The Christian church can seem more confusing than it needs to be. With over 340 Christian denominations in Canada and an estimated 45,000 denominations across the world, you can get the impression that nobody agrees. That’s not the case.
Some denominations just have different histories
Many of the groups largely agree on the essentials but just have different histories. Lutherans and Anglicans, for example, share many of the same core beliefs, but while Lutherans emerged from Martin Luther’s Reformation in Germany, Anglicans grew out of the English Reformation. Their names reflect their history, but not necessarily major disagreements. It’s like Italian restaurants—you may have different chains and many independents, but that doesn’t mean they disagree on what makes Italian food Italian.
There are questions that the Bible doesn’t clearly answer
Many of the differences are simply the result of minor issues of interpretation over questions that Scripture isn’t completely clear about. For example, when the New Testament was completed, churches were being planted rapidly amidst great persecution. Details about how large groups of churches, numbering in the hundreds or thousands, should relate to each other and be governed are largely absent. Some denominations today are hierarchical, while others are decentralized. A decision had to be made about something that the Bible doesn’t clearly define, and so it’s natural that different groups came to different conclusions.
There are really only 3 kinds of churches
There are 3 main differences between Christian denominations and one question you can ask to decide between them.
1. Bible-Plus Churches
All Christian churches hold the Bible as a source of authority. Bible-Plus Churches hold that authority alongside something else. Catholics make the pronouncements of the Pope (see 891) and the church’s established tradition (see 78 and 80) authoritative also. In some Protestant churches, a dominant pastor, family, or clique can even take on a level of authority that rivals or even exceeds the Bible. In Bible-Plus Churches, believers get their standard of faith and practice from the Bible and something or someone else.
2. Bible-Minus Churches
Bible-Minus Churches subtract from the Bible’s authority. One of the major forms of this began in the early 19th century as some churches began to doubt the Bible’s claims about miracles and teachings that seemed at odds with science. More recently, the tendency is for some churches to reject the Bible where it differs with contemporary views of morality, especially in questions of gender and sexuality. The former movement is called liberalism and the latter, Progressive Christianity, but both seek to subtract from the Bible’s authority in some way.
3. Bible Churches
What I’m calling Bible Churches see the Bible as their only ultimate authority. They may still have traditions like an annual potluck or a Wednesday night prayer meeting, but only those things clearly defined in Scripture are treated as non-negotiable (Mark 7:8-9). They still recognize leaders with real authority, but only authority that comes from carrying out responsibilities outlined in Scripture (Hebrews 13:17). Bible Churches recognize that opinions about morality change with the times, but God’s Word doesn’t change, and it provides a reliable path in an uncertain world (Acts 13:17). Bible Churches don’t dismiss science, but they recognize that data is always interpreted through assumptions, and new discoveries often overturn old theories. If God has spoken, His is the only voice that finally matters (Isaiah 40:8).
There are more Christian denominations than I’d like to count, but there are really only three kinds of churches: Bible-Plus Churches, Bible-Minus Churches, and Bible Churches. The easiest way to tell which one you’re in is to ask, “What place does the Bible have in this church?” Is it just one of the voices? Is it doubted, corrected, or ignored? How prominent are the Scriptures in the teaching, the decisions, and the people’s lives? Once you know that, you already know most of what you need to know about a church.
In awe of Him,
Paul
