Christian Denominations

[Philip James]

Anybody know why there's so many?

Hello April,

Sin

Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness,

idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions

Peace be with you!

 

[Sabertooth]

Sin

(At least, it is diversified sin, instead of all of us betting on the same "horse." ♞

If we were to all bet on the same horse, which one should it be...?

)​

 

[Heart2Soul]

@April_Rose
Here is diagram of the early church..
Google Image Result for https://www.quotemaster.org/images/25/251e3f98af4513700d6d952f26fb7344.jpg

The first split was the Roman Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church....and the reason was because of differing interpretations of what was written, meant, and intended for the leaders to teach to the congregation.
And after that first split it has not ceased dividing and splitting into different denominations each with their own creed and doctrines which they established at the time of the split and forming a new denomination.
By 2025 it is estimated that there will be over 50 million different Christian denominations on earth.
Can you imagine 50 million doctrines of faith being presented here on this forum?
Ooohhhh I get cold chills just thinking about it...

 

[Heart2Soul]

This rather sums up Christians and their unwillingness to admit they're wrong now and then in their doctrines.....kid says it's an apple...Dad says no it's an onion...kid says no it's an apple...lol...and he is too prideful to admit he was wrong so he would rather suffer and eat the whole thing than admit being wrong...hahahahah

Here is a longer version

 

[Sabertooth]

I think that God uses denominationalism to keep us from rebuilding another tower at Babel.
We are still expected to exhibit love & grace, however.

While we might disagree on important points, none of us can presume to have a monopoly on Truth. That is where grace comes in.

IIRC when addressing the seven churches in Revelation, Jesus said

"Here is what you are doing right; here is what you are doing wrong..."​

 

[Sabertooth]

kid says it's an apple...Dad says no it's an onion...kid says no it's an apple...lol...and he is too prideful to admit he was wrong so he would rather suffer and eat the whole thing than admit being wrong...hahahahah

That's commitment...!

(I don't think that it is worthwhile to align ourselves with such in the name of "unity."

Ecumenism panders to the lowest common denominator.)​

 

[Heart2Soul]

That's commitment...!

(I don't think that it is worthwhile to align ourselves with such in the name of "unity."

Ecumenism panders to the lowest common denominator.)​

That's stubborn pride! Lol

 

[DuckieLady]

Seems like people already took care of the differences in opinion part.

By definition, I am an anabaptist, but most anabaptists really just prefer to be called Christians because we are all part of the body of Christ. Most of us don't like the label.

1 Cor 1:10 "I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought."

The only time that "label" is ever useful is when someone is asking me if I'm "Amish or something." (Because I look like a Mennonite.)

Anabaptist means "one who baptizes again." It was a name given out of rebuke and they held onto it. They were killed because they rebaptized as adults since they didn't see any value in infant baptism, as an infant isn't conscious of what is happening to them and can't agree to it.

It's honestly probably what most Christians agree to anyway.

 

[Heart2Soul]

Seems like people already took care of the differences in opinion part.

By definition, I am an anabaptist, but most anabaptists really just prefer to be called Christians because we are all part of the body of Christ. Most of us don't like the label.

1 Cor 1:10 "I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought."

The only time that "label" is ever useful is when someone is asking me if I'm "Amish or something." (Because I look like a Mennonite.)

Anabaptist means "one who baptizes again." It was a name given out of rebuke and they held onto it. They were killed because they rebaptized as adults since they didn't see any value in infant baptism, as an infant isn't conscious of what is happening to them and can't agree to it.

It's honestly probably what most Christians agree to anyway.

I feel the same way. I identify as a child of the one true Living God....adhering to the Christian doctrine of faith.
I am non-denominational...but even that is a label.

 

[Sabertooth]

It's honestly probably what most Christians agree to anyway.

Now they do. Besides Catholics, Luther and the Puritans persecuted the Anabaptists back in the day, too.

 

[Sabertooth]

I am non-denominational...but even that is a label.

Even non-denoms have tenets,* making them de facto denominations; they just don't have a franchise.

* Some examples,

• Trinity,
• Original Sin,
• Salvation by grace, through faith,
  
• Infant vs. Believer's Baptism,
• Eternal Security vs. Conditional Salvation,
• Cessationism vs. Continuationism,
• Pre-Trib vs. Post-Trib Rapture (to name a few...)

The possible combinations of choosing one or the other of just the above would produce, at least, 128 different "denominational" positions.

 

[DuckieLady]

Now they do. Besides Catholics, Luther and the Puritans persecuted the Anabaptists back in the day, too.

That's right ! They did.

But the funny thing is those Anabaptists weren't the same as the ones today. They were a little legalistic from the way I understand and relied a lot more on their "works" than the cross. (Which is what you might find in strict Amish communities- but I love them, too.) Today a lot of them (including myself) enjoy reading a lot of Luther's work. Sort of ironic, if you think about it...

 

[DNB]

Anybody know why there's so many? Why was Jesus called a Jew? Is that because He lived in Judah since Jewish people don't even believe that He was the Son of God?

