Christians. At the mention of this word, a whole array of emotions, experiences, connotations, and implications come to mind. Depending on who you are, they take on vastly different colors. If you are reading this, chances are this word solicits a deep conviction that resonates from the inside out, influencing your thoughts, attitudes, and actions. You are not alone. Millions and millions of us worldwide are answering that conviction to live like Christ and follow Christ in every conceivable way.
At some point though, we begin to hear about the different “types” of Christians, which may lead us down many rabbit holes, leaving us more confused than enlightened. Believing that the commonality of our core beliefs outweighs the differences in specific emphases, I have no intention to further the divisions within Christendom by amplifying the latter. Nevertheless, we inevitably encounter passing mentions of these different names during interpretation, so for the sole purpose of preparing you for these remarks, here they are.
Today, the different “types” of Christianity are called Christian denominations 基督教派系 {ji1-du1-jiao4-pai4-xi4}, which were not present when the Christian church was first founded. But then history happened. The Great Schism of 1504 東西教會大分裂 gave us the Eastern Orthodox Churches 東正教會 {dong1-zheng4-jiao4-hui4} and Roman Catholic Church 羅馬天主教會 {luo2-ma3-tian1-zhu3-jiao4-hui4}.
Later in the same century, Martin Luther, a devout lover of God’s words and God’s Church, voiced his concerns over certain practices and beliefs within the Roman Catholic Church, which triggered a cascade of responses and interchanges that gradually strengthened his stance against anything that was unbiblical. He was not the first reformer and was certainly not the last. His devotion eventually precipitated the Protestant Reformation 宗教改革 that gave rise to what is now known as Protestanism 基督新教 {ji1-du1-xin1-jiao4}.
Within the Protestant umbrella, we now have multiple denominations that share the same fundamental beliefs (called basic tenets), but differ in organization and secondary practices. I will refrain from making any comment on merits or orthodoxy, but only list a few that we often hear about.
Some of the most prominent include Baptist 浸信會 {jin4-xin4-hui4}, Presbyterian 長老教會 {zhang3-lao3-jiao4-hui4}, Methodist 循道宗 {xun2-dao4-zong1}, Anglican 聖公宗 {sheng4-gong1-zong1}, Lutheran 信義宗{xin4-yi4-zong1}/路德宗{lu4-de2-zong4}, and Reformed Church (Calvinist) 歸正主義 {gui1-zheng4-zhu3-yi4}.
With these and more, it was then no surprise that Nondenominational Christianity 非宗派教會 {fei1-zong1-pai4-jiao4-hui4} came to the scene. There are also recent movements including Evangelicals 福音派 {fu2-yin1-pai4} and Charismatics 靈恩派 {ling2-en1-pai4} that are interdenominational rather than being a single denomination on its own.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of the current Christian denominations. The fact that we gravitated towards this condition over the millennia deeply reflects the differences among us rather than in God Himself. Ultimately, the word “Christian” literally means “a follower of Christ“. The moment we exalt anything about ourselves above Christ, be it our methods, formats, or expressions, we cease to be followers.
When Christ is truly lifted up in our lives as He deserves, we may find our imperfect and incomplete bodies and minds take on different parts of His shadow; we may worship Him with our hands at various heights; we may exemplify the Word with diverse emphases, but in the end, there is only One on whom we gaze, in whom we trust, and after whom we follow.
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