“Why are there so many denominations?”

Steve Brown:
Why are there so many denominations? The answer to that and other questions, on Key Life.

Matthew Porter:
Welcome to Key Life. Our host and teacher is Steve Brown. He’s no guru, but he does have honest answers to honest questions about the Bible. God’s grace changes everything, how we love, work, live, lead, marry, parent, evangelize, purchase, and worship. So here’s Steve and Pete Alwinson from ForgeBibleStudy.com with street-smart Bible teaching for real life.

Steve Brown:
Thank you Matthew. Hi Pete.

Pete Alwinson:
Hey, Steve Brown. How you doing?

Steve Brown:
You do your exercise today?

Pete Alwinson:
I did. I rode my bike early this morning.

Steve Brown:
I haven’t been swimming. I swim 50 laps or links every day and I can’t cause we have thunderstorms and that’s not the way I want to die.

Pete Alwinson:
I thought you had faith. I mean, do you trust Jesus that he can protect you?

Steve Brown:
Well, when I’m preaching a sermon I do. I don’t end up swimming pool in a thunderstorm. That’s called presumption, not faith.

Pete Alwinson:
Totally, totally. I get it.

Steve Brown:
And that’s Pete Alwinson. Do go to ForgeTruth.com and check on what’s there, video and audio. So much good teaching and a podcast you can connect with that. It’s an incredible ministry touching so many lives, and it’s a mens ministry, so if you live anywhere in Central Florida, check out the website and then get involved. You’ll rise up and call me blessed for having told you about it. Pete, as you know, comes in on Fridays. We spend the entire Friday broadcast answering questions. And we may be wrong, but we’re never uncertain. Well, we may be wrong, but we’re honest and we’ll tell you when we don’t know. And we love your questions. You can call 1-800-KEY-LIFE, 24 7, record your question, and sometimes we put your voice on the air. Or you can write to

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or you can e-mail us at [email protected]. And the only dumb question is the one you don’t ask. And if you can help financially, you get three free sins for every $5 you give. No, that’s a joke. Don’t send me letters. Your sins are all free because they cost God everything. But we will be so glad for you if you can help us and we promise to be faithful with your gift. If you can’t, say a prayer for the ministry. And that will be important to us too. Pete, why don’t you lead us in prayer and we’ll get to these questions.

Pete Alwinson:
You’ve got it. Let’s pray together. Our Great God, what a joy it is to stop right now and come before you. And Lord, we love you and we thank you that we could look back on this whole week and remember that you are large and in charge. You’ve been in charge the whole week. You are high and holy and lifted up. You have the big picture, but you’re nearby. And so, we honor you for that. And we know that you’re good and kind and merciful. You also teach us, and you allow trials into our life to shape us and mold us. And Lord, we accept that and we come before you, though we need you though to give us perspective. Holy Spirit, would you enlighten the eyes of our heart that we could understand Biblical truth. And we could understand grace at a much deeper level every day. We thank you for Key Life and for this ministry and Lord, just the opportunity to do Q&A now. We commit this to you as we think about this week-end, our pastors, and teachers, and priests, and leaders, and worship directors who will stand before us and bring us into your presence. Lord, be honored and glorified this week-end. And we commit our time to you now. In Jesus’ strong name we pray. Amen.

Steve Brown:
Amen. Pete, this first question is an e-mail. Jesus came and left one doctrine and one gospel. Why then are there so many different Christian denominations in today’s world? Can they all be correct?

Pete Alwinson:
Well, no, they can’t be.

Steve Brown:
No. If they’re not Presbyterian, they’re not correct. Right?

Pete Alwinson:
Depends on what brand of Presbyterian.

Steve Brown:
Has to be a certain kind of

Pete Alwinson:
Our brand of Presbyterian.

Steve Brown:
Yeah. If you’re our brand, then you’re correct.

Pete Alwinson:
There you go.

Steve Brown:
No, it’s not. That’s. You know, there are probably a lot of reasons for that, but God and his sovereignty has allowed it. So, maybe that’s cause we’re all different.

Pete Alwinson:
Yeah. I think there’s a lot of that and you know, there’s a lot of different pastors cause there’s a lot of different sheep.

Steve Brown:
That’s true.

Pete Alwinson:
But I think also too that generally speaking, Christian denominations that are Christ centered, gospel centered, they want to be Biblical. And so, they are studying the Scriptures. And yet there are some complicated passages and there, we believe in the essential clarity of Scripture. But there are unclear passages in the Bible and that’s where we tend to divide.

Steve Brown:
Where sinful people will fight.

Pete Alwinson:
Yeah, that’s right.

Steve Brown:
And so, we divide. My mentor, late mentor Fred Smith, used to say that Baptists split because it was an evangelistic tool. Every time there were two churches they grew and then four, they get mad at each other and then they divide. And I used to say to Fred, You Baptist have no idea about fighting. We don’t fight as often, but when we do, it’s a World War.

Pete Alwinson:
And sometimes we’re a little bit more restrained. We’re like really kind, but we will cut you.

Steve Brown:
Oh man, that’s true. And we’re talking about those two denominations, we could talk about every one.

Pete Alwinson:
Right. Right.

Steve Brown:
And people are wired differently. I mean, I don’t have any Episcopal or Anglican friends who are going to dance and probably not speak in tongues and probably not be free enough, to sing some of the songs that you sing in the freer churches. They would just be uncomfortable.

