WHY ARE THERE MANY CHRISTIAN DENOMINATIONS TODAY? | 100 DOD | DAY 81

[itunuiwalokun]

Day 81 — Why Are There So Many Christian Denominations Today?

The diversity of Christian denominations today is rooted in significant events in church history, particularly the role of the Catholic Church and the Protestant Reformation.

During the late Middle Ages, the Catholic Church wielded immense power, both spiritually and politically. It owned about one-third of the land in Europe and played a significant role in governance. However, the Church's influence was tainted by practices such as the selling of indulgences, which were widely viewed as corrupt.

Martin Luther, a German monk, became a central figure in challenging the Catholic Church's authority. After surviving a near-death experience during a storm, Luther vowed to become a monk. While studying the Scriptures, he encountered Galatians 3:11, which states, "The righteous shall live by faith." This verse had a profound impact on Luther, revealing that salvation is granted by faith alone, not by works or purchasing indulgences.

This revelation led Luther to write his famous "95 Theses", which criticized various practices of the Catholic Church, particularly the sale of indulgences. Luther’s theses were nailed to the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church, an act often seen as the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.

The Catholic Church attempted to suppress these new ideas, but the invention of the printing press around 1440 revolutionized the spread of information. Books, including the Bible, could now be mass-produced, making them accessible to the common people. This technological advancement allowed Luther’s ideas to spread rapidly across Europe, challenging the Catholic Church's dominance.

The Advantages of the Protestant Reformation
1. The Bible became accessible to ordinary people, not just the clergy or elite.
2. It sparked a wave of global literacy as people sought to read the Scriptures for themselves.
3. It contributed to the development of the modern concept of the separation of church and state.

The Disadvantages of the Protestant Reformation
1. The Reformation led to religious fragmentation, resulting in the creation of numerous denominations.
2. It fueled conflicts and wars between Protestants and Catholics, leading to forced conversions and strife.

As with any significant movement, the Reformation was not immune to being hijacked for personal or political gain. For example, King Henry VIII of England broke away from the Catholic Church and established the Church of England after the Pope refused to annul his marriage so he could remarry.

Today, there are over 6, 000 Christian denominations. The lack of central accountability has led to a wide range of beliefs and practices, highlighting both the diversity and challenges within the Christian faith.

[irizzzy]

This man is so intelligent! What a blessing to our generation ❤

[shurggz]

DAY 81. 100DOD
WHY ARE THERE MANY CHRISTIAN DENOMINATIONS TODAY?
Galatians 3:11b is a landmark text because it sparks a new revelation. And so prior to this time, the Catholic Church had so much power, and they had so much political and economic authority.

A man named Martin Luther [and not Martin Luther King Jnr] had an encounter after making a vow to God that if he survives he will become a monk and so as a man always conscious of his sins, he was always making confessions to the priests until he came across a scripture that says the just shall live by faith. Heb 10:38.

At a time, books were handwritten and it was a luxury to have books and so only catholic priests had bibles or scriptural manuscripts and this might have contributed immensely to the excesses and language barriers included and so Martin Luther stood against the errors of the church and so at his time just 20 years before the printing press came into play and so his writings spread and became viral

Advantages of protestant Reformation
1. Accessibility of the Bible to the layman
2. Increased literacy among the people.
3. Contributed to the growth of the printing press.
4. The revival of the orthodoxy.

Disadvantages of the protestant Reformation
1. The extremes of religious freedom. It makes you unaccountable to anybody, which is dangerous. There are no structures to keep anybody accountable.
2. There were wars and persecutions tied to the reformation. There was a rise in religious intolerance.

N.B: Don't become a monster all in the name of the truth. There is a way to say the truth objectively.
At the end of the day, when you develop a culture that lacks accountability in the name of nobody is above errror, your life will be greatly affected.

[ItsPapee]

I learnt that there was a time when the Roman catholic was one of the most powerful political institution in the world. At the time, Martin Luther overwhelmed with the consciousness of his sins, came by the life changing text: "The just shall live by faith" which prompted his writing of the 95 thesis that were rebuttals to some of the catholic church dogma and this set the tone for the Protestant Revolution.

Some of the advantages of the protestant revolution were:

-Accessibility of the Bible to the laity.
-increased literacy amongst the people.
-growth of the printing press.
-revival of orthodoxy.

Disadvantages:
-The lack of a central accountability which has lead to believers depending on anyone's discernment and in so doing falling prey to unchristian/uncanny ideologies.

However, God's will is still that we're one and that the household of God is still supposed to be built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets with Jesus christ as the chief cornerstone.

[thewritingacademy]

Sincerely, lately, my heart has been drawn on the need for central accountability in the church.

[NchatKasai]

It's how Apostle is graced to make complex things easier. Thank you sir

[Bobby_Matthews]

"Niceness" isn't a fruit of the spirit but "Kindness" is.

[oluwatosinoladapo]

Central accountability! I think it's the solution that will solve the issues with certain 'translations' that are more of a commentary than an accurate translation.

Imagine my shock - then consternation - when I found that some of my favorite 'versions' of the Bible are actually regarded more as a commentary than a version. As in, they're paraphrased versions, including the thoughts of the translators (and ways they don't fully agree with what the Bible says on that subject! Case in point: Homosexuality/ Gay Marriage vs Eugene Peterson and the MSG translation)

On top of it all, some of these unobjective 'versions' are so widely distributed and quoted in churches today!

