Frequently Asked Questions: Why Are ThereDifferent Types of Christians?

One of the most frequent questions I am asked by people is why there are so manydifferent types of Christians. What is a Protestant, a Baptist, a Catholic, or Charismatic?What do those labels mean, and how can I know if a belief is truly Christian? What arethe essential elements that comprise Christian belief? Let’s tackle those questions briefly.When Jesus ascended to heaven, He left behind one church. But soon there weredisagreements about things like circumcision or what food Christians could eat. In somecases, Christians could agree to disagree, but other times it was clear that certain beliefswere no longer Christian. It is the same today. On many issues, such as worship, spiritualgifts, and church government, Christians disagree but still call each other Christian brothers and sisters. But some issues are so central to Christian belief that they cannot becompromised.Mostly, what defines Christian belief is about Jesus. Christians disagree about manythings, but they all agree about who Jesus is, what He did, and what His death andresurrection means for us. Two-thousand years ago, some people denied Jesus had a physical body or said His death did not pay for all our sins. Peter, John, and Paul rejectedthese so-called Christians. Today, some of the same issues are around. That is whyMormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses are not Christian, even though they also read theBible. These religions do not believe Jesus is the One True God.A good rule to use to determine Christian belief was created very early in Christianhistory, as early as the middle of the second century. This confession is called theApostle’s Creed, and it is the basis for many denominational statements of beliefs,including that of our own church:

I believe in God, the Father almighty,creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,was crucified, died, and was buried;he descended into hell.On the third day he rose again;he ascended into heaven,he is seated at the right hand of the Father,and he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit,the holy catholic Church,the communion of saints,the forgiveness of sins,the resurrection of the body,