Why are there so many Chirstians denominations (beware: more information needed) ?

[Libertarian_FL]

Even a dying tree can disperse seeds that grow into new trees.

 

[cooterhein]

Dear all,

This is my first post, so take it easy. The question is serious though.

Why are there so many denominations?

I will do my best to supply you with a reasonably detailed Protestant view.

Protestant denominationalism as we now know it is largely an American phenomenon. It took place mostly between the Revolution and the Civil War. This trend toward extreme diversity is unique to Christianity in any other part of the world at any other time- but then again, the course of America’s development during this time was rather unique as well.

I should add that its uniqueness was (and still is) found in the ordering and structure of the institution- in terms of theology, practically nothing is original to America or unique to any other point in Christian history.

The unique nature of denominationalism lies in the “free church” idea. What I mean is the idea of a local church institution that enjoys a level of autonomy and independence from pretty much anyone and anything that isn’t directly involved in the day-to-day business of the people who actually get together and work toward a common goal within that church body.

This concept began with the separation of church and state in Europe, developed to a certain extent after the Reformation, and then- when a huge number of those same Protestants moved to America, often with “religious freedom” quite high on the list of reasons to go there- that particular composition of people in that kind of situation wound up developing a new kind of Christian institution that was predictably unique, but not quite so predictable in the specific way that everything wound up developing.

With this idea of “free churches,” the things that separate the different denominations are usually not confessional and certainly not territorial. Typically, any one of them could be described as the voluntary association of like-minded Christians who unite on the basis of common beliefs for the purpose of accomplishing objectives that are tangible and well-defined.

If you can think back to what it must have been like for a largely Protestant wave of immigrants from Europe coming together in this self-directed, self-developed sort of environment, you can imagine what it must have been like for all these different Protestants to run into each other all in the same place. In many cases, they came from different countries and backgrounds, their ancestors had different reasons for breaking with Rome, and they may have had different reasons for leaving Europe altogether. So they knew they were different (which was not expected to change, nor was it necessary to do so), but they worked out a situation where they affirmed certain basic truths (the things they “protest”- that is, affirm) as their basis for doctrinal unity. They also wound up deciding that it wasn’t necessary for them to forge a central leadership, and that was especially easy to do just because none really existed there to begin with.

That’s probably the biggest reason for why the Protestant institution of denominationalism is so different from any other Christian institution in the world.

American denominationalism is not connected with civil power in any way at all, and that’s what makes it really unique as a type of church institution throughout all of Christian history. As such, a Protestant church doesn’t exist as a “church” in a legal sense- it’s represented as a civil corporation in whose name the church’s business is transacted. Likewise, the word “sect” is more appropriate for mainline denominations, but far less so for churches we’ll see in the cornucopia of denominationalism. They are not sects in any traditional sense, and for sure not in the common sense of dissenting bodies in relationship to an established church body.

For this very reason, it should not surprise you when an American Christian from this type of background knows very little about the Catholic Church and also doesn’t have a particular axe to grind with another denomination. It all goes back (indirectly, at this point) to a time in world history where the United States was the escape route for Protestants that wanted to start fresh. And start fresh they did, with no connection between the civil and the religious. It led to an incredibly diverse denominationalism that can, at times, yield splits and disagreements. But far more often, it’s just a common exercise in the right of all churchgoers to come together and conduct their own church business. It’s one of those incredibly unique situations where the exercise of freedom is almost entirely devoid of the sectarian encumbrances that usually accompany it.

That’s my take on it as one who is clearly non-Catholic. If you’d like more detail on the growth of denominationalism in America throughout its history, there’s one author of several books that you really need to read- Mark Noll. He’s one of the leading Evangelicals in America, he teaches grad students at Notre Dame, and he’s the best historian in the world when it comes to Evangelicals/Protestants in America during the period of time that I was talking about. That is his specific area of expertise, and when it comes to this, no historian is better.

Some of his books: Religion and American Politics from the Colonial Period to the 1980’s, A History of Christianity in the United States and Canada, American Evangelical Christianity: An Introduction, Protestants in America, The Old Religion in a New World: The History of North American Christianity, The Work We Have To Do: A History of Protestants in America, The New Shape of World Christianity: How American Experience Reflects Global Faith.

Look into some of those and see which ones will do the best job of continuing to answer your questions. I promise, if you like history at all, you will enjoy his work. He’s the best. Go on Amazon, take a look at those, and actually buy one of them. It’ll be worth it.

 

[PLAT]

Even a dying tree can disperse seeds that grow into new trees.

See where it all went wrong? Jesus is the big old strong tree. We are the fruits. Jesus uses this kind of parables a lot. Why would the tree begin to die? It’s Jesus!

And who gave you the authority to start a new tree? Trees? Surely it is more vulnerable than the thick large tree?