If Christianity is True, Why Are There So Many Denominations?

Read: Quick Shot - “If Christianity were true, there wouldn’t be so many denominations”

Christians can’t even agree with each other, why should anyone else think Christianity is true? If so many Christians are in disagreement, how can we be certain Christianity is true? In this video from J. Warner’s “Quick Shots: Fast Answers to Hard Questions” series on RightNow Media, J. Warner answers this common question related to the claims of Christianity.

[sashabowman]

Jesus doesnt call people out of the world to attend church and to let others be your teachers . He calls us to be of one one mind. spiritual, holy and righteous, producing the fruit of the spirit.

[bretjernigan]

Good viewpoint. It is interesting, though, that the coming of "sects" was something the apostle Paul warned the original Christians about. He said that he would go away and that wicked men would enter in and also that people who originally associated with them would "rise up" and created divisions and preach false doctrine. I believe that the current plentitude of "Christian" faiths are a result of that prophecy being fulfilled

[Knight_Boxx]

Every person has their own version of who God/Jesus are. If you were to go interview members of the same exact church about doctrinal questions or ideas, you would get wildly different answers.

[Ryan_Zell]

I have a theory why most Protestants never reveal there denomination, cult or sect to us: Its because they dont want us to compare their denomination to another denomination to prove that Protestantism HAS DIVIDED CHRIST. St. Paul: IS CHRIST DIVIDED? MAY IT NEVER BE. The truth is Christ is not divided. He has only One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. And Christ entrusted St. Peter to be its Shepherd. John 21:15:17, Matt 16 and 18.


Thrre is both wide gate and a narrow gate. The wide gate is 40, 000 denominations wide, which leads to destruction.


The gate is narrow gate, which leads to eternal life, and that one gate is enteted through the Catholic Church.


Ask yourself why God would divide His Church.

[ryanrindels]

I agree that there will always be spread out views regarding atheism, cosmology, politics, etc, but the difference is that none of the things I've listed are based on the word of a perfect, indisputable being who is NOT an author of confusion.

[GR]

For 1500 years, Christendom (except for a few heretical sects) was united in doctrinal and moral teaching. There has always been one Church, one Gospel, one faith and it wasn't until the reformers came along that the cleaving of Christendom began.
So, where can we find this one church that teaches with absolute doctrinal truth? The early Church tells us:

"It is incumbent to obey the presbyters who are in the Church—those who, as I have shown, possess the succession from the apostles; those who, together with the succession of the episcopate, have received the infallible charism of truth, according to the good pleasure of the Father. But [it is also incumbent] to hold in suspicion others who depart from the primitive succession, and assemble themselves together in any place whatsoever, either as heretics of perverse minds, or as schismatics puffed up and self-pleasing, or again as hypocrites, acting thus for the sake of lucre and vainglory. For all these have fallen from the truth".
- Ireneaus of Lyons (a disciple of Polycarp of Smyrna), Against Heresies, 4:26:2, 180 AD

[kevkboj]

If denomination divisions are human-driven, churches shouldn't proclaim theirs is the truer belief over another. If denominations are human-driven, so are churches and their subjective beliefs in God. One can then argue that God is a human-driven concept. Call up any church, they won't give you the honest answer you are giving.

Many times I would hear Pastors say they "hear God" driving their beliefs. That God is "speaking" to them. It would be more honest for them to say one denomination believes this, we don't because... It's just our interpretation. Neither would they say there's this type of interpretation, and there's that interpretation. You are free to think for yourself and believe what you want. There is no openness to difference in thought when it comes to a churches' statement of beliefs. Every church truly believes their own denominational vision is God-lead, they'd claim. And once you disagree, they'll accuse you of being human-driven.

[Jesusmyhopeofglory]

We sometimes look for big Theological reasonings at times when we just need to see the simplicity in it. Great answer!!

[jasonmartin]

I agree with the spirit of your presentation, however despite having thousands of theories, physicists mostly agree on the most likely theory at any givin time. Unfortunately my church judges other churches as not the truth

[garyavey]

There are so many denominations because Satan has to confuse many types of people .Revelation 17and 18 Revelation 18:4 ) And I heard another voice out of heaven say: “Get out of her, my people, if you do not want to share with her in her sins, and if you do not want to receive part of her plagues.