The Israelites as a whole are called Jews, because Judah was the main tribe left over from the remnant that sustained the two captivities; Assyria 722BC, Babylon 586BC. But, Jesus, not only being from the region of Judea, was also of the tribe of Judah, so he is very aptly called a Jew or Judahite. His Messianic lineage, is derived from him being of the same tribe as that of King David, to whom the promise of the Messiah came.
At the time of Christ, up until the present time, there are countless Jews (broad sense), that do not accept Jesus as the Messiah. Not because they question his genealogy, but, in short, because they don't accept what he claimed as his function and governance.

Why are there so many denominations, for the same reason that there are so many opinions on this forum all claiming to be rightly dividing the Word of God. The Bible is extremely profound, and, in my opinion, very challenging to understand it in its entirety. I personally am adamantly non-denominational - I believe that it's misguided to put any name before Christ's, ....irrespective of the tenets of one's faith.

 

[DuckieLady]

I feel the same way. I identify as a child of the one true Living God....adhering to the Christian doctrine of faith.
I am non-denominational...but even that is a label.

There is a church in MO called "A Church in southwest Missouri." You'll see that they're dressed VERY humbly- more so than myself. What you are saying is the core of their beliefs. I'm not in MO, so I don't go there, but I do listen to Duane Troyer pretty often.

From their description on their YT page:

"We are one body of believers striving to enter into the Kingdom of God. Luke 16:16. We are one faith and one body just as there is one Lord. Ephesians 4:4-6 Feel free to look at our website. onefaithonebody.org"

They are by definition anabaptists, but again, they don't like the label, and they'll even teach to let that label not become an issue of idolatry- which is a dangerous practice for any denomination!

We have to focus more on being the body than our labels and be sure that we understand what the Bible teaches and how to apply it to daily life. It's that simple.

 

[Sabertooth]

Today a lot of them (including myself) enjoy reading a lot of Luther's work. Sort of ironic, if you think about it...

He was the Father of the Reformation --which gave those Anabaptists a platform in the first place.
He just was a little short-sighted beyond his own contributions.

 

[Sabertooth]

...irrespective of the tenets of one's faith.

Some tenets drive people to a religious crab-pot mentality.

If Luther did not dissent, there would have been no Reformation.
If the Anababtists did not dissent, there would have been no Believer's Baptism.
If the principals of the Welsh Revival did not dissent (about not quenching the Spirit), it and subsequent revivals (like Azusa Street) would have been stifled.

Which of those progressions is worth giving up in the name of "unity?"
Does the fact that some refused to make said jumps make them heretical?
There are certainly heresies to avoid, but in my experience when God brings new revelation --and He must in order to fulfill 1 John 3:2-- some will move forward and others will not.
If the latter maintain the basics, they will still be Saved. They will just plateau in their growth unless/until they change their mind.

 

[Sabertooth]

They will just plateau in their growth unless/until they change their mind.

That can even be seen in The Parable of the Talents, where Jesus gave each of His servants responsibilities in accordance with their abilities [faith?].

 

[DNB]

Some tenets drive people to a religious crab-pot mentality.

If Luther did not dissent, there would have been no Reformation.
If the Anababtists did not dissent, there would have been no Believer's Baptism.
If the principals of the Welsh Revival did not dissent (about not quenching the Spirit), it and subsequent revivals (like Azusa Street) would have been stifled.

Which of those progressions is worth giving up in the name of "unity?"
Does the fact that some refused to make said jumps make them heretical?
There are certainly heresies to avoid, but in my experience when God brings new revelation --and He must in order to fulfill 1 John 3:2-- some will move forward and others will not.
If the latter maintain the basics, they will still be Saved. They will just plateau in their growth unless/until they change their mind.

Sorry, not sure if i'm addressing your post, but I didn't quite understand yours, in regard to mine?
My point about '...irrespective of the tents..' was meant to say, despite how exhaustively one agrees with the tenets of a particular denomination, it is still rather precarious to regard yourself by such an appellation - no name should precede or proceed Christ's.

 

[Sabertooth]

Sorry, not sure if i'm addressing your post, but I didn't quite understand yours, in regard to mine?
My point about '...irrespective of the tents..' was meant to say, despite how exhaustively one agrees with the tenets of a particular denomination, it is still rather precarious to regard yourself by such an appellation - no name should precede or proceed Christ's.

What I meant was that Luther had to dissent and leave the Catholic Church in order to advance "Salvation by Grace, through Faith" [SbGtF]. If he would have remained, he would have been stifled.

At that point, there was the ["True" or "Universal"*] Church and the Church that preaches SbGtF. Calling the latter the "Lutheran" Church was a lot easier to say. This is especially true as differences become more nuanced, like the church that preaches this, this, this, this, not that, but this... Labels serve as a positional shorthand.

In the last couple of years, mainline Protestant denominations have been dividing over whether they will endorse homosexuality, et. al. Is that not a valid reason to split? Again, labels serve as a positional shorthand.

*Catholic means "Universal," or standard Church.

 

[amadeus]

denominations are ok, you can read their creeds and if you agree with them you can fellowship with them.

@April_Rose
And then some have no creed but the Word of God, whatever they consider that to be.