Editing Mainline Protestant (section)

{{short description|Older, more establishment Protestant denominations}}
{{Not to be confused with|Mainstream Christianity}}[[File:Methodistcommunion2.jpg|thumb|[[Eucharist]] observed by a congregation of the [[United Methodist Church]], a typical mainline Protestant denomination and one of the "Seven Sisters of [[Protestantism in the United States|American Protestantism]]".]]
The '''mainline Protestants''' (sometimes also known as '''oldline Protestants'''){{sfnm |1a1=Hadaway |1a2=Marler |1y=2006 |1pp=3–4 |2a1=Roozen |2y=2004}}<ref>{{cite news |last=Barrick |first=Audrey |date=March 12, 2010 |title=Survey Tracks Trends in Evangelical, Oldline Congregations |newspaper=[[The Christian Post]]  |url=http://www.christianpost.com/news/survey-offers-in-depth-look-at-evangelical-oldline-congregations-44257/#4fDUo5HxXQIzQGTl.99 |access-date=October 3, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=McKinney |first=William |title=Revisioning the Future of Oldline Protestantism |newspaper=[[The Christian Century]] |volume=106 |issue=33 |pages=1014–1016 |url=http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=204 |date=November 8, 1989 |access-date=October 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118113011/http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=204 |archive-date=January 18, 2017  }}</ref> are a group of [[Protestantism in the United States|Protestant denominations in the United States]] and [[Protestantism in Canada|Canada]] largely of the [[Liberal Christianity|theologically liberal]] or [[Progressive Christianity|theologically progressive]] persuasion that contrast in history and practice with the largely theologically conservative [[Evangelicalism|evangelical]], [[Christian fundamentalism|fundamentalist]], [[Charismatic Christianity|charismatic]], [[Confessionalism (religion)|confessional]], [[Confessing Movement]], historically [[Black church]], and [[Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches|Global South]] Protestant denominations and congregations.<ref name="Jnanada Prakashan-2009" /><ref name="Seitz-2001" /><ref name="Burton-2018">{{Cite web |last=Burton |first=Tara Isabella |date=2018-11-05 |title=Why this shrinking religious group might be among America's last "swing voters" |url=https://www.vox.com/2018/11/5/18058768/white-mainline-protestantism-religion-america-midterms-trump |access-date=2023-01-28 |website=Vox |language=en}}</ref>{{Sfn|Marty|1980|pp=8|p=|ps=: "the term 'Mainline' may be as unfortunate as the pejorative-sounding WASP, but it is no more likely to fall into disuse and may as well be … Mainline religion had meant simply white Protestant until well into the twentieth century."}}{{Sfn|Coalter|Mulder|Weeks|1990|p=|ps=: "Some would say the term 'mainstream' or 'mainline' is itself suspect and embodies ethnocentric and elitist assumptions. ... be dropped in favor of talking about 'liberal' Protestantism, but such a change presents additional problems".}} Some make a distinction between "mainline" and "oldline", with the former referring only to denominational ties and the latter referring to church lineage, prestige and influence.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bradshaw |first=William B. |date=October 11, 2013 |title=Mainline Churches: Past, Present, Future |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-b-bradshaw/mainline-churches-past-pr_b_4087407.html |work=[[The Huffington Post]] |access-date=October 3, 2016}}</ref> However, this distinction has largely been lost to history and the terms are now nearly synonymous.

Mainline Protestant churches have stressed [[social justice]] and personal [[salvation]], and both [[Social liberalism|politically]] and [[Liberal Christianity|theologically]], tend to be more liberal than non-mainline Protestant churches. Mainline Protestant churches share a common approach that often leads to collaboration in organizations such as the [[National Council of Churches]], and because of their involvement with the [[ecumenical movement]], they are sometimes given the alternative label of "ecumenical Protestantism" (especially outside the United States).{{citation needed|date=May 2025}} While in 1970 the mainline Protestant churches claimed most Protestants and more than 30 percent of the American population as members, {{as of|2009|lc=y}} they were a minority among American Protestants, claiming approximately 15 percent of American adults.{{update needed|date=May 2025}}