(AP Photo/Alison Redlich)
My last article opened this discussion on the modern day church. What started out as a group of people with a common belief, common understanding, common fellowship and earnest desire to learn more has resulted in a plethora of divisions, sects, organizations, denominations, religions and mutilizations of one faith.
According to this interesting article there was only one church for the first thousand years of its existance.
It's been just over two thousand years since Christ's death and for the first half of that time, it appears that one church with one faith existed. So what happened? How - in only the last half of its entire existence - have we managed to splinter it into (depending on what statistics you read) 9000 - 20,000 denominations (yes, we can't even agree on how many denominations there are!).
My opinion? It all boils down to what one person thinks over what another person thinks. I have heard too many splits over too many things. Some leave the church over whether or not the Holy Spirit moves and empowers believers today the same way He did in Acts 2. I've heard of people leaving the church because they couldn't agree on what color the carpet should be in the sanctuary.
Are those two reasons different? I'd love to hear your feedback. If you want to hear my opinion and how I answer this question, you'll have to visit my website, here.
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