It’s a shocking stat, but there are 42,000 Christian denominations in the world!
Yes, the church that Jesus started is currently divided into 42,000 factions. Notice I didn’t say Jesus’ churches (plural), but Jesus’ church (singular).
How do I know Jesus intended there to be only one church? Quite simply because he prayed we would be one, just as he and his father are one.
Jesus even said why he wanted us to be as one: so that the world would believe. Succinctly, our unity maximizes our witness.
The implication is our disunity—our disagreements that have divided us into warring denominations—serves to weaken our witness.
Our divisions and petty squabbling over theology and tradition, lessen who we are, what we stand for, and why we’re here.
Oh, how our disunity must grieve the God we claim to serve.
As Christians, why can’t we all get along? That’s what Jesus wanted and that’s what he prayed for. Let’s ditch our divisions and unite for the sake of Jesus—so that the world may know.
Our factions and denominations don’t matter, Jesus does.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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