A follower of a teacher or a mentor. In Christian writings there are some disciples who are specifically named as close followers of Jesus but the term is more inclusive than those explicit references. For example, scholars of early Christianity believe that a number of women (who are not named) were among the earliest disciples of Jesus. (See especially writings by Elisabeth Schüssler-Fiorenza.)

To officially exclude someone from membership in a Christian sect. 

There are many interpretations of this widely used term.  It is often associated with conservative religious beliefs across traditions but its origins lie in an early twentieth century American Protestant group that published a series of twelve pamphlets entitled The Fundamentals. Following a long tradition of different opinions regarding Biblical interpretation, fundamentalists were responding to new Biblical scholarship that examined the Bible in its historical context. They were also responding to a rise in secularism, including scientific explanations for human origins...

Turkey has a small but growing Greek population, most of whom are Greek Orthodox Christians. Greek Orthodox Christianity was one of three main groups under the Ottoman millet system, which dissolved with the creation of the secular state, at which point the Greek patriarch was temporarily expelled from Istanbul and secular education was imposed in Greek schools. Like the Armenians, the Greeks suffered massacres and expulsions from Turkey leading up to and during WWI, and many more were removed to Greece during the 1923 population transfer of Greeks and Turks.

The Greek...