I think having a central authority will prevent people who are not willing to subject themselves to the final authority of God's word from creating translations that suit them and making them widely distributed.

I really wish Pastey will touch on these versions before 100 DOD is over.

[TheCreativeDayo]

I grow together with other saints. I submit to spiritual authority. I honour the body. So help me God

[johnpraisesobande]

Thank you Pastey!

Been loving your approach more on these last days in 100DOD.
Everything dey enter body, feels like you're writing personal letters.

Thank you Sir!

[joyologun]

God help me o. History sometimes bring tears to my eyes. It's a lot.

[Drmaywarrie]

Thank you sir for shedding more light on this topic. God bless you🙏🏾
I have always wondered why there are so many Christian denominations and didn’t know the historical aspect of it, few weeks ago I was having a discussion about it with a friend. Today you answered the question and I’m encouraged to read more about it now. Off to go share this with everyone 😁

[chechesdigitaldiary]

Why are there many Christian Denominations?-Apostle Emmanuel Iren

Galatians 3:11b. This text sparked a new revelation in Martin Luther and the church at large. Before this time, they owned one-third of the land and the Catholic Church was the most powerful institution in the world. And because the Bible was written in Latin, only the priest read the Bible. Martin Luther was about to die (he thought that lightning was going to hit him) and told God that if he survived it, he was going to become a monk. When he survived he went to the monastery and because he was so overwhelmed by his sin, he went for confessions regularly until he discovered Gal 3:11. The text revealed to him that salvation came by faith and not confession, and this led to him writing the 95 phrases, which was a rebuttal to some Catholic doctrines.

A lot of people thought that the Catholic Church was trying to make sure people stayed ignorant but this could have been false because this was an era before the printing press and many books were handwritten on things like animal skin so these things had to be preserved and so only the elite had access to it. The Bible was also in Latin at the time and many couldn't speak this.

Martin Luther stood against it and this led to a great revolution and by Kairos, this coincided with the advent of the printing press.

His writing became popular and there was also a demand for the Bible so Bibles were printed.

PROS
1. Accessibility of the Bible to the layman.
2. Increased Literacy: Bible reading cultures made people more literate
3. Growth of the Printing Press: The Bible remains the best-selling book in history.
4. The Revival of Orthodoxy: the church was restored to its original simplicity.

CONS.
1. 16-year-olds are being called Papa and other students are washing their clothes. Young people can gather the following and there's no system for accountability in the church’s structure now.
2. The French Wars and English Civil Wars were to some extent because of strife between the Catholics and Protestants.
3. Further Reformations. E.g. Anglican( which started because the Catholic Church did not allow Herod to divorce his wife so he went to start his own🤣🥹), Baptist, Calvinist, etc. It's almost like we have an issue with authority.

Don't become a monster all in the name of truth. Niceness is not a fruit of the Spirit but kindness is. When you develop a culture of no accountability where nobody is above error it will affect your worship life. Some people cannot be blessed by the ministry of any man of God because they are too suspicious. You can't receive from someone you don't genuinely honour. God's will is still that we are one. It's still a Biblical concept to follow some people as they follow the Lord. It's still a gift from God to be pastored.

[boluwatifetaiwo]

I wish the whole “body of Christ” could hear this!!!!

[prince-davidhenshaw]

Thank you, Pastey🤍✝️🙌
I sincerely love and honour you, your ministry and all you represent.

I sincerely pray for Grace, strength and more and more insights.

[Ike_Chukwu]

Truthfully speaking what you said about submission to authority is very true especially in the pentecostal setting.... Not to spite any one .... There is no centralized authority that controls some excesses and it has caused a lot of nuisance in the body of Christ permitting a lot of lies and deception...

[LorettaaE]

Day 81 ✅✅

Thank you PIE 🥹….
I can sense the emotional investment in this topic ….


God’s WILL for His BODY is STILL that WE ARE ONE ☝️ !

We must strike the balance between Fidelity for The Truth & Peace !

Thank you again sir 🤍

[gloriaokeson]

Day 81 of 100 days
It is still God's will that we are all ONE in the body of Christ

[ChildofGod]

Lord please hear my prayers. As a single mother I’m struggling to provide for my sons both are special needs I’m overwhelmed! Every month is a battle. Jesus help me to overcome my fears. Because as I struggle I am fearful. I trust in you Lord Jesus please give me strength as I struggle to buy groceries and as I struggle to pay rent I know you will make a way for me and my children❤️

[Honest.pie.]

Day 81:

History of the Protestant reformation; There was an era where the Catholic Church was the most powerful institution in Europe and owned about one-third of the land. Then a man name Martin Luther (not Martin Luther king jnr) he made a vow to God to be a monk, where he later came across a life changing text Gal 3:11b.
It spiraled to him writing the 95 thesis and him standing against extremists. He went viral due to printing press that popularized his writing

Advantage of the Protestant reformation
1. Accessibility of the Bible to the layman
2. Increased literacy amongst the people
3. Growth of the printing press


Disadvantages of it:
1. There are some extremes that have come from it
2. It fueled many historical religious wars
3. Led to fragmentation of the church

Many of these have affected the church and we should understand that the foundation of the church should be on the apostles writing and Christ as the chief corner stone