Why Are There So Many Denominations?

Jesus started One Church with His ministry and empowered One Church to do His work by sending the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Now, 2000 years later, that single movement has become a few thousand different denominations worldwide. This fracturing of one Church into multitudes of denominations has been a lightning rod for criticism from those who want to call the validity of Christianity into question.  If God incarnate with infinite power and force of will launched the one true Church into history, why hasn't it persisted as such?  

A much more thorough answer to this question will be provided on the pages that follow, but in summary, the nutshell is this: There is enough diversity of thought on secondary issues of theology that people who feel strongly about these issues have difficulty being in close practical and functional unity with others who disagree with them. They have sorted themselves into multitudes of diverse organizations.  Every movement, when it gets big enough, experiences this phenomenon.  While there is fundamental agreement and unity on foundational issues, there is enough force of preference on smaller questions that it is sometimes impossible to keep functioning as one organization. 

Every true Christian will agree to a set of foundational beliefs, codified in a small collection of documents called "creeds." These creeds lay out what the Bible clearly teaches on issues like the Trinity and the work and nature of Christ.  If someone rejects these foundational teachings, they are not a Christian. 

Within these broad umbrella doctrines, there is plenty of room for differences of opinion on lesser matters, like how the modern-day Church relates to the promises made to ethnic Israel in the Old Testament, or the timing of end-times prophetic events.  Several questions have divided Christians throughout history, and while this division is certainly not ideal, the divisions that exist within orthodox Christian movements do not divide the One Church into multiple faiths.  Rather, the diversity of sects of Christianity should be seen as evidence of how deeply and carefully Christians have taken the task of studying Scripture throughout the ages. While all Christians agree on foundational creedal truths, we have seen lesser questions differently, and these differences have caused different Christians to break organizational fellowship with others. 

All Creedal Christians should admit that we fully expect to share eternity. Christ has made for Himself One Church.  While it is difficult to function in one organization with people who see secondary doctrines and practices differently, in Christ, we are all still part of One Church, even today. 

For a discussion of the questions that have divided Christians over time, continue to the main article here.