[SantaFe]

Short answer: God loves diversity, long answer; the things that different churches agree on are important than what they disagree on (the Trinity and the deity of Christ are more important than the teaching John Calvin and Jacob Arminius), most of the people who are considered the "founders" of denominations wanted reform and since not everybody agreed with their reforms, they had to start a new thing, and all of the world's religions are fragmented as well.

[AWretchedMan]

Catholicism is the True Original, religion of Jesus Christ... The rest are twisted... False prophets like Martin Luther... Even Buddism and Islamic beliefs... The bible was written way before them...

[simshadyhagrmfchevy]

In all honesty I think we’ve been taught and it causes hate between denominations….i was told as a child that if I didn’t go to Church of Christ, that I was doomed to hell

[shirleygoss]

People bicker and disagree about divine truth! Does that mean God gave us His truth by just throwing it into the air, with no safeguard as to how it should be rightly handled?
I have a difficult time believing that! In fact, I don't believe it!

[alexandreperusio]

Sorry, I understand the logic that having divisions doesn't prove Christianity isn't true. but divisions do cause a bad testimony of Christ. Eph 4:3-6: "Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." There is no biblical basis for us to gather in a human organization, but there is a biblical basis for us to gather only in the name of the Lord Jesus. Jesus said to be gathered together in His name, Jesus' name is the place. This euphemism of saying we can create anything and saying it's church is wrong from start to the end.(1 church is the set of the saved, 2 to congregate we must recognize the Lord Jesus as the only guide, never putting a human being as a leader. 1Cor 14:29-33: "Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints." These orders are deliberately ignored. There is no other name for us to address but the name of Jesus. Everything else is a bad testimony to the name of Christ. Heb 13:13: "Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach."

[BurningDesire_letsgo]

Ladies and gents, we know or maybe some don’t that there’s good and evil. What is good all about, what is evil all about???? The enemy is the lord of deception, and you have Triune God as the Lord of truth. We have been given free will and we all must choose.

[markhorton]

There are denominations that agree completely in theology. The difference between them is region of association or a difference in church governance which they themselves consider a preference and nothing more.
In other cases the difference is in something like application. For example all Confessional Lutherans such as WELS, LCMS ans AALC have the same theology. Our statement of faith is the Book of Concord a set of documents completed shortly after the death of Martin Luther. The first point it makes and the first line of some of the documents is that the only reliable judge of theology is Scripture. aka sola scriptura.
Confessional Lutherans are very careful of exposure to false doctrine. That is why we offer Communion only to members and those who the Pastor finds to share our beliefs. We only allow those in complete agreement to preach from our pulpits. To avoid being confounded with other doctrines our Pastors do not offer prayer at public events eg the dedication of a public building where others also speak. Everyone is more than welcome to worship with us but we do not compromise our beliefs. WELS and LCMS do not have "pulpit and altar fellowship " because WELS is stricter than LCMS in this separation from those who disagree. For example LCMS accepts the Boy Scouts and some congregations sponsor troups. WELS considers the BSA requirement that members believe in SOME God, not necessarily the true God, unacceptable.
By the way no matter what they say the ELCA is NOT confessional Lutheran. I have been told by ELCA members that I am a "sodomite " because I refuse to accept homosexuality as normal and appropriate behavior. Not only unbiblical but their own definition of the English language.

[mercyletsgo]

That's different compared to what God's word says people are arguing over it

[craigsherman]

Jesus founded a Church that is the pillar and bulwark of Truth because he knew humans were like this. This Church would have Jesus with it and last until the end of the age. That Church can be traced back to the beginning. When you find that Church, that is the True Church.

[YHR]

Not only is denominations not biblical read (1) Corin chapter 1, and (1) Corin chapter 3. the Messiah came to propose "THE WAY" John 14:6, and Acts 24:14....Christianity is also unbiblical you'll never find any passage where the Apostles, Prophets or the Messiah himself refer to themselves, as christians nor a before anyone jump to conclusions, and use Acts 11:26... or (1) peter 4:16 use exegetical breakdown and read entire chapter in because someone call you something that doesn't make you what THEY called you, and then for clarity Paul the Apostle of the Gentiles clarifies his identity read Rom 11:1, and Phili 3:5