One last time. Don't you think it is awfully coincidental that the number you come up with - after careful gleaning of the "independent, objective" documents - and the number quoted in the article just happens to be the same?
You have not ever done the research to plausibly state with certainty that the numbers you assert are found there correlate to at least 30000+ plus discrete protestant entities . You have stated yourself that you have NOT done what would be required to separate the entities out by denomination and instead presume they speak of entirely distinct denominations. So quit stating you have, you contradict yourself. If you stick to that wrong assertion then you will have to answer for why there are 8000 Catholic denominations.
When Jesus prayed for unity of faith he said there would be one faith, one Lord and one baptism. ANY person that has accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord is baptized in the blood of Christ by the Holy Spirit and is united in the same faith, same Lord and same baptism as any other person that has done so. It does NOT matter what denomination or assembly name they attend or not attend. God sees the heart and he knows who is his own. Rather than boastfully claiming your religion is united - which we KNOW is not a true statement regardless of what you may say - why not recognize that God is so much more than to be restricted to one church tradition. You know that being a Catholic does not always equate to being a true, born again Christian. People go through the actions and rituals all the time that do not have an once of faith in them. God knows who are his own children. Membership in a church does NOT mean one is a Christian.
bb: “you know that being a Catholic does not always equate to being a true, born again Christian.”
This is no doubt true.
However, the same could be said of “professed” Christians in any “denomination”.
“God knows who are his own children”.
This also is true.
For that reason, it ill behooves any of us to take on that particular responsibility—to know for certain who are God’s children....and who may not be.
I’m getting tired of this not-so-subtle style of presuming who are the Lord’s and who may not be that I read here on this forum. It seems to me that it is a thinly veiled genre of Phariseeism.
May the Lord spare us from attempting to see into the hearts of others, even if it is so carefully worded as to appear referring to Everyman and not a particular person.
“God’s love for each individual is totally personal and includes this mystery of a uniqueness that cannot be divulged to other human beings.” Pope Benedict XVI
Sometimes zeal can forget it’s purpose all the while it re-doubles its efforts.
As for your inane assertion that Catholics are split into denominations let me remind if you are not connected to the magisterium you are a protestant which probably increases the 30000 plus number far past that 1998 figure.