And the last episode of our Christian history and facts is here! Jesus prays in John 17:23 for all believers – ‘…May they be brought to complete unity, to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as You have loved Me.’
SO WHY ARE THERE SO MANY DENOMINATIONS? 🤷🏽♀🤷🏽♀
Yo, I am no fan of denominationalism, but it forms a critical part of our history as Christians. You need to know this not only for yourself but also for that person who may be having problems accepting the faith based on the many divisions of the Body. Remember why we’re doing this in the first place? – always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear [1 Peter 3:15]
So let’s start with:
1. CATHOLICISM
The Catholic Church herself says she has been in existence since 30A.D. Historians have a different story to tell. History has it that the Catholic Church started in Rome during the reign of Constantine the Emperor. For the first 280 years of its existence, Christianity, we are told, was banned from Rome. The Emperor, however, in 313A.D fought for and attained religious tolerance because he wanted to unite his then divided empire. It is reported that because of the difficulty in totally giving up pagan practices, Constantine promoted the “Christianization” of certain pagan beliefs and that is what birthed the Catholic church.
There are several other denominations in between- Greek, Eastern and Russian Orthodox Churches, etc. We will skip these and jump straight to:
2. PROTESTANTISM
It began with Martin Luther [Find out more here]. It is simply any church outside the Catholic or Orthodox Church traditions. It was called the Protestant Reformation. The Lutheran, The Presbyterian, Anglican Church and The Baptist Church came from this reformation. The Methodist Church later broke away from the Anglican Church. Let’s take them one at a time:
A. LUTHERAN:
Martin Luther was a Catholic priest before the great reformation in 1517. He had no intention of starting a new church, but only sought to correct the wrongs of abuse and lack of biblical knowledge and backing of the Catholic Church. There were two major Lutheran movements: Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. They lay emphasis on salvation THROUGH GRACE alone; grace from FAITH alone [because of Luther’s personal struggle with grace and salvation. Kindly read the piece on Luther here if you’re lost]. The Lutheran churches, however, still largely carried on ceremonies and liturgies of the Roman Catholic Church with the exclusion of the supremacy of the Pope.
B. PRESBYTERIAN
Presbyterianism began in Scotland. The first Presbytery was formed in 1706 by John Knox with the help of John Calvin. Knox protested against the Catholic Mary and Catholic practices while Calvin also subscribed to Luther’s teachings on justification by faith and the sole authority of the Scriptures. John Calvin however emphasized Pre-destination and Eternal Security.
C. BAPTIST
They are also known as the Free Church Movement. Again, against the Roman Church which practised infant baptism, this was a subtle movement that started with people re-baptising adults who were now old enough to understand their faith. They were persecuted by the RC but still grew in numbers and held on the teaching of John Calvin. The first English Baptist Church was formed in 1612 by Thomas Helwys and John Murton. This church has come to be called many things, depending on which country we are talking about.
D. ANGLICAN
The Church of England. This church came to be as a result of a mixture of political, church and personal rivalries. King Henry VIII wanted a divorce from his wife Catherine who he ‘inherited’ from his deceased brother Arthur so he could marry Anne of Cleves. He was denied by the Pope. Turns out Henry was not only the King of England, but also the King of Sensuality! He detached the Church of England from the supremacy of the Papacy/the Pope and established a church with a mixture of Catholicism and Protestantism in 1531. Henry headed of the church himself! And all of this was so he could marry Anne Boleyn who he eventually beheaded! I’d end his story there but he married four (4) more women after that and fathered several other illegitimate children! 🤦🏽♀
E. METHODIST
Founded by John Wesley, who went to England with his brother Charles as missionaries in the 1730’s. They were both having problems with their faith in the church of England and returned to Georgia looking for answers. By 1738, they had found a strong standing in faith and began a new movement in England which made use of uneducated lay men who were sent to spread the faith. British colonists carried this movement to the USA. The Methodists were concerned with Personal Holiness and made use of revivals and camp meetings to emphasize a personal experience of salvation. They gained their name from their methodical way of devotion and study.
Finally: 😅
F. CHARISMATICS!
This inter-denominational denomination [lol!] traces its roots to 1906 at a Methodist-sponsored revival where people spoke in tongues and experienced the miraculous. The predominant feature was the importance and role of the Holy Spirit. This enthusiasm spread through the U.S as a movement but has grown to be a denomination over the years.
Unfortunately Jehovah’s Witness, Kristo Asafo [a group in Ghana, West Africa] and the Church of Latter Day Saints do not accept the basic teachings of Christianity [Trinity, the Holy Spirit, Monotheism, etc] so let’s save those for another day.
Sooo, after my long talk, it would be utterly unwise to think that one is superior to the other. Though I have my personal preference as every other person may, it would be sorcery to be a perpetuator of further division in the Body of Christ.
“The acts of the flesh are obvious: … discord, dissensions, factions and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19
Find a denomination that best edifies you, and then set your mind to praying for oneness in mind and heart of the body of Christ.
This is the last of the Christian facts series, yipee! If you didn’t follow you can start the series here! Do feel free to get in touch with your questions or recommendations. What follows from here now is the REAL DEAL!
With Love,
★ RAD ★
