30,000 Protestant Denominations?

Calvary Press ^ | 2002 | Eric Svendsen

[OLD REGGIE]

We're supposed to believe that every independent Baptist Church and every one of their pastors is "identical in belief and practice"?

Not at all. No more so than you are to believe every "Catholic" Church and every one of their pastors is "identical in belief and practice".

[OLD REGGIE]

Maybe it's not 30,000. But it's more than one. At the very least you can make a matrix of serious doctrinal differences and come across variations upon them. Anything more than one is a result of the desire to disobey the Pope's authority and branch out on your own. Once the principal of there being no authority is established, further severance is guaranteed.

I imagine you would agree each Bishop who disobeys the Pope's authority is the leader of one more denomination?

[AAABEST]

LOL.

Why did I KNOW this thread was going to go downhill fast?

Just laugh at the idiots on both sides, and forgive both sides for their respective idiots.

[broadsword]

Let's say there are only 500 contradictory Protestant denominations. How about only three? All contradicting each other except in their unified hatred/jelousy of the Church's authority, and ALL exactly RIGHT. That's unity and good sense for you.

Ok, guys. Nobody's stopping you from walking away from Peter and the Church. Jesus asked the apostles if they were going to leave, too. Peter said, "no," for all of them. Judas changed his own mind later. He probably had a "good" reason, too. He probably had a good YOPIOS that trumped them all.

[Warlord David]

As a evangelical christians I will book mark this for future use. Thank You. Great article on denominations within and out of christianity.

[Alex Murphy]

Even if the number was as small as two, that would be one too many.

LOL! By that definition, the Catholics just knocked themselves out of the picture as well!

[HarleyD]

You may wish to relay your findings to David A. Barrett; New York: Oxford University Press and not to this author. Mr. Barrett may even agree with you and revise his next World Christian Encyclopedia.

[xzins]

Since confession is good for the soul, I'd like to admit that I started 15,000 of them and have joined the other 14,999.

The only one I haven't been so far is OrthoCalviPrethOlic.

(But I have used it as a bug spray on my garden.)

[scottro]

With over 30,000 denominations and the world's biggest catholic church, we as christians should be able to get together on sunday and offer up a song of praise to Jesus! He is the only one that can truly save us . None of us can box him into uor own little package because He is much much bigger than that . I mean what do you say to the One that created the universe and searches the whole world for one that is devoted to knowing Him. That's the point , It is not about us and or little doctrinal disputes . It is all about HIM and it will always be! Get to know Jesus in Your heart. We don't have to rely on a Priest or Pastor to hear from God , but just be willing to listen and the relationship will become everything to move mountains.

[kosta50]

More of the same babble by people who don't even know definitions of terms being used in their "arguments."

Let's take up the definition of the word religious denomination for starters (acc. MW dictionary):

"a religious organization uniting local congregations in a single legal and administrative body." [my emphasis]

Obviously, this has nothing to do with what church you can go to as a Protestant, but rather under whose jurisdiction that church falls. Methodists and Presbyterians and Baptists are not one and the same legal and administrative body, and are therefore not part of one Protestant "Church," but an atomized group of churches that have, beside the common belief in Christ and Triune God, in common a few other beliefs (denying Sacred Tradition, denying the auhtoirty of the Pope, the infallibility of the Church, Bible-only doctrine, Salvation by faith Only, etc.). Outside of that, their worship is as different as it gets, what is Biblical is as diffferent as it gets, and generally everything outside of the very core is subject to rationalization by choice and taste.

The author of this piece obviously doesn't understand that the Eastern Orthodox Church represents a communion of churches that forms one "legal" and "administrative body," that it is catholic in terms of theology and manner of worship and that Coptic Orthodox is not a "denomination" of Eastern orthodox, or vice versa.

Similarly, the Catholic Church represents a "legal" and "administrative body" of churches, a communion that includes various rites, both eastern and western.

To compare that with various independent, self-styled, self-defined, dime-a-dozen neighborhood buildings called "something church" should be embarrassing enough to not even attempt to so say in public, let alone publish it.

The problem with 30,000 or 8,000 whichever, is that each claims to interpret the "truth" sufficiently differently from the next-door-dime-a-doze-churches to call itself a different "church," reducing the ecclesia to almost a local clanship and personal issue.

What "unites" all Protestants is nothing compare to what separates them, "legally" and "administratively" into separate sects.

My only conclusion about this is that they must NOT have found the truth they claim. For the Truth is One, and minor differences notwithstanding, the true Church will be one theologically, administratively and legally. And there are only two such Churches in the world -- the Eastern orthodox and the Roman Catholic; the two churches that came out of the One original Church.

[scottro]

You can stay with your religion and your laws and your 2 million pages of doctrine but as for me and my house, we will serve the lord. Wow , I can't believe how simple faith can be and powerful. God bless my friend

[drstevej]

***the true Church will be one theologically,***

Cardinal Mahoney

[azcap]

I guess 22,748 groups of you can't be wrong, can they? How many of these groups are actually right?

 

If you want to know how many "true" churches there are there can only be two answers ONE or ZERO. I am always amused when people ask someone about their religious beliefs and then ask them if they think their denomination is the only true church. If the answer was not yes than they should be looking for a new church themselves. There are thousands of  GOOD churches but only one at a time could ever be true.

[kosta50]

***the true Church will be one theologically,***
Cardinal Mahoney

By definition, and logic, as it wasfor 1,000 years. But human corruption makes room to tempt even that which is holy. And once the doors were opened to such temptation, the unholiness never stopped.

[drstevej]

You will have to explain your response.

[kosta50]

You will have to formulate a question.

[SoothingDave]

Cardinal Mahoney is not an author of theology. He is a teacher of it. A failure at that, sure. But he is called to teach what the Church teaches, not to define it.

SD

[drstevej]

***the true Church will be one theologically,***

Are you one with your Cardinal Mahoney? Is he in union with The bishop of Rome?

What oneness is it that ignores heretical teaching in a Cardinal?

[SoothingDave]

What oneness is it that ignores heretical teaching in a Cardinal?

A oneness that is greater than temporary and localised nonsense. There always have, and always will be, bad teachers in the Church. And yet the doctrine remains pure. It helps to think in centuries and not years.

SD

[drstevej]

*** It helps to think in centuries and not years.***

Elect me Pope and we can deal with this in years not centuries. We Proddies "take the bull by the horns" and there is lots of "bull" that needs "taking."

Mahoney is number one on my "Papal To Do List" -- make a statement to the AmChurch. A Mel Gibson financed Chapel on the site of the bulldozed Taj Mahoney with an orthodox Cardinal residing there is my style of change.