Data source: Gina A. Zurlo and Todd M. Johnson, eds., World Christian Database (Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2024).
| Glossary item | Definition |
|---|---|
| breakoff | A schism, secession (qv). |
| Brethren | A general term for Christians, used as a proper name by several traditions, especially Christian Brethren (qv). |
| bridge people | A variety of people group that can be regarded as a bridge for evangelistic ministry toward an otherwise unreachable or inaccessible target segment. |
| Britain | (I) Ageographical term covering Great Britain, consisting of England, Wales and Scotland. (2) Apolitical shorthand term for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. |
| British and American denominations | Some marginal Protestant denominations, however, retain British-Israel tenets. |
| British Isles | A geographical term covering England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland (both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland). |
| British-Israelites | A movement holding that the British and North American peoples are part of the 10 lost tribes of Israel; not a separate sect, since members belong to many |
| Broad Church Anglicans | See Central or Broad Church Anglicans. |
| broadcast | A radio or TV program. |
| broadcasting station | See radio station. |
| broadcasting studio | Center for the production or compilation (but not transmission) of radio or TV programs, which are then sent elsewhere for broadcasting over stations. |
| broadcasting, Christian | There are over 500 organizations in this field significant at the national and wider levels. |
| broadcasting, religious | Often used as synonymous with Christian broadcasting, but incorrectly since Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and numerous New Religions and sects make extensive use of radio and TV in many countries. |
| brother | ( I ) A co-religionist, especially a fellow-member of a Christian church. (2) A member of a congregation of religious men not in holy orders. |
| brother | A lay member of a men’s religious order; or more loosely, a male coreligionist. |
| brotherhood | An association of Christian men, e.g. a monastic society. |
| brothers | Members of men’s religious institutes or congregations not in holy orders. |
| Brothers of Christ | Christadelphians (qv). |
| Buddhists | Followers of the Buddha, mostly across Asia, including three main traditions: (a) Mahayana (Greater Vehicle); (b) Theravada (Teaching of the Elders); (c) Tibetan (Lamaists); plus (d) traditional Buddhist sects, but excluding neo-Buddhist new religions or religious movements. |
| Bulgarian rite | A rite of the Catholic Church. |
| bull | See papal bull. |
| bush telegraph | The means whereby natives of a jungle or bush rapidly spread news from person to person, an informal but well-organized system of word-of-mouth communication. |
| Byzantine | The Byzantine or Constantinopolitan rite of the Catholic Church consists of 13 sub-rites: Albanian, Bulgarian, Greek, Hungarian, Italo-Albanian, Melkite, Romanian, Russian, Ruthenian, Slovak, Ukrainian, White- Ruthenian (Belorussian), Yugoslavian (qv for separate statistics). |
| cadet | In Salvation Army usage, one undergoing training to become an officer. |
| Cafuso | The Portuguese-speaking issue of a Negro and an Amerindian; in Spanish, Zambo. |
Data on 18 categories of religion, including non-religious, by country, province, and people.
Data on all religions, Christian activities, and trends.
Membership data, year begun, and rates of change.
Population and religion data on all major cities & provinces.
Detailed information covering religion, culture, and geography.
A repository of historical data, including a chronology of Christianity from the 1st to 21st centuries.