Christian Church
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The term Christian Church, or Catholic Church, as it was known beginning in AD 110,[1] expresses the idea that organised Christianity (the Christian religion) is seen as an institution. The phrase "The Church" in its widest sense (as "the Body of Christ") has a similar breadth. In traditional Christianity, the term translates ecclesia (in Greek, εκκλησια).
The term Christian Church may also refer to particular denominations within Christianity, such as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Independent Christian Churches/Churches of Christ or the Christian Church of North America.
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[edit] History
[edit] Divisions and controversies
Today the churches that consider themselves to be Christian are numerous with a variety of different doctrines and traditions. There are many controversies between the denominations which persist today.
One significant controversy is simply the definition of the Christian or Catholic Church. To some degree this controversy is related to the Nicene Creed, to which virtually all denominations subscribe, which specifically references a catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church has traditionally regarded itself as the unique Christian Church (hence the name) although in the 20th century this view has softened, at least unofficially. Many other demoninations take the view that all denominations are part of a global Christian Church which is a body bound by a common faith if not a common administration or tradition.
Another controversy is the concept of apostolic succession which is generally defined in one of two ways. The oldest definition is a church's claim that its leaders inherit their authority from an unbroken succession of leadership beginning with Jesus' apostles. Another definition that gained popularity with the Protestant Reformation is that a church strictly follows the teachings and traditions of the apostles. The concept is considered importance as a justification for the legitimacy of any particular church. The older definition was used by the Church in the Roman Empire as its justification for legitimacy and this justification has continued to be argued by both the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches as their claim of legitimacy. The Roman Catholic Church has traditionally been the most vocal in claiming itself to have unique legitimacy in apostolic succession. Most of the protestant churches use the newer definition as their justification.
The right to be considered the first or oldest Christian church has been a point of contention historically. Christianity, of course, began in Roman Judea and gradually spread eastward into Asia Minor, Greece, and eventually the entire Empire. Historically the first city to consider itself truly Christian was Antioch and, as such, the Church of Antioch[2] there considers itself the be the first true Christian Church, deriving its authority directly from the apostles Peter and Paul. The Roman Catholic Church has traditionally argued that Saint Peter, appointed by Jesus as the head of the Church, eventually moved his ministry to Rome establishing himself and his successors in Rome as the true leaders of Christianity making the Roman Catholic Church the actual original Church. The Eastern Orthodox Church (of which the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch is a part) has argued that the scripture in no way designated Saint Peter or any other apostle as having primacy and argues that all the original patriarchates of the Roman Empire, including Rome, trace their roots to the apostles. As such all the patriarchates, those of Eastern Orthodoxy as well as Rome which split from the rest during the Great Schism, are part of the original Church.
[edit] Differing Views Held
There are many different views held by denominations within the Christian Church about what the true Christian church is and where and what it is today. There are many different viewpoints held about the Christian Church, of which the most prominent probably are:
- That a particular, singular church in this day and age is the original church started by Christ on the day of Pentecost in 33 AD, and that it is still running today and has been running ever since, escaping division and apostacy/heresy, as well as, perhaps, outside opposition (as the Bible states in Matthew 16:18 that his church would survive the gates of hell. However, many churches and their individual members with this viewpoint have differing viewpoints about the fate of those outside membership of those churches.
- That the church is the spiritual body of Christians worldwide who have accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior, and have asked him into their hearts, and that whether someone who is in the Christian Church or not is not dependent on which Christian denomination they may attend. They may also believe that when Jesus speaks of building his church, he speaks of building the Christian Church in a symbolic, universal sense, rather than believing that he stated that he would establish a particular institution or Christian belief system. They may also believe that whenever he speaks of his church, he speaks of a universal church that is built in heaven, rather than an earthly institution or belief system. This is probably the most popular view.
[edit] See also
- Christendom
- One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church
- Church militant and church triumphant
- Christian ecumenism
- List of Christian denominations