Pete Alwinson:
You know, you raise a great point there that we often demonize denominations.

Steve Brown:
Yes, we do.

Pete Alwinson:
But the reality is that each denomination tends to have its own psychology or emotional structure, temperament, if you will.

Steve Brown:
That’s true.

Pete Alwinson:
Some denominations are just extroverted and some are more introverted, some are more evangelistic, some are more worship oriented. And it just is what it is. And birds of a feather do flock together, you know?

Steve Brown:
That’s true.

Pete Alwinson:
There really is a truth to that.

Steve Brown:
And so, that’s one of the reasons. And then there’s, I believe that every denomination, every group of churches, every individual church, I believe in the gifts to individual Christians, but I believe there are gifts that are given to denominations.

Pete Alwinson:
Yeah. Right.

Steve Brown:
And to individual churches.

Pete Alwinson:
I agree.

Steve Brown:
And they bring that gift to the table for the entire body of Christ.

Pete Alwinson:
That’s right. That’s why our denomination tends to be a teaching denomination that frustrates the socks off of some people.

Steve Brown:
And that’s true.

Pete Alwinson:
But that’s our gift to the larger body of Christ.

Steve Brown:
Yeah. The Presbyterians bring their teaching, the Baptists bring their evangelism and missions, and the Episcopalians bring a fifth. Don’t send me letters.

Pete Alwinson:
I know, right? Come on. We don’t need that.

Steve Brown:
And there is also something we haven’t mentioned. There’s sin, isn’t there?

Pete Alwinson:
Yeah. It is true that our sinfulness and our shortsightedness in terms of understanding, it causes problems. We really do need to pursue, as Paul says, the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace. And especially in this day and age in Western culture, becoming so much more schismatic. Politically, Christians need to stick together around Jesus.

Steve Brown:
We really do. And to make that clear, everybody who belongs to Jesus, no matter how weird they are or you are, belongs to everybody who belongs to Jesus. And Jesus loves everybody who belongs to Jesus.

Pete Alwinson:
That’s right.

Steve Brown:
If we keep that straight, we’re going to survive. If we don’t, we’re going to be in serious trouble.

Pete Alwinson:
That’s right. Yeah.

Steve Brown:
Good question. Does Jesus love everybody? That’s an e-mail.

Pete Alwinson:
Well, I mean, I know he loves me, I’m not so sure about you.

Steve Brown:
Have you? I got, somebody sent me a t-shirt that said Jesus loves me on the front and on the back it says about 10% more than he loves you.

Pete Alwinson:
I love it.

Steve Brown:
I think yes, he does. You know, he loves, God loves the world because he’s the Creator. He’s not the Father of everybody, but he does love people. And I believe that, I believe that when we get home and we say, what about them? They’re going to be tears in God’s eyes. I think he’s going to say, If I could have done it any other way, I would’ve done it a different way. But you’re living in a world where the greatest possible number of people would run to me and love me and glorify me. And any other way I could have created, would not have caused what you’re experiencing right now. So, yeah. You know, I used to say, Ben Haden one time said in an ecclesiastical meeting, if we’re a part of a denomination where I can’t tell a man that God loves him, then I’m out of here. And I got what he was saying. You know, you can say too much with your theology if you’re not careful.

Pete Alwinson:
That’s right. That’s right.

Steve Brown:
And God is a God of love. That’s his essence. Now, it’s another question about Sonship and Daughtership.

Pete Alwinson:
Right, Right.

Steve Brown:
That’s a different thing. Not everybody’s a part of his family.

Pete Alwinson:
That’s right.

Steve Brown:
And so, he’s not the Father of everybody, but he’s the loving Creator of everybody.

Pete Alwinson:
And he loves what he creates. However, he is very clear in Scripture that he hates sin. And we are to hate it, as well.

Steve Brown:
Yeah. Well, he hates your sin and my sin and the pagan sin too.

Pete Alwinson:
Right, Right.

Steve Brown:
So, I mean, that’s why Jesus died.

Pete Alwinson:
That’s right. That’s right. And so, it’s important when we make the statement that God loves everybody, that we are careful not to say that he therefore condones the behavior. And that’s what you were talking about God being Father because of Jesus.

Steve Brown:
That’s different. All right. We have less than one minute. This is an e-mail. Can you explain the doctrine of the Trinity? In less than a minute.

Pete Alwinson:
In less than a minute. And give three examples.

Steve Brown:
30 seconds. Give three examples.

Pete Alwinson:
One God in three persons. It’s a mystery, but the Bible’s very clear, there is one God in three persons and who are all worshiped for their, in their names and their acts as one God. So, it’s absolutely stunning.

Steve Brown:
You know, I can’t remember who wrote the book, but I loved it. It is called Delighting in the Trinity. If our listeners would Google Delighting in the Trinity, you could find that book.

Pete Alwinson:
And go deeper on that.

Steve Brown:
Oh, it really, I mean, that book absolutely blew me away. And one of the main things that the difference between Islam and Christianity is that love is built into the Trinity. If you have a God that is not Trinity love is almost meaningless.

Pete Alwinson:
Right. That’s right. That says a lot right there.

Steve Brown:
Yeah, it really does. And it says all we can say cause it’s time for us to leave. But before we go, remember that Key Life is a listener supported production of Key Life Network.