I have heard skeptics suggest that the multitude of denominations is a major obstacle to believing in the truth of Christianity. After all, there are thousands of groups all claiming they have the truth, none of which can get along. This must mean that Christianity is false.
I just don’t get that argument. First, it misrepresents the relationship between the denominations. I was raised Anglican, became Pentecostal and am now Baptist. I do not now look at Anglicans and Pentecostals and argue that they are false denominations. I am thankful for the role they played in my spiritual journey. During my last pastoral charge, we had a fantastic ministerial. We had an Anglican, a Roman Catholic, a Presbyterian, a United, a Pentecostal, a Church of Christ, a Nazarene and two flavours of Baptist. We did many things together, whether outreach projects or combined worship services. We had a very positive relationship.
The other problem with this argument is that it ignores that there are different perspectives on every area of life. Look at the big bang. There are competing theories of what happened with the big bang. Does that mean that the big bang did not happen or that science in general is wrong? Not at all. It means that there are different interpretations of the available evidence. That is what happens with denominations. We all believe the Bible, but we have some different interpretations. Even so, most of us get along and work with each other on the things we have in common.
Personally, I am glad that there are different denominations. It would be really boring if we all did things the same way.
- Denominations
- Traditions
