Teens and Christ
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Lesson 4 of 5 · 9 min

Why There Are So Many Denominations

How the church divided, what the divisions are about, and what remains shared.

The three great splits

451: the Oriental Orthodox churches separated over the wording of Christ's natures. 1054: East and West divided over papal authority and the filioque. 1517 onwards: the Reformation split the West over authority, justification and the sacraments.

First-order and second-order

Some differences define whether something is Christianity at all: the Trinity, the deity and humanity of Christ, the bodily resurrection, salvation by grace. Others are real but not gospel-dividing: church government, baptism timing, worship style, spiritual gifts.

Mature Christians hold the first firmly and the second honestly, without treating every disagreement as heresy.

Scandal and gift

Jesus prayed that his followers would be one, so division is genuinely a wound. Yet the traditions also preserve emphases the others need: Orthodox awe, Catholic sacrament, Reformed Scripture, Methodist holiness, Pentecostal expectancy.

Key passages

  • That they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you.

    John 17:21

  • One body and one Spirit... one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all.

    Ephesians 4:4-6

  • Each one of you says, 'I follow Paul'... Is Christ divided?

    1 Corinthians 1:12-13

Reflect

Is there a Christian tradition you have written off without ever understanding it?

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Next: Finding and Joining a Church

Where this came from

We're not experts — these are the sources we used while researching this page. Read them yourself, keep digging, and hold us to them.

  1. [1]The Holy Bible — Blue Letter Bible interlinear and lexicons

    Primary source for every lesson; Strong's and BDB/Thayer entries for word studies.

  2. [2]The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed (381) — full text and history, Britannica

    The doctrinal frame for the lessons on God, Christ and the Spirit.

  3. [3]N. T. Wright, lectures and articles archive (NTWrightPage)

    New Testament scholarship drawn on for the gospel, kingdom and resurrection lessons.

  4. [4]Catechism of the Catholic Church (Vatican) and the Westminster Confession of Faith

    Consulted side by side wherever a lesson describes how different traditions teach a doctrine.