CoC Claim #1: Denomination Means Division

"Denomination means division."
That’s what many in the Church of Christ have been taught—and it’s often the first reason given when explaining why they believe they’re not part of a denomination.
📌 But is that actually what the word means?
Hi, I’m Bob Baulch, and welcome to the That’s Jesus Channel. I was raised in the Church of Christ. I believed this argument. I defended it. I even taught it. And I loved the men and women who taught it to me. And I still love them—deeply. But love doesn’t mean silence. It means truth in grace.
In this episode, we lovingly examine one of the most common claims made in the Church of Christ world:
“We’re not a denomination—because the word denomination means division.”
We’ll walk through:
📖 Real dictionary definitions — from Merriam-Webster, Oxford, and Cambridge
🧮 What a denominator actually is (and how it differs from a divisor)
🔟 Real-world examples of how “denomination” just means category
🧠 Why this argument falls apart logically, linguistically, and biblically
😄 A funny analogy about “air-bathing” that makes the whole thing unforgettable
💬 A real Church of Christ quote from a public Facebook group that sums up the whole claim
This series is not about attacking anyone’s faith. If you're a Church of Christ member and you feel like watching this might shake your walk with Jesus—I lovingly encourage you to wait. There’s no pressure. The invitation is always open.
But if you’re ready to explore these arguments with honesty and compassion… let’s go.
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⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 – Welcome to the That’s Jesus Channel
00:25 – Loving Disclaimer to Church of Christ Viewers
01:10 – The Claim: Denomination = Division
02:30 – Dictionary Definitions from Merriam-Webster, Oxford, and Cambridge
03:30 – Denominator vs. Divisor: Bad Math and Bad Theology
05:25 – Real-World Denominations That Aren’t Divisions
06:10 – Why the Argument Falls Apart
07:05 – Let’s Be Honest: This Is a Denomination By Definition
09:25 – Personal Challenge to Reflect & Ask the Hard Questions
10:00 – What’s Coming Next: Claim #2 (Creeds vs. Bible)
10:20 – Outro: Subscribe and Be Blessed
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📚 Sources & References (Summarized for Description)
• Merriam-Webster Dictionary
“A religious organization whose congregations are united in their adherence to its beliefs and practices.”
• Oxford English Dictionary
“A recognized autonomous branch of the Christian Church.”
• Cambridge Dictionary
“A religious group that has slightly different beliefs from other groups that share the same religion.”
• Online Etymology Dictionary – Origin of “Denominator”: Denominare – to name
• Public Facebook Group: Church of Christ (Name Withheld)
“Denomination is literally the act of dividing. That’s why you get denominations of money. Christ’s body isn’t divided…”
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🔖 Tags (YouTube Metadata Keywords)
Church of Christ, denomination, non-denominational church, is the Church of Christ a denomination, biblical church, restoration movement, Alexander Campbell, Church of Christ teachings, gospel truth, New Testament church, denominationalism, church unity, biblical definitions, Bible study, Christian doctrine, denominations in Christianity, Christian YouTube channel
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📢 Viewer Engagement Prompts
• Drop a comment if you’ve heard or used this argument before.
• Like this video if it helped clarify a confusing topic.
• Share it with someone who’s been wrestling with this question.
• Subscribe and hit the 🔔 bell so you don’t miss the next episode!
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📌 Hashtags
#ChurchOfChrist #Denomination #ThatsJesusChannel #ChristianUnity #BibleTruth #RestorationMovement #ChristianDoctrine #ReligiousLabels #ChurchHistory #FaithAndLogic
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[aulbertwest]

I've heard 1st Cor. 1:17 used to say that denominations are wrong. But a look at the context shows that it's referring to division in one congregation. It was addressed only to the Corinthians.

[AJ-ezhn]

So grateful for you! Thank you for continuing these very important messages.

[stephenreeves]

Bob looking forward to the series. Cool hat by the way !

[ToddMcCrackenDDS]

REALLY appreciate YOU and all you do! We know a LOT of the same people and have similar journeys !

[wydopnthrtl]

Thank you for this. As you may recall I was conservative / autonomous CoC for 34yrs and have posted on other vids of yours.

My take and very specifically CoC's claiming "non denominational". My reply doesn't apply to any other church group.

CoC's want desperately to be the 1st century church. Even claiming Rom 16:16 as proof. Which is only pretexting to justify the name on the building.
However there is a very basic and fundamental problem in CoCs. They demonstrably do NOT do what those churches we see in the N.T. did.
Those churches in the (so called) "new testament" studied Torah, were in churches (synagogues), and on the 7th day Sabbath. No where in the whole of the canonized Bible do you see gentile believers replacing the Sabbath with roman sun worship day.
Acts 20:7 doesn't show that
1 Cor 16:16 doesn't show that
Hebrews doesn't show that
Galatians doesn't show that
Again in absolutely ZERO verse do we see the roman sun worship day supplanting the Sabbath.

I 100% do believe we should be doing what those churches in the N.T. did. I agree with that claim from CoCs. But unlike modern day CoC's I actually do what they did and when they did it. I do what my savior, high priest, King, and judge did when He did it. CoC's simply and demonstrably do not.

Modern day CoC's are protestant. Their basis comes from the roman catholic alliance. Yes they changed some things and hence why they are both protestant AND denominational. Their beliefs don't come from Torah and Yeshua bringing it to the full. They follow a protestant based Campbell-Stone theology from the 1800s.

So are CoC's a denomination? Yes. The proof is is what they do. They deny Torah is the basis for "law" and "sin". They forsake His blessed and Holy day of ceasing work. They also deny days 1-6 are days commanded to be for work. They pretext and use out of context understandings to justify their unwritten theology.

When someone (a church) says one thing, believes the stated dogma, and yet does something else? That's called hypocrisy.
I have developed many friends in CoC's who truly believe in Yeshua. The problem is they follow dogma and not the holy and inspired scriptures.

It's just that simple.
Shalom

[CreedeCriswell]

I am currently church of Christ and let’s just say they’re very STRICT
They think they know best no matter what

[lauraambrosio]

They say they are autonomous...each congregation led by the preacher and other "men" who lead the way they "think" best. Then they crucify other coc's who don't follow their set of standards....then they say they are a unified church, (mainly bc they have a set of rules that they all follow). This sounds more like uniformity rather than unity....I've seen the division and dissention among them., hence each has their own denominational views. There are so many different sects....some more legalistic than others...but "logically" this is a denomination. It's funny bc every non coc denomination I've visited, as long as Jesus Christ is central to the gospel and His death burial and resurrection is being taught as the way to receiving salvation, I have always found brothers and sisters in Christ and we all agree.❤

[Robert-rsc]

Christ established the One, Holy, Catholic (Universal) and Apostolic Church in 33 AD.

[AxStoryxToxBexTold]

It’s alarming how scared they are of doing anything even remotely resembling a denomination. Down to stupid stuff like refusing to recognize Easter and Christmas. They use “denominational” as if it’s a slur

[larrytruelove]

Denomination comes from
de + nomina (from the name)

Denomination and denominator have the same etymology, the same linguistic source. One doesn’t come from the other.

[wendellbarker]

Mathmatically "Non Denominational" means no denominator...or My Mother has 7 children 1/7th since I am an only child ...no denominating for me...

[tecsonics]

A very skewed argument and unsound logic. If it's true, why have your own buildings? Isn't it easy to just join other denominations?