exist within and about churches, with positions attributed? provenance
  2. Is safeguarding or an emergency involved, needing authorities? boundary

What the second pass must settle

  • Should each denomination be a separate entry?
  • How should church statistics be linked?
  • How should disputes be attributed?
Draft as JSON