A major figure in American Protestantism died last week and I had never heard of him before. That's life in Catholic circles, I guess, but I was interested to see what he preached and it turns out he was an actual Nestorian as well as a Calvinist.
Also a Dispensationalist and believer in Cessationism, so four heresies in one.
Americans treat religion as just another product, and part of that is creating a brand and differentiating yourself from other brands. Yes, there are established denominations, but those usually have some sort of hierarchy and one can reach the top only after years of work even then there is little actual power.
For those with a more entrepreneurial spirit, founding one's own church is the way to go, and there are many examples of successful preachers who started with a single small church and built a mighty empire thanks to their charisma, stage presence and ability to turn a phrase.
What these men (and they are overwhelmingly men) do not typically have is much in the way of theology. Their goal is to differentiate themselves from other denominations, not push long-established truths. This leads to further fragmentation in Protestantism as new (or old) doctrines have to be introduced.
That's how the long-forgotten doctrine of the Nestorians has risen from the theological graveyard. Similarly, Calvinism isn't enough; there must also be Dispensationalism and Cessationism as well.
That latter belief is interesting insofar as it can be used to explain the paucity of Protestant miracles and dismiss the abundance of Catholic and Orthodox ones, which are attributed to the devil. How miraculous healing in Christ's name facilitates evil is unclear to me, but it's the only cope they have.
Similarly, the need to denigrate the Blessed Virgin Mary and declare her an ordinary, unexceptional woman who had lots of other kids opens the back door to Nestorianism, because the natural conclusion is that Christ's human nature was separate from His divine nature. Thus, a normal, unremarkable woman gave birth to a normal kid, and then the divine nature arrived separately after He emerged from the womb.
Adding in Dispensationalism also makes sense as it's a uniquely American creation and Calvinism seems to be gaining ground among Protestants as Mainline denominations stumble. Calvinism is bracing, stern, and placed a heavy emphasis on condemnation, which goes against the popular grain. It is a welcome contrast to "nice" Christianity.
This combination results in a stridently anti-Catholic belief system, which is also very American.
As with all empires, the succession is always a delicate time, and I'll be interested to see how that plays out.