Christian Denominations

The United Methodist Church is growing and it is happening in nontraditional areas. Between 2005 and 2013 outreach ministries connected the UMC with diverse communities and created over 130,000 new disciples in His image. Outreach ministries believe in providing sustenance to who are without basic needs and envision a day without want. On this foundation, missionaries built programs and created an opportunity for growth. Through ministry, the UMC continues to provide support and generosity to those who need help while transforming missionaries’ actions into disciples across the globe. UMC apportionments equip ministries and change the world.

The Bible has many teachings of Jesus, that show what we as Christians can learn from and apply it to our lives. In Matthew 5:43-48, Jesus tells us to love our enemies. It’s easy to love the same people who love and care for us, however, loving someone who hates you is a difficult task. We all want to feel appreciated and valuable. When someone makes us feel worthless or unloved, the last thing we want to do is to show them love. Jesus also tells us to pray for people who wrong us which is just as hard, if not harder than the prior command to love our enemies. Jesus’ point in this teaching is to call us to be more like God by having an unconditional love for everyone. He holds us to a high standard in Matthew 5:48 when he commands us to “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly father is perfect” (Thurston, B. B., (1987) para 6). How does loving our enemies relate to other

Today, why are Christians divided in church? Are we not one family and one body in God? 1 Cor. 1: 12-13 says, "Now I mean this, that each of you says, I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul?" We are all baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, we are one family and one body. Different opinions are due to a shortage of Christ. We all have our own preferences and understanding in so many matters, but if we are insistent in our ways, we only cause trouble. For instance, regarding where to send donations for Kachin IDPs, there are many different opinions, and they have caused much trouble. They have led to divisions of churches from one community and have distanced relationships with one another. However, if we are full of Christ, we will not care for these things.

“Religious pluralism generally refers to the belief in two or more religious worldviews as being equally valid or acceptable. More than mere tolerance, religious pluralism accepts multiple paths to God or gods as a possibility” (Got Questions Ministries, 2017). “Religious pluralism goes against the Christian claim to absolute truth as stated in John 14:6 (New Living Translation), “Jesus told him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (Sackett, 2014, p. 77).

Unity has become the mantra of the church today. This can be seen in the downplaying of the importance of doctrine which is said to “divide” Christians from one another. Often times unity is pushed for with a complete abandonment of any sense of discernment claiming that love for all brothers ought to be the main concern of the church. More fundamentalist circles go too far the other direction by creating a legalistic set of rules in by which they judge the worthiness of other to fellowship with themselves. Both mindsets are in error as we are not to seek unity on the basis of “brotherly love” or “standards for fellowship” but Christians are to seek and find unity in Christ and in no one else. Proximity to Christ determines what proximity can be had between Christians.

Many modern believers have conformed to the thoughts of the rest of the world and believe that their main concern should be themselves. This self minded thought process has led to many conflicts within modern churches that might have otherwise been avoided. The early church took the second commandment “love your neighbor as yourself” at face value (Lev. 19.18). Luke writes that “There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need” (Acts. 4.34-35). Rather than take care of themselves, those in the early church sold their own possessions to help meet the needs of others. Since the early believers acted out of love there were few, if any, conflicts that came

Have you ever wondered how the Christian faith broke into so many different denominations? It all started around the 16th century with a man named Martin Luther. He began a religious movement called the Protestant reformation. During this period many people and countries broke away from the Catholic faith. The countries England and Scotland were some countries that broke away and the English king, Henry VIII began the break from Catholicism and founded the church if England. Many events followed this break and some of the events became violent. These events and the break from the Catholic work influenced English and Scottish literature. Religious Controversies, such as the Gunpowder Plot in the 16th and 17th centuries, changed Catholicism in Scotland and England forever and influenced the play Macbeth.

