Division In Christianity

In the article, Baptists and the Ecumenical Movement by John Briggs, the role and history of Baptists in their engagement with the Ecumenical Movement is discussed. This article critique will summarize the main points of the article, as well as look at the strengths and weaknesses. The conclusion of this critique will determine the overall effectiveness of the article itself.

In the New Testament, the church can be referred to as the “local” church or the “universal” church. The local church is a place where assemblies of believers come together at a particular location and time. The universal church refers to the body of Christ. Many churches believe that they are healthy because they have a certain number of people on their

Church after church split into evangelical and traditional factions and denominations appeared. New denominations occurred and grew in numbers as a result of the importance on individual faith and salvation. With

or the Anglican Church, which was headed by the king of England. Henry’s actions stimulated

Christianity is a faith based religious tradition, of which the follower is considered to be a Christian adherent. Thus, being a living tradition, Christianity is continually subject to change in accordance to the needs of the adherent and reaffirming the Christian tradition within a contemporary context. The aspects, which attribute the present existence of Christianity and its dynamism therein, include sacred texts and writings, ritual and ceremonies, beliefs and believers, and ethics. Ultimately, the aforementioned characteristics strive to form and continually validate answers to the enduring questions of life through a process of change, which simultaneously highlights Christianity as a living tradition.

iii) On biblical grounds the Church is a community of both saints & sinners. Separation only comes at final judgement. Therefore ‘two’ churches: the essential/invisible church contained within the outward empirical church. (To what extent did this distinction allow for the development of corruption within the empirical church?)

Who shared common backgrounds, common experiences and common realities. Religious freedoms develop experiences of a common existence which transcend beyond the individual but loom on the threshold of a collective body. Theological perspectives, rituals, and styles of worship emerged. This is why I ponder the negatives associated with religious separation. Since tearing down the bondage of segregation; the church has yet to experience a great surge of integration. James Baldwin, as well as many others, contend the most segregated day or hour in America is on Sunday. These words are spoken with much contrition, as to say there is something profoundly wrong with this situation. How can Christians call themselves Christians, yet separate themselves based on social and cultural differences during their hour of worship? The religious experience is not only a spiritual connection and oneness with God, but a collective oneness of self; viewing one’s own identity through the lens of cultural experiences. This is not say separation is an evil perpetuating religious divineness; but a necessity to maintain one’s identity. There is no solid foundation for religious integration; for

Ronald H. Nash begins his book responding the position of pluralism in regards to the exclusivity of Jesus Christ, mainly directed at John Hick, who was a leading proponent of pluralism until his death earlier this year. Nash was an evangelical Baptist theologian and apologist, who subscribed to the Calvinist tradition. Within his book, Nash tackles several of Hick’s arguments relating to the pluralism and universality of Christianity. Nash reveals in chapters 1-6, the evolution of Hick’s philosophy of pluralism and understanding of pluralism, which conflicts with the Christian’s view of the

The competition between denominations has taken away from the glorification of Jesus Christ. This also has lead people to think that denominations cause a division among Christians. When a denomination does not align with the Word of God and removes or inserts other implications to the written Word, it dilutes the authentic meaning of the Holy Bible. In having confidence that God composed every single word in the Holy Bible, I believe it is important to adhere to and believe in the Holy Bible in its entirety. The Southern Baptist denomination believes in the entire Bible, in the manner in which it was written, and promotes its members to live so

Believers need to avoid disunity at all costs unless the arguments concern the fundamentals of the Christian faith. As time goes on, more and more divisions unfortunately occur over trivial matters. I believe that, regardless of its denomination, every church should look to the Bible as the only source of spiritual guidance. In 1 Corinthians 2:1-2, Paul explains, "And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." We as Christians should not interpret the Bible based upon man's understanding; rather, we must meditate upon the Word and allow the Holy Spirit to convict our hearts. I look forward to the heavenly day when all believers can worship and glorify our Father in pure

By the 1830s, the Protestant denomination which I am personally familiar with, had begun a few violent attacks against the Catholic, because of their republican values. Later in the same decade, the Protestants again ignited fire into a convention, here in Massachusetts related to difference in views. Within these 35 diverse Christian denominations, 50,873,000 members are Roman Catholic (Catholic) hence the largest. Other equally functional denominations are Baptist, Pentecostal, and several others; says a recent American Religious Identification Survey. (35 Largest Christian Denominations in the United States). While there are numerous varieties of their divide, the onset of Christian community emphatically, traces to only one unified community. Since its establishment in the 1st century, the Christian community was founded on the doctrines of Jesus of Nazareth, which rather contributes to the wellbeing of communities, regardless of whether their views aligned with theirs or not. Starting with the apostle Paul, several

Ronald Nash wrote a book called Is Jesus the Only Savior. It discusses his gathered findings and distinctions between Pluralism and Inclusiveness. This paper will explore some of Ronald Nash’s observations and the arguments, logics and Scripture used to support his writings. This paper will discuss several Religious leaders some pluralist others inclusivists, non-Christians, Christians and their beliefs, philosophies or opinions. In this paper the details of inclusiveness is discussed.

The increase in religious alternatives in the Americas presents another challenge to Christianity. This rise in the exposure to other faiths in the Americas is due largely to an increase in immigration, especially after World War II (Stott 72). People, emigrating from other

Gilbert Bilezikian gives four areas that need to be addressed when administering the church here on earth, 1. A shared faith, 2. A share purpose, 3. A shared lifestyle and 4. A shared authority (Bilezikian, 1993, p. 195-197). A shared faith is noted in Ephesians 4:5 where God’s people are told to have “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (NIV). Gilbert tells his readers, “every church needs to formuloate clearly its understanding of the Christian faith” ( (Bilezikian, 1993, p. 195). With this written statement everyone within the church will have a common ground from which to govern, with all people knowing what the belief of that church is.

Church history reveals that a number of serious biblical doctrinal controversies occurred during the late 1800s and early 1900s that gave occasion for the formulation of certain fundamentalist principals to be implemented as a clarification and remedy against unbiblical manifestations. The authority of the Bible was brought into serious question.