In pursuit of the old and pure

The Economist reviews The Protestant Revolution by William Naphy.

Its [the Reformation's] main characteristics—an emphasis on a direct relationship with Jesus and a strong belief among members of its various denominations that they alone have arrived at the correct reading of the New Testament—are still common to Protestantism today. These are low barriers to entry, which may help to explain the creative destruction that has characterised Protestant sects. Old ones die out and new ones are born, each convinced that the recent past has been an aberration and that what is needed is a return to an older, purer Christianity.