5/22/24 Word Count – 725 Reading Time – 3.25 minutes

According to www.churchfinder.com there are over 140 denomination profiles within the Christian faith. Most of these are subgroups organized under one of the major denominations. In a recent article for www.learnreligions.com, Mary Fairchild tells us that there are 7 main Christian denominations; Anglican/Episcopal, Assembly of God, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian and Roman Catholic. However, in Christianityfaq.com, Daniel Isaiah Joseph provides information on over 20 major Christian denominations. It quickly becomes apparent that the topic of denominations is complex. Steven Wedgeworth wrote a good article titled “The Definitive Guide to Christian Denominations” that can be found at www.logos.com/grow/christian-denominations/ . I recommend starting there if you have an interest in the development of Christian denominations.

There are a few things that, to me, are important to know regarding denominations. First, there is nothing in Bible Scripture that calls for denominational separation within the faith. This doesn’t mean denominations are a bad thing. Most denominations are the result of some form of disagreement with an interpretation of fundamental scriptures, a disagreement with the organization of the church itself or a response to a perception of impropriety or corruptions within the existing church.

The first Christian church was the Catholic Church formed by the Apostle Peter. The first denominational separation happened in somewhere around the 4^th century when theological and political differences between churches in the east and churches in the west resulted in the formation of the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches. In the early 1500’s a Catholic monk named Martin Luther took umbrage to what he felt were practices in the Roman Catholic church that did not align with scripture. His protests lead to a period known as the Protestant Reformation and the formation of the doctrine of Lutheranism. There were a number of other groups that abandoned the Roman Catholic Church and formed their own doctrines and denominations. Over the years other splits have occurred within the various denominations that resulted from the Protestant Reformation. These splits have added even more denominations that proclaim to be of the Christian faith and religion.

In my post, dated 3/23/24, I listed what are commonly held as beliefs which are foundational to the Christian faith. Within each of the doctrinal items contained in that list are nuances and interpretations that form the differences separating the denominations. In addition, there may be differences in how the leadership of the church is organized that distinguish one denomination from another. Another contributor to differences between denominations could be geographical considerations. A church in one area of the country could have the same structure, beliefs, and practices as another in a different area but consider themselves a different denomination because of their name or historical background.

In any case, I think the important thing to keep in mind is that if a denomination believes in the fundamental truths of Christianity you are safe. I have long believed that one of the obstacles to forward movement in Christianity is that the denominations tend to focus on their differences more than their similarities.

Nevertheless, it is extremely important to know the fundamental values and beliefs of true Christianity because there are denominations, churches and organizations that claim to be Christian who, upon close examination, don’t hold to the basic doctrines of Christianity. For example, there are religions who claim to be Christian but at their core don’t acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God, but merely a great profit. There are others who don’t believe in the inerrancy of scripture. Still others who rely on teachings from outside of the Bible as a portion of their belief systems. By no means do I claim to be an authority on Christianity. Nor do I claim that the list in my 3/23/24 post is the final or complete compendium of Christian doctrine. But I do believe that our eternal circumstances depend upon following the correct path in this life. I also believe that true Christianity is the path to the best eternal spiritual outcome. So, I advise you to make intelligent choices on the doctrine you choose to follow and not let your decision about which church to attend be overly influenced by emotion or peer pressure. Rather, become familiar with the fundamentals of Christian belief and make certain that the beliefs and doctrine of any church you consider are consistent with Christian fundamentals.