The Christian Lineage

Many people defend one denomination as the true church by claiming the most direct line back to the apostles, but the real history is not that tidy. In the beginning, there was no single head on earth. The church was a web of local congregations led first by groups of elders, then by one bishop per city, with the great centers of Rome, Alexandria, Antioch, and later Constantinople honored as leaders rather than rulers. Big questions were settled together, in councils that emperors, not popes, called, and Rome held the first place of honor without a recognized power to command the rest.

Over the centuries, one of those centers, Rome, slowly turned that first place of honor into a claim of supreme authority over everyone. The East rejected it, and so did voices inside the West, including a pope who called the very title of universal bishop the mark of the forerunner of the Antichrist, so the pushback was internal as well as external. Each assertion reached further than the last, and a claim that keeps escalating tends, sooner or later, to be settled by force, which is what the great split of 1054 and the Western sack of Constantinople in 1204 deliver. On this tree, the root is Christ, the trunk is that shared early church, and every institution, Rome included, is a branch. The timeline below walks through how it actually played out.

But before we do, pay attention to this because one thing is clear... our Bible did not come from the Roman Catholic Church... it came from all of our Christian ancestors (and the first formulation actually came out of Alexandria). There's more though, so stick around!

The saddest part of all of this is when you look at it from a 10,000 foot view from Christ's lens, it really makes you weep. What has become of the faith and the infighting that has occurred (and continues to occur) between brothers under the same Father. Obviously, He foresaw all of this, but it must break His heart to watch His children focus on tradition, who's more right and who's better equipped to lead. I think back to Paul's writings where He rebuked Peter (with good reason) in Galatians 2:11-21, Paul disagreeing with Barnabas (Acts 15:36-41) and others, but most importantly... Paul called out the disagreements going on in the church (1 Corinthians 1:10-17). We need to be united and not be demanding who is MORE CORRECT than another ("I serve the true Jesus! No, I do! No, I do!").

Look, I'm not saying any and every interpretation of scripture is correct (which many will push back and say "WELL then it's a complete mystery what is correct/not"), and I don't believe that's true either. There are even many things I think the protestants can learn from the Catholics, but I think that applies equal laterally. I truly believe it's about our hearts and our dedication to try to live our lives as Christ-like as humanly possible. I think today we've clearly proven historically we all share a lot of the same heritage, and where we disagree often are not things that affect salvation (e.g., whether you believe in Purgatory or not has no bearing on salvation). Leaders from across denominations (various Protestants, Catholics, Orthodox, etc) need to come together with an open hand and open heart, as difficult as it might be, to try to at least build a common consensus.

In the meantime, brothers and sisters, I ask that we really pray for each other. That we all meet in heaven knowing He earned it for us, not us. That our Father understands the evil one was constantly trying to pull us apart, but ultimately we held together through the promise of our Lord, Jesus Christ. And all believers who do their best to obey and walk with a truly repentant heart get to join our Lord in our Father's eternal home. May He have mercy on each of us for all our disagreements, and help us fully submit to Him in knowing ALL that there is to live and operate properly in His Kingdom. Amen.