R. A great question. Almost from the beginning, while we as Christians have agreed with each other on the big things (Jesus rose from the dead), we have disagreed about the details (How, exactly does this free us from sin?) This is one of the reasons we have four different Gospels in the canon. Each tells the same story, but with a slightly different point of view and speaking the truth of Jesus to a slightly different audience with different needs.
Even within what was a monolithic church early on there were groups of folks who disagreed on the details. The first split over these details was between the Eastern Orthodox Churches and the Church of Rome in 1054 CE. The next major split happened in the early 1500’s CE with the Reformation. These divisions into denominations do not mean that there were not divisions of understanding within the church before then. They just were not expressed through the creation of different church bodies. Either way, we affirm that we are all Christians. It’s just a question of what flavor of Christian are you.
As Christians who happen to be Lutheran, we acknowledge that we follow A valid interpretation of the Gospel…not THE valid interpretation of the Gospel. So, we believe that those fellow Christians who happen to be Presbyterian, Episcopalian, even Baptist have something to offer to our understanding of God and how God works. Even as we have something to offer to those fellow believers.
In short, denominations came about as Christians found different ways of understanding how God worked in our world through Jesus Christ. This is, perhaps, an understandable result as we all learn and understand in different ways. What is important is that we remember that despite our different understandings, we are all still One in Christ and that our identity is as Christian…a follower of Christ. The rest is secondary.
Let me know if you have further questions by contacting me.
God’s Blessings,
Pastor Brian
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