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Some Protestant traditions do not acknowledge sacred time other than Christmas and Easter. For many Protestants, however, sacred time is organized by a liturgical calendar that celebrates all the major events in the life of Jesus and in the early Church throughout the course of each year.

Protestants have largely rejected the use of images and statues in worship. They tend to have plainer, more austere worship spaces than Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox. There are differences, however, with some Lutherans and many Anglicans tending more toward the Catholic end of the spectrum than other Protestants.

The rituals of baptism and the Lord's Supper have been among the most important and contentious aspects of Protestantism. These practices embody important theological differences that distinguish the branches of Protestant Christianity (Reformed/Presbyterian, Lutheran, Anglican, Baptist, etc.).

Protestant daily life is shaped by the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers—which has implications for such matters as vocation and work ethic—and by the belief that salvation is by faith, which leads to an emphasis on nurturing a personal relationship with God.

Protestant symbolism tends to direct attention to the key doctrines of salvation by faith in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus (as a gift of the Spirit), and sola scriptura (the primacy of the Bible).