Using strict rules, identify the largest Trinitarian Christian denominations that (1) claim Scripture is sufficient to test all doctrine, (2) possess a single global administrative authority, (3) maintain one unified set of binding official doctrines for all members, and (4) contain no doctrtinally autonomous subgroups within their membership
Resulted in this just now
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AI said
The largest Trinitarian Christian denomination that meets all four of the specified strict criteria (as refined in the previous interaction regarding doctrinal autonomy) is the
Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church.
Here is how the SDA Church meets each of the refined strict rules:
- 1. Claim Scripture is sufficient to test all doctrine: The SDA Church officially states that the Bible is the supreme standard and the sole foundation of its beliefs.
- 2. Possess a single global administrative authority: The Church operates under a hierarchical structure with the General Conference serving as the highest global administrative authority, ensuring worldwide coordination and governance.
- 3. Maintain one unified set of binding official doctrines for all members: The 28 Fundamental Beliefs constitute a globally binding set of official doctrines for all members, approved by the General Conference in session.
- 4. Contain no doctrinally autonomous subgroups within their membership: The denomination's policies ensure doctrinal unity; rejecting the fundamental beliefs is grounds for disfellowship, meaning any groups with differing doctrines are outside the official membership of the denomination.
While other large global denominations exist (such as the Roman Catholic Church), they fail at least one of these criteria, primarily the first (regarding the sufficiency of Scripture alone) or the fourth (due to varying internal practices or historical schisms not related to formal disfellowship rules).