When dealing with the Christian denominations, we must go back and start with the reformation. This reformation, commonly referred to as the Protestant Reformation, split reformed Christianity from Catholicism. As a result of this reformation, Christianity broke off into four major denominations: Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, and Baptists. Each one of these churches finds a different part of Christianity to focus on. The denominations do not stop there however. People have created even more offshoots of Christianity based on their interpretation of the Scriptures, some being valid, while others are completely bizarre. Over time, over forty-thousand different denominations have been established worldwide!

I. Paul reminds the church that they should live in unity according to God’s calling (4:1-3)

In nursing, it is very important to take into account the diverse faith traditions. People are accustomed to their cultural values and traditions that must be respected and are keys of support for the depressed, ill individual. People’s faith traditions are as vital as blood transfusion could be for an anemic person with Hemoglobin of 7 g/dL or less. Our discussion this meeting focuses on describing the role of the Faith Community Nursing (FCN)/ Health Minister in healing and wholeness which is competency 6 for this elective course. We discussed the distinct types of roles that we can encounter as health ministers. Those roles include but are not limited to educators, advocates, comforter, companion, resource, and referral agents. FCN are

There are many types of churches with different organizations and denominations. With this diversity brings many opinions and beliefs that separate people and churches. I saw segregation and separation in a church I attended growing up. While attending this church we had many rules and regulation that needed to be followed, similar to the oral Torah. One example, the Pastor taught that we were not allowed to have friends or hang out with other people who did not have the same beliefs as us. However, as I grew in understanding, I realized this separated us from sharing God to others who needed Him. This separation of people in that church contradicts what Kraybill discusses Jesus’ practice was to help and fellowship with the unclean and not

Individuals must have love, and churches must display it as an essential principle, which was given as an order that, through love, those who are the Disciples of Christ will be recognized (John 13: 34 – 35). This is one fundamental that need not necessarily be spoken of, but require involvement and active participation of the Holy Spirit in our lives so that we can achieve the necessary growth. Meaning without the Holy Spirit in our lives, our love is human and purely fake.

Jesus taught dedication and loving the Lord, your God. Secondly, Jesus taught to love your neighbors as yourself, so that they will combine the Ten Commandments into two. “loving – one approaches what one sees with receptivity and confidence, as one would approach a beloved friend;” and in the Spirituality, Relationship, Meaning, it says, “In the course of their lives people grow in confidence that the love and dignity that God gives them cannot be taken away from them no matter what happens in their lives.” These all talked about love, and the reason why I think that “Love your enemies” is the main idea of Christianity is because God loves everyone unconditionally, and by showing people can love their enemies, people are trying to strive love as God. However, not everyone will love God because people do not realize God's love, and therefore do not know how to love. That is the real love I think. Obviously, compared to love the people around you and love everyone, love enemies is special and wise. 2014 Pew Research Center data show “that's 56 million American adults, up from 36.6 million in 2007.” It showed a lot of people, non-religious, like me, that they may question the same

The term Christianity encompasses a diverse array of churches and groups that comprise the Church. While certain beliefs must be agreed upon to be included in Christendom, there is a lot of room for different interpretations of Scripture. However, it can be difficult for churches and individuals to accept that views that differ from their own still may be Christian views. In the readings concerning Anglicanism and Non-Conformity, the tensions between the two groups during the Victorian era, as well as Roman Catholicism, are apparent.

For example, in America worship is something we mainly do at church on Sunday morning. In Africa, worship is a celebration of God often accompanied by music and singing. Also, different denominations worship in various ways. Over the summer as I journeyed through Greece, I got the chance to visit several Orthodox services. They are second to none in beautiful sanctuaries; their sanctuaries are a form of worship in themselves. Outside Philippi near the place Lydia was baptized, Mr. Shealy and I noted the beauty of the chapel honoring the first European convert. We both remarked that a deaf and mute man could “hear” the entire Gospel by merely looking at the walls. There are few words in the English language that can describe the presence and power of the Spirit, I felt in those ancient churches! That exemplifies what worship really is; it is more than music or even an event. It is knowing who you are and who your Creator is then honoring Him as